Monthly Archives: November 2017

Amish Directory now includes the Pumpkinvine

Pumpkinvine Nature Trail Posted on by

From the president

Recently I purchased a copy of the Indiana Amish Directory 2017: Elkhart, LaGrange, and Noble Counties, a 1090-page volume edited by Joas and Freda Miller from Middlebury, Ind. In the forward, the editors say: “Our goal for the Directory is to make it a reliable source of birth, marriage, and death date information. Also we try to provide accurate addresses, church district maps, and locations of Amish homes, schools, and cemeteries.” And they have succeeded in a grand way: the book is a combination of genealogy, atlas, church history and labor statistics – a comprehensive overview of the Old Order Amish community in northern Indiana.

The book is organized by church districts, and each district includes a map showing the county roads, with numbers keyed to a list of names on the opposite page that indicates where families live. The map also shows the location of the Amish schoolsA map of an Amish district copied from the Amish Directory. and a few stores relevant to the Amish community.

I wanted a copy of the directory because I’d heard a rumor that for the first time the maps of church districts would also include the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. To me that seemed significant: if the directory included the Pumpkinvine, it would indicate that the Pumpkinvine had become an important for the Amish community. And a map showing where the Pumpkinvine was in relation to homes would help anyone who wanted to purchase property know where that property was in relationship to the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail.

How times have changed. I can’t help recalling the beginnings of our efforts to convert the abandoned Penn Central railroad into a multi-use trail in the early 1990s when people told me that the Amish community would be solidly against a bike trail due to concerns about privacy and vandalism. In other words, they wouldn’t want a bike trail anywhere near where they lived.

This map sends the opposite message: it helps people know where to buy property, if they want to be close to the trail.

Return to Recent News

Native trees make the Pumpkinvine an intriguing greenway in all seasons

Pumpkinvine Nature Trail Posted on by

 

Six photos of trees, leaves and seeds

Widely diverse native trees line The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail — beech, maples, oaks, hickories, tulip poplar, cottonwood, quaking aspen, black cherry, pawpaw, boxelder, redbud, hornbeam, hawthorne and eastern red cedar. Ash and American elm saplings persist, although insectborn diseases have killed mature trees. Non-native and invasive tree species, particularly white mulberry and tree-of-heaven, are prevalent in disrupted areas along the trail.

When enjoying the Pumpkinvine in late fall and winter, look for the following three species that frequently go unnoticed. Fallen leaves, acorns and nuts make identification easier. Distinctive bark is another good species indicator. Native Trees of the Midwest, by Weeks, Weeks, & Harper, is a tree-identification resource I use frequently; some of the information below comes from that helpful book.

Shingle oak is the only oak in Lagrange and Elkhart County that has no lobes or teeth. As the name suggests, the wood makes good shingles. Our counties are at the northern edge of shingle oak’s range. Look for shingle oak near mile markers 0.5 and 11.5. Because the brown, narrow, leathery leaves stay on the tree throughout the winter, shingle oaks give protective cover for roosting birds, such as screech owls and blue jays. The small acorns are favorites for songbirds, screech owls, turkeys, squirrels and other animals.

American beech is not common along the Pumpkinvine, but you will find it in well preserved forests around mile markers 4.5 and 12.5. Mature beech are easy to identify by the smooth, gray bark. Beech saplings stand out in winter because they retain their toothed, ovate leaves. Beech trees produce nuts irregularly, few most years and
occasional bumper crops. Beechnuts are highly preferred by many birds and mammals, such as squirrels, chipmunks, nut-hatches, tufted titmice, wild turkey and woodpeckers.

Many trail users overlook the numerous American basswood. This species grows well in mature forests and in open, disrupted areas. Because it sprouts prolifically, basswood often grows in clumps. Its heart-shaped, finely-toothed leaves can be confused with redbud leaves. In July basswoods produce small, fragrant, light-yellow flowers high up on the branches; you may have detected the sweet smell without knowing the source. The flowers develop into gray, hairy, nut-like fruits that hang from a long stalk with a leafy bract and fall intact to the ground in autumn.

In all seasons, native trees make The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail an intriguing greenway.

Return to Recent News