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Stick Project Stories
The Story Of Stick #1
On View now at Walk Around Philadelphia Exhibit - Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia
"Schuylkill River Highway and Flyway"
Will be located on the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT) in Spring City, PA
near the large wetland pond
The ribbon of blue spiraling down this walking stick symbolizes nature’s geographic route for the passage the headwaters of the Schuylkill River that flow into the Delaware River and, eventually, the Delaware Bay and finally, into the Atlantic Ocean. The Schuylkill River is both a highway and a flyway for the people and animals that navigate within the river or above it on a daily basis or migrate seasonally, to and from the region. Water boatmen (which are cool aquatic insects), brown trout, and an occasional River Otter have graced the Schuylkill in our area of southeastern PA. Great Blue Herons, Kingfishers and the magnificent return of Bald Eagles has been witnessed in this special corridor as well. The recent restoration pioneered by several watershed partners and the subsequent healing of this watershed is a sentinel example showing that community awareness can lead to action and ultimately restoration of one of our most essential natural resources. This restoration strengthens the broader ecological web of which we are all a part .
Does this river inspire you too? Make your submission here!
The Story Of Stick #2
"Arboreal Lighthouses Along the Schuylkill River"
(Walking about! Released on 6/19 )
Located along the lower river trail at Upper Schuylkill Valley Park in Royersford, PA
Depicting various botanical features (its seeds, fruits, leaves, branching pattern, etc.) this walking stick seeks to equate the tree with the valuable light it extends both physically and environmentally in the Schuylkill River habitat. Legend has it that Indigenous Lenape would navigate their way to a streamside water resource by simply gazing up from their forested habitats looking for the beacon-like white bark of the tall sycamore trees. Requiring fertile, moist and well-drained soil, these tall trees line the riparian perimeters of many waterways here in the east; particular to this project, the Schuylkill River, all the way from the headwaters in Schuylkill Haven down to the city of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. Sycamores are the tallest trees growing in this part of the United States and their environmental and cultural value cannot be overstated. With roots that stabilize the banks helping to protect them during high-water events, these trees stand as erosion guards. The canopy of an older sycamore is often immense. General Washington and his troops were reported to have sought shelter under one during the Battle at Brandywine. And, of course, the shade they provide to people and streamside aquatic animals is environmentally of high value. Furthermore, this steward tree breaks down airborne toxins and pollutants in the environment. A hike along the Schuylkill River Trail to see the bright, shining , lighthouse-esque sycamores lining both banks will leave a visitor in awe not only for their beauty but for their natural history as well.
Did this hike inspire you too? Make your submission here!
The Story of Stick #3
“Come Away!”
(Walking about! Released on 5/26)
(to see tree swallows, sycamores, and the meadows)
Located on the meadow path at Black Rock Sanctuary in Phoenixville, PA
If you are in need of a “slice of heaven” hike the field trail at Black Rock Sanctuary. It is serene. It is full of color in every season. It’s just a great nature spot. American sycamore trees line the ridge of this trail…Look up! They are the tall trees with white bark (especially near their tops) that line the ridge of this trail, standing like giants. If you are running along the trail during summer or fall months just reach your hand out to the tall meadow grasses – they’ll give you the “high five” and the lift you need to run another lap! About three quarters of the way through you’ll start noticing bluebird boxes. One day my son and I were surprised to see a mother bird circling her box. She was a bit agitated that we were running by and even chased us a little. It was kind of fun! She would swoop down and at the last moment retreat up high! We knew she was not a bluebird and with her long swallow tail we were not surprised to find that tree swallows do commonly overtake bluebird boxes. We learned the way to tell if a tree swallow has moved in is to inspect the box (once the chicks have left). If the original grassy nest has been lined with feathers a tree swallow has moved on in. I named this stick “Come Away” because of a lovely animated movie called the “Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde. It’s about the amazing bond between a swallow and a gilded statue of the Happy Prince. Watch the movie for yourself…if only for the gorgeous watercolor animation. And please, “come away” on this trail with this tree swallow stick. I can’t wait to hear about the artful things you find on your journey here!
The Story Of Stick #4 (not yet released)
"Let's Take a Hike!"
Located on the trails at Reservoir Park Phoenixville, PA
Hi there fellow hiker! Thanks for noticing me! How about we go for a hike together! According to the National Park Service spending time in nature can make you smarter, stronger, healthier, happier, and more productive. This stick was created during the pandemic with many thanks from the artist who created it. She was grateful that our outdoor world was not lockeddown and the adventures there would be endless. How about taking me on your hike? Try to notice all that is around you with your senses of smell, touch, sight and hearing. Was there anything cool or thought provoking that nature taught you?
Did it inspire your artful side to take a picture, make a drawing or painting, write a poem, story or song? If so, we’d love to know! Please be in touch!
The Story Of Stick #5
"Magic in Nature - Jewelweed and Damselflies"
(Walking about! Released on 5/26)
Located along the Locke 60 towpath in Mont Clare
This stick depicts a fantastic hiking day when I came upon a damselfly feeding around a large patch of jewelweed in the wetlands banks of the Schuylkill River! That day I saw just about every color in the rainbow: the sap-green leaves of the jewelweed; the metallic blue body of the black-winged dace damselfly – two colors rarely observed in everyday nature. And of course the speckled orange jewelweed blooms were delightful as well! Jewelweed is a magical plant for many reasons. It secures riparian banks. Its trumpet-like blooms feed the bees and so many other pollinator species. Native Americans learned that its plant juices could dissolve oils produced by poison ivy. And this plant even knows how to have fun with its party-popping seed pods and leaves that shimmer like silver when dipped into a nearby stream. Damselflies, particularly the black dace on this stick are incredible to watch. They’ve been around for 335 million years, making them one of the oldest insects found in the fossil record! Damselflies are related to dragonflies though smaller and with wings held vertically rather than horizontally when they land. Additionally, they are great at pest control because they feed on insects that bother humans (mosquitoes) but they do not harm humans so no need for alarm. Look around to spot nature magic during your hike!
What did you notice on your walk? Did this hike inspire you too? We'd love to know - Make your submission here!
The Story Of Stick #6
"Whoooo wants to take a hike"
(Walking about! Released on 5/26)
Located on the Pickering Creek Trail in Charlestown, PA between Charlestown Woolen Mill and State Road
Owls are cool. Look at the feather on this stick….do you see the slight fringe along the edge? These fringes are the fimbria – a comb-like edge that allows the bird to fly silently at night, unnoticed by prey. It’s a great hunting adaptation for a nocturnal bird to have. Now listen…if it’s night, that is! Can you hear the call “Who Cooks for You? Who Cooks for you-alllllllll”? That’s a barred owl like the one flying on this stick. It’s got up and down bar-stripes on its chest. Can you hear the call of the small screech owl? Schreeeeeeeeaaaaaaach! – it sounds just like that! Look down! Do you see a lump of fur and bones at the base of a tree? If so you’ve spotted an owl pellet. Owls and other birds of prey can’t digest hair and bones and so they cough this material up – like little hair balls. Look at the trees around you. Do any of them look like they are painted white? If so, this may be whitewash….the bird droppings from a roosting owl! Now look up! Is there an owl roosting in the tree above? This stick comes with a wish and a prayer that you might someday soon – if not today – hear or spot an owl!
We hope you enjoyed your time here! Did this hike inspire you in any way? We'd love to know - Make your submission here!
The Story Of Stick #7
"Virginia Bluebells on the Perkiomen"
(Walking about! Released on 5/26)
Located along the Perkiomen Trail at Central Perkiomen Park in Schwenksville, PA.
In April, blooming Virginia Bluebells carpeted the woodland floor beside the Perkiomen Creek (which btw the word Perkiomen means “where the cranberries grow” in Lenape) when I was a girl. They still do today! As a kiddo, seeing them was the best because it meant spring was finally here; school would be out shortly…and soon there would be plenty of time to play in the creek. One of the things I liked most about these flowers is that they were blue. Well, sort of. They actually start of light pinkish and head toward purple and finally blue. These color shifts are how the flower communicates with the many pollinator species – butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees - that aid in its pollination. Another cool thing is that you can take a taste of their sugary nectar in the same way that you taste the nectar of a honeysuckle. Yum! Let’s talk about their name. Why are they called Virginia bluebells if they grow here in PA and in many other states in America? Well, they were first documented in Virginia and therefore they were scientifically named Mertensia virginia. The “bluebell” part of the name is straightforward, but some people also call them lady’s bonnets or gentleman’s breeches. The flowers look like both of these “wearables” as well, don’t they? Others refer to them as Oysterleaf because the taste of oysters is what you get if you boil their leaves! Yum or yuck? What do you think? Did you know that fewer than 10% of all flowering plants in the world are actually blue? So if you have seen the VA bluebell then you are indeed lucky – it’s a rare color for a flower and summer is just around the corner!
What did you notice on your walk? We'd love to know -
The Story Of Stick #8
"Big Fella'!"
(Walking about! Released on 5/26)
Located at Evansburg Sate Park
“That bird looks unreal” said my college-aged daughter as she watched the slow, rhythmic and deliberate beating of the enormous Pileated woodpecker’s beak as it hammered a hole into the dead tree where it perched inside of Evansburg State Park. She shared a video of the scene (taken at Evansburg State Park during the beginning of the Pandemic). I admit I was a little jealous because it was the only native woodpecker I hadn’t yet seen in the wild. It really did seem like this bird should have a migraine headache at the end of its work day. Just recently I returned to the woods where she made her earlier discovery and I was so thrilled to pick up a chunk of tree with a large hole seemingly drilled by a woodpecker. As I peered at the hole I was delighted to see so many pill bugs scurrying and retreating inside. Aha! So these are the types of insects that woodpeckers are hoping for as they drum away high up in the top of dead trees. And, sure enough! I walked only several yards down the path and heard a sound of loud hollow tapping above. I looked up and what did I see? Finally! A “Big Fella” pileated woodpecker! A sighting - all my own! This stick comes with best wishes that you too will see this gigantic bird feeding - if not today, someday soon!
What did you notice on your walk? We'd love to know -
The Story Of Stick #9
"All that Glitters is Goldenrod!"
(Walking about! Released on 5/26)
Located along the trails at Natural Lands' Brynn Coed Preserve in
Chester Springs, PA
I mean it – all that glitters is goldenrod! This is a terrific plant for so many reasons and you can find it everywhere in Southeastern PA. But first, let’s dispel a myth. You are not allergic to goldenrod – or at least it is very unlikely! The pollen grains that are produced by this plant (which is very prolific) are not able to travel far in the air column. Insects are the pollinators for this plant, carrying the pollen from one flower to another. Ragweed (a less flowery goldenrod look-alike plant) is pollinated by the wind. This is the pollen that more often travels in the air and on to us aggravating our airways if we are allergic. Back to what makes goldenrod so great! First, the fact that it is abundant in the northeast and it is a food for many pollinator insect species – it’s important that our pollinators have plenty to eat because agriculturally and in nature’s food web, we need as many as possible. Secondly, Native Americans used this plant for many medicinal purposes. This is why it got its Latin name “Solidago” - “To make whole” or in other words, “to make one whole again”. One of the things I like to do best when I come upon a patch of Goldenrod is to search for “bug bedrooms” or the Goldenrod Ball Gall. In the spring a female goldenrod gall fly will deposit her eggs in the top 1/3rd portion of a stem of a goldenrod plant . When the larvae hatches it will burrow down further into the stem. Chemicals are secreted from the larvae as it chews away and these stimulate the plant to produce the round, bouncy-ball-sized gall. Inside the gall, the larvae continues to rest and feed though late fall. Nearing winter, the larvae will actually start chewing a tunnel leading just about all the way out. It is then able to safely sleep all winter by producing an antifreeze-like chemical for itself. In spring, the newly-pupated adult will punch out of the last bit of the gall tunnel with an appendage that it can blow up from its head. Then the cycle begins again! Have fun looking for goldenrod galls at the marvelous Natural Lands' Bryn Coed Preserve. They have spectacular patches of these plants from last season and also newly growing galls. When you find one, see if they have a tiny exit hole or not to decide if they are not still sleeping inside!
What did you notice on your walk? Did this hike inspire you too? We'd love to know - Make your submission here!
The Story Of Stick #10
"Blackbird Singing"
(Walking about! Released on 5/26)
Located at Valley Forge National Historic Park near the Waterman Monument on Route 23, Valley Forge, PA.
The call of the red-winged blackbird painted on this stick sounds like this: “Konk-la–reeeeee”! It was one of the first bird calls that I learned when I was training to become a naturalist here at the park with a great park biologist named Chris Heister. It's an exciting call to hear because it most likely means you are near a very important habitat for many animals – a wetland habitat. Look for the tall tell-"tail"plants of a wetland such as cattails and bull rushes. Cattail fluff from the flowerhead (or tail) portion of the plant was used by Lenape natives as tinder to start fires. The fluff was also used in the leather diapers these natives made for their babies. Cattail grass itself was useful for making grass mats. Wetlands are interesting habitats that host many insects, small mammals, birds and amphibians. It is an excellent resting and feeding site for migrating birds. The soil of wetlands is sponge-like and prevents flooding in areas where they are present. Wetlands and their variety of plant species also filter out toxins that may enter the waterway via neighbors and roadways. And so, hearing or seeing a red-winged blackbird (and by the way, their wing has a little yellow stripe just beside the red as well) can lead a person to many more nature observations…so keep your ears and eyes open as you make your way in nature.
What did you notice on your walk? Did this hike inspire you too? We'd love to know - Make your submission here!
The Story Of Stick #11
"Wild Bleeding Heart Superfund Sentinel"
On View now at Walk Around Philadelphia Exhibit - Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia
Will be located along the trail at Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge
This “Wild Bleeding Heart” walking stick tells the story that boundaries in the natural world are often fluid depending upon the health of the environment. Let it first be said that the restorative power of nature is incredible. In the spring of 2021, this Wild Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia) painted on this walking stick was surprisingly discovered on the forest floor during a hike at the Lehigh Gap Wildlife Refuge in the mining town of Slatington, PA. Wild Bleeding Hearts are considered endangered in Pennsylvania, but today they flourish at the Refuge and are playing a valuable role in nature as a tolerant native shade garden plant and boundary-free resource for beneficial pollinators to visit. The more incredible aspect of this find is that in the early 1980’s the land where the refuge now exists was declared one of America’s first superfund sites designated so by the EPA. At the time the environment was a boundary-laden lunar landscape incapable of hosting most plant life due to decades of heavy metal deposition and acid rainfall created accidentally by nearby smelting operations. Beginning in the 1990’s habitat restoration efforts were employed by concerned community members and conservationists. In 2003, a native prairie grass revegetation effort by the Lehigh Gap Nature Center was implemented. These native plants began taking up the heavy metals and improved the land’s ability to host plant life. This restoration has become a key project associated with the rejuvenation of the area’s ecology. The Wild Bleeding Heart and the magnificent landscape where it lives are beautiful testimonies to how resilient the environment can be when restorative practices are put in place. I feel that this stick represents the boundaries that can be put and brought down in an environmental community when pollution is introduced and subsequently remediated.
What did you notice on your walk? Did this hike inspire you too? We'd love to know - Make your submission here!
The Story Of Stick #12 (not yet released)
"Amphibian Friends"
Located along the trails at French Creek State Park
Whenever I hear discouraging news about the environment, I think of our local “Amphibian Friends” group that convenes during the late winter/early spring Amphibian migration season each year. You see amphibians, including eastern spotted salamanders, Jefferson salamanders, spring peepers and wood frogs all migrate to vernal ponds to lay their eggs in late winter or early spring. A vernal pond is a pond that is only present from winter until early summer when it dries up . Because this body of water disappears with hot weather, it doesn’t host any fish species that would prey on the amphibian eggs. When the conditions are right – a rainy evening with temperatures above 40 degrees, the amphibians “march” their way toward the pond. If a road is in their path, they cross it. Because it is dark, the “phibs” run the risk of being hit by passing cars. Several years back a group of volunteers was formed (the Amphibian Friends) to help these animals make their way safely across the road. Through this effort hundreds of salamanders, toads, and frogs are saved each year. Amphibians, because of the delicate nature of their skin, are highly vulnerable to environmental change. They are called indicator species…and being able to research them means knowing more about the state of our local environment and climate. The “Amphibian Friends” effort is so important. I had a book about Margaret Mead when I was young. In it she was quoted as saying “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.” I think of this and encourage everyone to join a small group of committed community members.
What did you notice on your walk? Did this hike inspire you too? We'd love to know - Make your submission here!
The Story Of Stick #13
"I LOVE Walking Around Philly"
On View now at Walk Around Philadelphia Exhibit - Cherry Street Pier in Philadelphia
After participating in a collaborative exhibit "Walking the Edge" curated by JJ Tiziou at Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, I have been loving JJ's community art project called "Walk Around Philadelphia"! Since 2016, Walk Around Philadelphia has evolved into a citywide public program that has facilitated the exploration of the city's furthest (and wildest) margins for hundreds of Philadelphians.
Through facilitated walks, exhibitions and narrative storytelling, the project uses the structure of exploring the city’s perimeter to engage with themes of borders and boundaries, privilege and access, social and environmental justice, infrastructure and ecosystems, commerce and incarceration, indigenous history and colonization and more.
JJ's "Walk Around Philly" exhibit (which includes this stick that I gratefully made for him continues at Cherry Street Pier until the end of September. Please sign up to join one of his Philadelphia Perimeter hikes today!
What did you notice on your walk? Did this hike inspire you too? We'd love to know - Make your submission here!
