Letort Spring Preserve Plant Identification Walk: A Recap and Review

It was a beautiful day on August 26, 2024, when Cathryn Pugh, Penn State Forestry Extension Educator, led a group of 25 master watershed stewards, trainees, and others on a walk through Letort Spring Garden Preserve in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It was an afternoon of soaking in the sun and soaking up knowledge. The day’s goal was to hone our local and native plant identification skills.

Cathyrn’s knowledge and love for flora were evident the minute the walk began. She started off by explaining different characteristics to look for to help with plant identification, such as leaf type (simple vs. compound) and leaf arrangement (opposite vs. alternate vs. whorled). The magnitude of a difference just one small detail can make when identifying plants was astounding.

Once we had sufficiently reviewed the characteristics to look for when identifying plants, we walked on through the preserve to our first stop – the American pokeweed. The pokeweed has simple leaves in an alternate arrangement. The leaves are ovate, or widest in the middle, and they have a smooth edge. In the plant community, the edge of the leaf is referred to as the margin. A defining characteristic of the pokeweed is the purplish color that is present throughout the different structures of the plant, from stems to berries. They might look delicious, but the berries are toxic to humans. They make a great food source for birds and wildlife, though!

The next stop was not much further along the trail. Cathryn showed us a few examples of spicebush. Considered a shrub by botanical definition, the spicebush is an amazing plant. It is one of the earlier flowering plants in the spring, showcasing gorgeous yellow flowers and producing bright red fruits that are beloved by wildlife. They also give off a delicious smell reminiscent of lemons and citrus. To get a whiff, simply scratch the bark on the twigs or crush one of the leaves to release the aroma. I wouldn’t recommend eating the berries outright, though. The strong odor equates to a strong taste, and you’ll be tasting spicebush for the remainder of your hike. It’s better to collect berries and leaves to dry out at home and save to spice up a dish later.

A group of hike participants as they follow the trails at Letort Spring Garden Preserve. Photo: Mary Claire King, Master Watershed Steward trainee.

Another stop along the way was to learn about black cherry trees. An identifying characteristic of these trees is their bark. As Cathryn puts it, it looks like “burnt potato chips.” Another helpful but tiny identifier is the two little bumps, called peptide glands, located on the petiole (the stalk that joins the leaf to the stem) right before where the leaf begins. This characteristic is present in all cherry species. As part of the almond genus of plants nested within the larger Rosaceae family, the black cherry tree has a distinct scent that fans of true crime would recognize as cyanide, and others would identify as simply “almondy.”

During the walk, we also had the chance to learn about hackberry, honey locust, and vining plants such as bittersweet, grape, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy, but an article that reviews everything covered on this plant identification walk would go on for pages and pages. So instead, I will cover some insightful questions that were asked along the way.

Question: How do you tell the difference between the invasive bittersweet and the native American bittersweet?

Answer: When the fruit is ripe, the capsules will be orange on American bittersweet, and yellow on Asiatic bittersweet (Pavlovic et. al) *

Question: Are honey locusts nitrogen fixers?

Answer: Honey locusts are in the legume family, known for fixing nitrogen with the help of rhizobia bacteria. However, honey locusts do not fix nitrogen, but black locusts do.

It was heartwarming to see participants of all ages (beginning as young as two!) show up to learn something new. Visiting one of the more tree-laden areas of south-central Pennsylvania gave a glimpse into the hard work these plants are putting into maintaining our watershed. Without the plants and their soil-stabilizing nutrient-holding roots, our beautiful waterways would look very different. Learning the specifics about many of the plants that work so hard to maintain an ecological balance helped create a real sense of appreciation within the group.

By the end of the walk, we had scarcely made it more than a quarter of a mile through the preserve. That’s the nature of a naturalist hike, though. You trade distance hiked for knowledge learned, and it’s a trade well worth making!

*Pavlovic, Noel B, et al. “American and Oriental Bittersweet Identification.” (PDF) USGS- Science for Changing the World, USDA.

About the Author:

Mary Claire King is a Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward trainee. In her day job, she is the Watershed Science Coordinator and Environmental Educator for Buttonwood Nature Center located in Waynesboro, PA.