June 3: The Old Woods

Northern Water Snake.  Non-venemous.

We took a short walk in Latimer Woods yesterday.  This little preserve is near the mall and I've seen a sign for it next to a fence whenever I exit the Macy's parking lot but I've never wandered into the woods. Husbandman told me he has never, not even one time, noticed the sign for Latimer Woods, once again proving that I'm way more observant than he is. Case in point.

The hard part came when we tried to find an entrance to Latimer Woods.  After circling about, we  had to ask the internet how to enter the woods.  The Reddit people came up with a response and we headed into an apartment complex and eventually found the trail past the pool and behind a multi-car garage structure.  People, maybe let's work on signage for this public preserve. 

The good news is that Latimer Woods is an old growth forest, which means it contains "150 to 200 year old trees!!!!"  The trees didn't disappoint.  I took several photos and felt a delightful sense of natural history walking around in there.  Shout out to Clarence and Lizzie Latimer for protecting these trees, and to your children for handing over this eden to the citizens of our great town.

As I've previously mentioned, Husbandman and I are considering donating our property to our local land trust.  Out back right now are several deer, some hyper chipmunks and quite a few cardinals flitting about. We want future generations to enjoy the idyllic scenery of South High Street.