| On a beautiful,
sunlit fall morning, my husband and I decided to walk the
.6 acre of land that was given to St. James by Rivers Stone.
After working our way through the roadside flora, i.e. Virginia
pines, smooth sumac, cudweed and frost flowers, we came
upon a beautiful array of trees and fall wildflowers. In
this small area of land we found the following:
TREES
Large Chestnut, White, and Post Oaks (Quercus montana, Quercus
alba, Qercus stellata)
Willow Oak saplings (Quercus phellos)
Tulip Poplars (Lirodendron tulipifera)
Red Maples (Acer rubrum)
Sweet Gums (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Mockernut & Pignut Hickories (Carya tomentosa or alba,
Carya glabra)
Sassafras saplings (Sassafras albidum)
Southern Magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora)
Large Shortleaf and Virginia Pines (Pinus echinata, Pinus
virginiana)
Flowering Dogwoods (Cornus florida)
Sourwoods (Oxydendrum arboreum)
Mimosas (Albizia julibrissin)
FALL
WILDFLOWERS
Blueberry plants (Vaccinium spp)
Cranefly Orchids (Tipularia discolor)
Pipsisawa (Chimaphilla maculata)
True Solomon’s Seal (Polygonaturm biflorum)
False Solomon’s Seal (Smilacina racemosa)
Muscadine Vines (Vitis rotundifolia)
Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis)
Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
Cat or Greenbrier (Smilax spp.)
Wild Strawberry plants (Fragaria virginiana)
Many Varieties of Ferns
We will hike
this area again in the spring and summer months to get a
full inventory of the flora. Many varieties of mosses, and
lichens along with birds, insects, reptiles and mammals
were also seen. A rotting log can tell the whole story of
an ecosystem and recycling in a forest. Truly, this is one
of God’s beautiful sanctuaries. Just think of all
that St. James can do with this land to teach both children
and adults about God’s creation and good stewardship.
Possibly, the
area of land closest to the parking lot and Parish Life
center could be cleared and filled then used for church
activities, such as the Oyster Roast, picnics, children
and youth games. A path could be developed from this cleared
area that would lead into the forest.
A great opportunity
lies before us. Maybe one day soon, St. James will be thought
of as that “Green Church on the Hill,” that
truly takes the command of caring for God’s creation
seriously.
Marie Burgess
Creation Stewards
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