Preddy Creek Main Trail

Trip Facts

Parking Location: Main lot off Burnley Station Road (Rte 641). Trail starts from end of lot.
Parking Availability : 40 cars, with additional parking for horse trailers
Fee: None
Hours: 7:00am to dark
Verizon INTERNET Coverage: 3 bars
Month Recorded: May

This hike is fairly short, but it will give you a good introduction to the features of the park. It travels down a slope to Preddy Creek, follows the creek for about 1/2 mile, then climbs back up the slope to follow a ridge. Along the way, you should encounter interesting wildlife specimens and enjoy the abundance of natural treasures in the maturing forest. Be aware that the trails are heavily used by mountain bikers and horse riders, so stay alert for passing travellers.

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To learn more about this site, click the link below:
http://www.albemarle.org/department.asp?department=parks&relpage=12589

To see a map of the trails, go here:
http://www.albemarle.org/upload/images/forms_center/departments/Parks_and_Recreation/forms/PreddyCreek_PageSize_waypoints%20(003).pdf

Trailhead

From the end of the parking lot, pass by the restroom and head down the wide path.

Mapleleaf Viburnum

Common Name: Mapleleaf Viburnum
Scientific Name: Viburnum acerifolium
Blooming Time: Apr-Jun

Maple-leaf arrow-wood is a low, densely branched shrub, 4-6 ft. tall and 3-4 ft. wide. Flat-topped clusters of white flowers are followed by berries turning from red to blue-black. Bright- to dark-green, deciduous foliage, maple-like in shape, is very colorful in fall. Mapleleaf viburnum has been cultivated since 1736 for its attractive flowers and foliage. Mapleleaf viburnum occurs in upland forests, woodlands, ravine slopes, and hillsides.
Deer, rabbits, mice, skunks, ruffed grouse, ring-necked pheasants, wild turkeys, and many species of songbirds eat the fruits of maple-leaf viburnum. Deer, moose, rabbits, and beavers eat the twigs, bark, and leaves. The relatively low-growing plants provide good nesting and escape cover for birds and small mammals. The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract bees, flies, wasps, beetles, butterflies, and skippers. Native Americans used the plant to treat fevers, pain, cramps, and other ailments.
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To see a photo gallery, go here:
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=91
To find out more about this tree, visit this site:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VIAC
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text – Encyclopedia of Life, USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center & the Biota of North America Program Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, Public Domain Mark 1.0
Photo – Encyclopedia of Life, Image of Viburnum acerifolium © Anita , Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) ,Unmodified
Photo Gallery - © Copyright 2015, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, et al

View from the Bridge

Here is a bridge crosses Preddy Creek. There are additional trails on the other side of the creek. For our hike, we took a short walk on the bridge, then returned to keep going on the Creekside Trail.

Eastern Boxelder

Common Name: Eastern Boxelder
Scientific Name: Acer negundo

Boxelder (Acer negundo) is one of the most widespread and best known of the maples. Its other common names include ashleaf maple, boxelder maple, Manitoba maple, California boxelder, and western boxelder. The common name, “boxelder,” refers to the resemblance of its leaves to elder (Sambucus) and the use of the soft wood for box making. “Ashleaf maple,” refers to the resemblance to ash (Fraxinus).

Boxelder is generally a tree of river bottoms and disturbed sites on heavy, wet or seasonally flooded soils, where it usually follows cottonwood and willow species in colonizing alluvial bottoms. Populations in native habitats have decreased because of clearing of bottomland forest for agriculture, but they have greatly increased in urban areas, where it readily colonizes disturbed sites due to its prolific seed production, wide dispersal, ease of germination, tolerance of cold, drought, and low-oxygen conditions, and fast growth on clay or heavy fill. It frequently grows along fencerows, railroad tracks, ditches, and abandoned lots.

Boxelder was widely planted in the Great Plains as a shelterbelt tree—its shallow, fibrous root system helped reduce wind erosion and dust storms—but shelterbelts have largely been removed. It was also widely planted in the U.S. as a street tree, and ornamental cultivars have been developed (including forms with variegated leaves and without seeds). Boxelder's abundant sap contains a large proportion of sugar as well as mucilaginous and demulcent properties, and can be made into a pleasant beverage. The Plains Indians used the sap as a source of syrup, and it is still used today, but the product is not as sweet as sugar maple syrup .

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To see a photo gallery, go here:
http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=3
To find out more about this tree, visit this site:
https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/acer/negundo.htm
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text – Encyclopedia of Life, Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 (CC BY-NC 3.0) © Jacqueline Courteau, modified from USDA NRCS PLANTS Database. Supplier: Jacqueline Courtea
Photo – Encyclopedia of Life, Acer negundo © Anthony Mendoza, ,Unmodified
Photo Gallery - © Copyright 2015, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, et al
More Text – United States Department of Agriculture,Forest Service Agriculture Handbook 654,

Common Tall Meadow-rue

Common Name: Common Tall Meadow-rue
Scientific Name: Thalictrum pubescens
Blooming Time:Apr-Aug

As its name implies, Common Tall Meadow-rue is a .tall plant, growing 2-7 feet high. It is typically found growing in rich woods, low thickets, marshes, swamps, wet meadows and stream/river banks. Its large, compound leaves are divided three leaflets that look like paws. The margin of each individual leaflet is gently rounded into lobes. The cream-colored flowers have numerous, showy, thread-like stamens and lack petals. They usually bloom in summer and are said to be constantly visited by bees and butterflies. The Iroquois used this plant externally to treat nosebleeds, and internally to treat gall conditions. The Montagnais used the leaves as a spice to flavor salmon.

DO NOT PICK WILDFLOWERS OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPLANT THEM. Most wildflowers will not survive replanting.

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To find out more about this plant, go here:
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=THPU2
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text – Adirondacks Forever Wild, https://wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-wildflowers-tall-meadow-rue-thalictrum-pubescens.html, 5/28/2020
Photo – flickr.comtall plant , Doug McGrady, Thalictrum pubescens (tall meadow-rue), Foster, RI, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) , Unmodified

Black Cohosh

Common Name: Black Cohosh
Scientific Name: Actaea racemosa
Blooming Time: May-Aug

Actaea racemosa (black cohosh, black bugbane, black snakeroot, fairy candle; syn. Cimicifuga racemosa) is a species of flowering plant of the family Ranunculaceae. It grows in a variety of woodland habitats, and is often found in small woodland openings. The roots and rhizomes have long been used medicinally by Native Americans. Extracts from these plant materials are thought to possess analgesic, sedative, and anti-inflammatory properties. Today, black cohosh extracts are being studied as effective treatments for symptoms associated with menopause.

While this plant most often flowers between late June and August, it can still be recognized earlier in the year by its distinctive leaves. The flowers have a distinctly sweet, fetid smell that attracts flies, gnats, and beetles.

DO NOT PICK WILDFLOWERS OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPLANT THEM. Most wildflowers will not survive replanting.

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To find out more about this plant, go here:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ACRAR
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text - Encyclopedia of Life,Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• Source: Wikipedia
Photo1 - Encyclopedia of Life,Image of Actaea racemosa © Katherine Boyle ,Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 (CC BY-NC 3.0) , Unmodified
Photo2 - Encyclopedia of Life,Cimicifuga racemosa (Ranunculaceae) - leaf - basal or on lower stem © Steven J. Baskauf ,Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0) , Unmodified

Cucumber Root

Common Name: Cucumber Root
Scientific Name: Medeola virginiana
Blooming Time: Apr-Jun

Cucumber root occurs with either a single tier or two tiers of leaves. The upper tier consists of from three to five whorled leaves on the stem above a lower tier of five to nine (also whorled). Only the two-tiered plants produce flowers which are green-to-yellow and appear from May to June. When two-tiered, it grows up to 30 inches high. The waxy leaves are typically 2.5 inches long and about an inch wide, but can be as long as five inches. The leaves have an entire margin. It typically produces three dark blue to purple, inedible berries above the top tier of leaves in September .

This plant produces a crisp, edible tuber that smells and tastes like garden cucumber. It grows in rich, moist woods. The Iroquois of eastern North America used M. virginiana as an anticonvulsive, pediatric aid.

DO NOT PICK WILDFLOWERS OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPLANT THEM. Most wildflowers will not survive replanting.

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To find out more about this plant, go here:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MEVI
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text - Encyclopedia of Life, Source: Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Photo - Encyclopedia of Life, Image of Medeola virginiana
© John Hilty,Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 (CC BY-NC 3.0) Unmodified

Trail Closure

During the time we came, the trail was blocked for maintenance. Take the side trail on the right to circle around the closure.

Cabin Ruins

Here are the ruins of a home site, accessible off a short detour from the Preddy Creek Trail. There is a concrete pad that can be used for a rest or a picnic. When you leave, head further down the detour path to join up with the Mundy Place trail.

Large Twayblade

Common Name: Large Twayblade
Scientific Name: Liparis liliifolia
Blooming Time: May-Jun

This inconspicuous, native orchid blooms in May and June. Each plant grows from a new underground corm; the previous year’s corm withers away. Two oval, waxy leaves emerge in April and eventually reach 4 to 6 inches in height. The small flowers begin to form in May, and are clustered on a single stalk.
The flowers are so delicate that in order to appreciate them, you really need to get down on the ground to look closely. Twayblade flowers are irregular in shape; the overall form of the flower suggests a flying insect–maybe an ungainly crane fly. At a distance, the inflorescence appears pink to brown in color; up close, they are actually mauve, pale green and purple.
The genus name Liparis comes from the Greek word for fat or greasy, which may refer to the overly shiny surface of the leaf. Liliifolia refers to the oval shape of the leaves, which resembles plants in the lily family. This flower prefers mesic to moist deciduous forests, pine woods, and often disturbed habitats undergoing succession.

DO NOT PICK WILDFLOWERS OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPLANT THEM. Most wildflowers will not survive replanting.

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To find out more about this plant, go here:
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=LILI3
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text – Virginia Wildflowers Web site, https://virginiawildflowers.org/2015/06/14/lily-leaved-twayblade/
Photo – Encyclopedia of Life, Image of Liparis liliifolia© John Hilty, Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0), Unmodified

Downy Rattlesnake-plantain

Common Name: Downy Rattlesnake Plantain
Scientific Name: Goodyera pubescens
Blooming Time: Jun-Aug

Goodyera pubescens is an evergreen terrestrial herb with variegated leaves. The common names refer to the mottled leaves, which resemble a snakes skin, a similarity that once suggested their use as a snakebite remedy. It is a creeping plant that divides on the ground surface and sends out short stolons. It may be terrestrial or, occasionally, epipetric, growing on rock shelves. It prefers mildly to moderately acidic soils, such as in oak-heath forests. Native Americans used it to treat snakebites, burns and many other ailments.

DO NOT PICK WILDFLOWERS OR ATTEMPT TO TRANSPLANT THEM. Most wildflowers will not survive replanting.

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To find out more about this plant, go here:
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=GOPU
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COPYRIGHT NOTICES
Text - Encyclopedia of Life,Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 (CC BY-SA 3.0) • Source: Wikipedia
Photo - Encyclopedia of Life,File:Goodyera pubescens - Flickr 003.jpg Jason Hollinger ,Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 (CC BY 2.0) , Unmodified