Prepare to be impressed
WIND RIDGE – The Enlow Fork Spring Wildflower Walk in State Game Lands 302, Richhill Township, will happen rain or shine Sunday morning.
The end of April is the season for spring flowers and nesting birds, and nature lovers have been coming to the banks of Enlow Creek to enjoy it, whatever the weather, since the 1970s.
If you’ve never been to Enlow, prepare to be impressed.
Enlow Fork of Wheeling Creek is the northwest border between Greene and Washington counties. This big waterway, well stocked for trout season, meanders through a broad valley wrapped in steep hillsides trimmed in trillium. For a fleeting week or so, wildflowers abound. Wild geraniums, Virginia bluebells, Jack in the pulpit and wild ginger spill over ledges and hide under leaf litter. Larkspur, bellwort, trout lilies and carpets of blue-eyed Marys are in spectacular abundance. More than 60 species of birds nest in Enlow’s valley, earning it the title PA Important Bird Area-14.
Throughout the year, birdwatchers come here to count nests and identify species for Audubon. Now it’s spring, and the warblers have returned. It’s time to go looking for them.
At 7:45 a.m., bird-watchers will be the first ones to arrive, just as the birds are awakening. Armed with binoculars, books and years of expertise, they move slowly, pausing to listen and identify by song as well as by sight. Members of the Ralph K. Bell and Three Rivers bird clubs will be there. If you want to join them and be amazed at what they know, don’t be late.
By 10 a.m., those who come to see the flowers will be mingling with members of the Western Pennsylvania Botanical Society who have come to lead the way. Pennsylvania Woodland Owners Association members also will be on hand to identify trees.
The walk skirts the edge of what was once a broad hayfield. Now, it is part planned wetlands, with duck boxes, pools and an orchestra of spring peepers. Herons, Canada geese and redwing blackbirds nest here, and at least 19 species of butterflies dart across the violet-studded grasses. There are more than 30 species of wildflowers and flowering trees to spot on the two miles of dirt road that was once open to traffic. Two worn metal bridges span the creek, taking walkers in and out of two counties.
Local watershed groups are the informal sponsors for the day, making sure there is a portable toilet and providing snacks and refreshment, environmental information and impromptu demonstrations to test for environmental health.
“Our group will bring water-testing equipment and test samples of Enlow Creek for total dissolved solids and conductivity,” Wheeling Creek Watershed Conservancy president Attilia Shumaker said. “If anyone wants us to test their well water, bring a sample in a clean quart jar.”
Science classes are encouraged to come out for the day and bring their equipment and explore this rich natural resource for extra credit.
Come prepared to have a picnic, and bring your own chairs.
Schedule of events:
• 7:45 a.m. – Guided bird walk
• 10 a.m. – Guided wildflower walk, including tree identification
For directions and more information, visit www.enlowfork.tripod.com or call 724-627-7871.