Tuesday, August 9, 2016

a hike through mason farm biological reserve

Some time during the 1740's, the Morgan family settled in southeastern Orange County, NC. (Morgan - as in Morgan Creek - for you James Taylor fans). In 1894, Mary Morgan Mason, one of the last descendants of the Morgan family, gifted the farm and it's property to the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. Much of the property has reverted back to woodlands now and parts of the forest are 150 years old and contains trees that are over 300 years old. Amazing. There's a 65 acre ancient forest that has been continuously forested (never plowed or clear-cut) since before European settlement. The old fields, open since before the Civil War, are being rehabilitated to their wet meadow and Piedmont prairie states. Mason farm is 367 acres, set aside for study, contemplation, appreciation and exploration. On this day we hiked through slowly, to listen, explore and enjoy. The only sound was birdsong, summer insect noise and the occasion deer bounding through the woods.
When you see a tree in the woods, bent awkwardly but purposefully like this, you know that you've come across on old native Indian trail.
It was mid-day when we arrived so the birds were hiding in the shady growth,
but the dragonflies were everywhere!
 
 
 
 
 

9 comments:

ak_ut said...

brilliant !!!

Birgitta said...

Wow! Great photos!

Minoru Saito said...

Hi! Nice collection of beautiful photos.The dragon fly photos are very cool. Thanks for sharing.

Villrose said...

Oh! A nice series :)

ekullumanali said...

Beautifully captured.

karen said...

beautiful photos!! once the heat is gone I'm going exploring at the state parks and getting outside :)

Frau Stich-Schlinge said...

Beautiful shots - especially the dragonfly's - ♥ !!!
Greetings Gabi

http://stich-schlinge.de

rupam sarma said...

Awesome clicks. Nice post.

September Violets said...

I love the idea of this forest ... from the gift from the family to the university, to the fact that it's been allowed to revert to its original state. It would be such an interesting place to walk through to see those ancient trees. Can you tell me more about the bent tree? Is it a marker for the trail users in earlier times?
Wendy