Fontenelle Forest Nature Center ~

Since the first time we'd driven past the sign on the freeway, I'd wanted to visit this Forest!  It's interesting to me, that it is called a Forest, since other woodlands are described as Timber.   Just over the Plattsmouth bridge & a short drive & on the Nebraska side of the Missouri, we arrived.

Entry~

I loved the rock & steel entrance signage.  With more than 2,000 acres of forests, prairies, swamps & other lands in preservation, this preserve encompasses one of the largest natural deciduous forests in Nebraska.

Front~

The front elevation could have easily fit have fit into either a Colorado or Washington landscape, but was perfectly at home here too.

Bison Bench~

The copper Bison Bench was a perfect welcome, except possibly on a hot day!

A shadowed reminder~

The seat was a reminder to visitors of the changes that have taken place in our country since Lewis & Clark first trekked to the west coast.

First green views~

The early morning cloud cover burned off & the sun was rapidly heating up the day.  After the rains, the humidity was climbing too.

Trail signage~

We received a trail map at the information desk.  The lodge had many informative displays, a raptor exhibit & gift shop.  I wanted to get out into the forest, walk the trails & see what types of ground covers & under-story grew here. 

Beautiful -

When I asked if the land had been left in a natural state over the years, I was told that the area had a long & varied history of use.  Nebraska Culture Indians, from about 1150 to 1450 A.D., a trading post, logging, farming, etc.  Sites were excavated in 1937 by archaeologists of the Nebraska Historical Society.  They recovered over 4,600 pottery fragments, 26 flint projectile points, awls, fish hooks fashioned from bone & an assortment of ground stone tools. 

Dirt trails~

In the northern part of the forest, there are mature trees dating from the 1720's, but through most of the forest it's impossible to find a tree more than a century old.  Between 1902 & 1920 logging nearly clear-cut virtually all of the trees from the surrounding area.

Boardwalks~

The length of the boardwalks is impressive & makes at least a part of the forest accessible to everyone.

Constitution Tree, a Burr Oak~

I loved seeing this tree & thinking of the years that it has lived in this spot, marking the passage of time.

Signage~

Such an impressive tree, it gave me a better idea of how long it takes the hardwoods to grow here & reach massive size.

Sign & mid-trunk~

I soon discovered that there really don't seem to be under-story shrubs.  Young trees, trying to gain a foothold are as close to under-story that I could see.

View of Omaha & the Dome of Henry Doorley Zoo

Ground covers grow higher than I'd imagined & some that I thought were weeds at home, are actually native plants!  It was a great learning experience!

Who's this?

Stinging nettles also predominated in many areas!  It was not a forest where you'd want to walk far off the trails.  Butch reminded me that since the leaves are now opening, we were just past the prime time for the early native flowers.

On the Boardwalk~

We finally reached a point where we saw the sign below, attached to a tree along side the trail we were on.

A warning :-)

Since we'd not had breakfast & time for lunch was long past, we decided to turn back.  There are between 19 to 21 miles of trails!  The Great Marsh area was closed due to damage from the flooding.  That will be an excursion for another day.

Map of the trails~

Back at the gift shop, I found a wonderful book;  Field Guide to Wildflowers, color coded by the colors of the blooms.  I'm already using it to identify more of the plants along our creek & in the timber!