Go on a MLT scavenger hunt

#Middlebury #MiddleburyLandTrust

Twin birch trees growing next to each other are on the Middlebury Land Trust’s Scavenger Hunt list. Can you find them on the trail around Lake Elise? (Curtiss Clark photo)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

It’s summer, the kids are out of school, the outdoors beckons, and many of the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) properties that have been described in this column offer great hiking opportunities. Sometimes children find a hike boring (they never are for me, but kids can have their own priorities), but one thing that can be enjoyed by all ages is a scavenger hunt. This month, we offer you a nature scavenger hunt for things you can find at Lake Elise.

There is a surprising diversity of things that folks young and old can seek and find within a few feet of the trail on this MLT property. The John Largay Memorial Preserve is just over 50 acres in total, with the lake making up 13.5 of those acres. If you’ve never been there before, the entrance is on Long Meadow Road across from the Lake Elise Cemetery. There is space to pull off and park by the trail entrance.

Traveling counterclockwise, the trail is narrower at the beginning. It goes through a marshy section at its northern edge and then widens on the western side. The scavenger hunt items below are in the order you might find them. Several things can be found in multiple locations. Given that this year has been so tick-friendly, please take proper precautions against ticks whenever you are in the woods or on trails.

You can print out the list below and take it with you. Good luck and I hope you have fun! If you want to keep score: Four stars if you find all 25. Three stars: 15-24. Two stars: 5-14. Under 5: Maybe you need to spend more time looking around the natural world.

MLT Scavenger Hunt July 2017

1. A stone bench
2. Poison ivy (Identify this early, so you can avoid it. Look for leaves in sets of three, and remember it can grow along the ground or vine up a tree. There is a lot along the eastern side, much less on the opposite bank.)
3. Twin birch trees (two growing next to each other)
4. White pine tree (very long needles)
5. Lily pads in the lake
6. Fish in the lake
7. An animal’s entrance hole in the ground
8. Ostrich ferns (These grow in a vase shape, and can get quite tall. There are at least four types of ferns around the lake.)
9. Virginia Creeper (Has sets of five leaves, vines along the ground and up trees)
10. Moss
11. Lichen on a tree (Look for rough gray patches on trees)
12. A large tipped over tree (on the right side of the path, where you can see underneath the roots)
13. Trees with smooth bark
14. Trees with rough bark
15. A woodpecker hole in a tree (They like large standing dead trees.)
16. A spider web, with or without a spider in it.
17. A wooden bridge (There are five. Can you find them all?)
18. Animal tracks (Look anyplace where there is mud.)
19. Flowers (Can you find white, blue/purple, and yellow flowers?)
20. A wooden bench (There are two, can you find them both?)
21. Berries on bushes
22. Knobby growth growing out of a large tree
23. A big rock by the side of the lake that you can sit on
24. A pine cone
25. A bird