Wildflowers of Ithaca #6: Wild Geranium LbNA #22555 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | May 24, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Ithaca |
| County: | Tompkins |
| State: | New York |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | TurtleMcQ  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | cricket108 |
| Last found: | Jul 18, 2011 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFaFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | May 24, 2006 |
I'm aware of only one nut tree collection given as a gift by the Class of 1901. Can you find it, too? Start from the plaque that commemorates this gift, then cross the road and head NE towards the magnolia tree planted in Mary D. A.'s memory by the Class of 1920. Continue NE along the tree line to the overlook named for the fifth leader of the institution whose land you're traversing.
Go down the steps and turn right along the dirt path. Cross over the bridge and sit on the stone bench for a moment or two, basking in the tranquility around you. Spring, when the wildflowers abound, is an especially lovely time to visit. I startled a white-tailed deer only a few feet from the path when I last sat here admiring the marsh marigolds, wild geraniums and may apples in bloom. Note the huge uprooted tree falling up the hill, a reminder of one of last summer's powerful storms. Another lies just beyond, pieces on both sides of the trail it once blocked with its girth. Walking to it from the bench, you can see rocks under the trunk to the right of the trail. These same rocks once protected Ithaca's very first letterbox, The Plantations, retired by Trio last year due to the tree's untimely intrusion. A chipmunk was hiding exactly where the box used to be when I last walked by. I spotted a bit of wild geranium here, too, but not the one you're looking for.
After checking to see if you can spy any chipmunks yourself, follow the stream past more wild geranium than you can believe plus prehistoric looking ferns and giant skunk cabbage plants if you're here in the right season. Take the trail at a leisurely pace, stopping to read the identification tags on the trees. Learn something new while you're in this special place. Breathe in deeply as you meander; this is a path more suited to contemplation and sweet thoughts than a hurried rush to some goal.
Because the natural area is fragile and well-maintained, safe and respectful hiding places are few. I would never want to risk being the cause of damage to this, one of my favorite spots for quiet meditation, so forgive me for not taking you on a very long journey. If you continue following the mulched trail to where the stream moves underground, you'll see three large rocks forming the top layer of the man-made tunnel it enters. Step carefully to these rocks and sit on the one closest to the trail, half-covered in moss. Look at the hole between the rocks at its right-most corner, lifting only some leaf debris and a small stone. You won't need to disturb the larger stones at all, so please don't. A very gentle search is all that will be needed to uncover the wild geranium planted here. If you don't spot the box almost immediately, it's likely gone; don't tear anything up searching for it. Wildflowers do fade in time, after all, so if this one is missing maybe that's what was meant to be.
Others love this trail as much as I do, so please be discreet as you seek this box. You can stamp in where you sit or return to the stone bench you rested on earlier. Please reseal all bags tightly, make sure the lid goes on securely and cover the box with the small stone and leaf debris once you rehide it. Though the box is not deeply in its hole (please don't force it down there, either), it shouldn't be visible from the trail once you put some leaves and small sticks over it. Thank you for taking good care of my box and for protecting this special place in your search.
Go down the steps and turn right along the dirt path. Cross over the bridge and sit on the stone bench for a moment or two, basking in the tranquility around you. Spring, when the wildflowers abound, is an especially lovely time to visit. I startled a white-tailed deer only a few feet from the path when I last sat here admiring the marsh marigolds, wild geraniums and may apples in bloom. Note the huge uprooted tree falling up the hill, a reminder of one of last summer's powerful storms. Another lies just beyond, pieces on both sides of the trail it once blocked with its girth. Walking to it from the bench, you can see rocks under the trunk to the right of the trail. These same rocks once protected Ithaca's very first letterbox, The Plantations, retired by Trio last year due to the tree's untimely intrusion. A chipmunk was hiding exactly where the box used to be when I last walked by. I spotted a bit of wild geranium here, too, but not the one you're looking for.
After checking to see if you can spy any chipmunks yourself, follow the stream past more wild geranium than you can believe plus prehistoric looking ferns and giant skunk cabbage plants if you're here in the right season. Take the trail at a leisurely pace, stopping to read the identification tags on the trees. Learn something new while you're in this special place. Breathe in deeply as you meander; this is a path more suited to contemplation and sweet thoughts than a hurried rush to some goal.
Because the natural area is fragile and well-maintained, safe and respectful hiding places are few. I would never want to risk being the cause of damage to this, one of my favorite spots for quiet meditation, so forgive me for not taking you on a very long journey. If you continue following the mulched trail to where the stream moves underground, you'll see three large rocks forming the top layer of the man-made tunnel it enters. Step carefully to these rocks and sit on the one closest to the trail, half-covered in moss. Look at the hole between the rocks at its right-most corner, lifting only some leaf debris and a small stone. You won't need to disturb the larger stones at all, so please don't. A very gentle search is all that will be needed to uncover the wild geranium planted here. If you don't spot the box almost immediately, it's likely gone; don't tear anything up searching for it. Wildflowers do fade in time, after all, so if this one is missing maybe that's what was meant to be.
Others love this trail as much as I do, so please be discreet as you seek this box. You can stamp in where you sit or return to the stone bench you rested on earlier. Please reseal all bags tightly, make sure the lid goes on securely and cover the box with the small stone and leaf debris once you rehide it. Though the box is not deeply in its hole (please don't force it down there, either), it shouldn't be visible from the trail once you put some leaves and small sticks over it. Thank you for taking good care of my box and for protecting this special place in your search.