Treat Mother to a Rewarding Walk Through a Wildflower Preserve
BY SALLY BAIR
Lancaster Co. Correspondent
PEQUEA - Far away from the
hustle and bustle of most of Lan
caster County, there is a quiet,
beautiful wildflower preserve that
beckpns. It is a place of unequaled
natural beauty, and it’s free. You
may not be able to give this “gift”
to your mother on Sunday, but the
beauty of it is that it will be
available throughout the year.
Shenk’s Ferry Glen Wildflower
Preserve is a part of Pennsylvania
Power & Light Company’s Lake
Aldred Recreation Area, and it is
well worth the trip to southern
Lancaster County to enjoy its
beauty. Just the drive through the
countryside to Shenk’s Ferry
revives your spirits. Once there,
you can just let the peacefulness of
the area take over.
Kathy Giegel, consulting
naturalist with PP &L, leads
walks through the preserve, but it
can be enjoyed on your own just as
well.
To enjoy the special beauty of
this natural place, it is best to plan
a leisurely walk. The trail is easy,
so old or young alike will have no
trouble. A stream moves through
the wooded area, adding to the
sense of serenity.
The walk itself can take as little
as 45 minutes, but for those really
interested in becoming attuned to
their surroundings, it could take
over two hours. Set your own pace
and just enjoy.
Kathy points out that each day
there are different flowers, so it’s
worth more than one visit. Now
spring flowers are in full array, but
beginning in June, the fields and
Trilliums abound along the trail and can easily be identified
because of the three petals.
The solitode of the Shenk’s Ferry Wildflower Preserve can be felt somewhat in this
picture with the fields and stream. Blue Phlox cover the banks on both sides of the
stream. Peace and ouiet are not disturbed on this beautiful sanctuary.
hills will take on a different look as
summer flowers take over.
If you would like to learn while
you’re enjoying the slower pace
and the solitude, Kathy suggests
that you take a wildflower iden
tification book along. If you find
something especially intriguing
and don’t have a book, she
suggests making a sketch of it and
checking when you return to
civilization.
Many books have keys to help
with identification of plants, but
Kathy notes that the shape and
color of a flower are the starting
point in identifying any wildflower.
The leaves can also help make a
positive identification possible.
Kathy suggests carrying a small
book on the trail, but there are
some very complete thicker,
heavier books available.
She notes, “Don’t be afraid to
ask someone you meet on the trail.
Most people will be glad to help
identify a plant or may have an
idea about what something may
be.”
Kathy said that one school class
visited the glen with identification
books in hand and managed to
identify over 70 different plants as
they walked the trail.
Kathy also pointed out that soil
and weather can affect the ap
pearance of a plant and its flowers,
thus making identification a little
more difficult.
The most important part of
taking a wildflower walk is to
“take your time,” Kathy reminds
visitors. “A wildflower walk
should not be rushed. Enjoy the
beauty.”
Sundays are the fullest days for
Kathy Giegel, consulting naturalist with Pennsylvania Power and Light Company,
stoops to examine more closely a wildflower found on a walk through the Shenk’s Ferry
Wildflower Preserve near Lake Aldred recreation area. Kathy points out that shape and
color are the two most important ways to identify an unknown flower.
the Wildflower Preserve, so if you
can find time in your schedule, a
weekday may offer a quieter walk.
The variety of flowers to be
found in this secluded glen is
amazing, but it does take some
close searching among the plants.
Kathy notes that as the season goes
on more weeds are growing and it
is harder to find the flowers.
Kathy said there are four kinds
of violets to be found in the woods.
Deep blue ones and white ones can
be found in abundance. Kathy
pointed out that on the white ones
the bottom petals have black veins,
which the bees like because they
use it as a runway to guide them
directly into the nectar.
Masses of Virginia bluebells
greet the visitor, and Kathy ex
plained that they were first found
in colonial America in what is now
Massachusetts. Much earlier it
was known as Northern Virginia;
hence the name.
On sunny days, the hillsides are
filled with “spring beauties” which
feature a root system that is
capable of spreading rapidly.
Each plant has some beauty, and
Kathy pointed out, “Even dan
delions have some good about
them. The flowers are prized to
make wines, the juice from the
stem is said to cure liver problems
and the leaves are good foe
salads.”
As hikers go along the trail and
The unusual characteristics of the Jack-in-the-pulpit can be
seen here. Upon close inspection the flower which forms the
“jack" can be identified in his “pulpit."
look over the hilly slopes, then
eyes are treated to fields of blue
phlox. These are also known as
Wild Sweet William, and make a
lovely carpet across the hills in this
deep wooded area.
Mayapples were in abundance,
and the buds were just about to
burst forth on some of the plants.
Sometimes the buds were hidden
by other foliage, so visitors will
need to look closely to find the
flowers as the weeks progress.
Wild geraniums were just
beginning to be seen, with
beautiful flowers and the familiar
greenery which denotes
geraniums.
The small group which hiked last
week included several “eagle
eyed” walkers who could spot
interesting flowers along the way.
Some investigation and discussion
was required to make iden
tification. Hepatica was one little
known flower they found. Kathy
noted that it is a rare plant and was
once endangered. She said it is
often mistakenly confused with
spring beauty.
wmesfead
c H/cies
There were true Solomon seals
and false Soloman seals, with the
differences noted in each. Jack-in
the-pulpits were in abundance with
their unusual shapes. A kidneyleaf
buttercup was identified, as was
golden ragwort, goldenseal,
corydalis, cut-leaved toothwort,
and saxifrage. Among the more
common plants identified were
sedum, chickweed, wild
strawberries and lamb’s ear.
Kathy will be at the Preserve on
Sunday afternoon, May 18,
beginning at 1 p.m., as well as
Thursday mornings, May 15 and
May 22, at 10 a.m. Anyone in
terested can meet at the Shenk's
Ferry parking area, located one
mile north of Pequea off Shenk’s
Ferry Road. For more in
formation, call 284-2278.
Give your mother (or yourself) a
long-lasting treat this year. Take
the time to enjoy the solitude and
unusual beauty of Shenk’s Ferry
Glen Wildflower Preserve. It’s free
and requires no appointment. Most
importantly, it is sure to refresh
your spirits as often as you take
the time to visit.