ENTS,

  Yesterday my sister  Jessica, Dave Scully, and I hiked along Hornbecks Creek which flows through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Pa.  It’s a place I have hiked more than a dozen times. “ Cat Lady’s” is what my friends and I have always called this site.  An old widow who had hundreds of cats owned the site and when she died left the property to the park.  The park service has made some trail upgrades, a stair case along one of the water falls, steps, etc.,  since my last visit which was twelve or fourteen years ago.  Hornbecks Creek cuts deeply through the stone in this portion of the creek.  There are several waterfalls and few places where you can walk to the waters edge.

Jessica and Dave at the bottom of one of the larger falls – photo by George Fieo   

The forest is dominated by eastern hemlock and white pine.  Other species I saw are yellow birch, chestnut, red, & white oak, pignut hickory, sugar & red maple, american beech, pitch pine, eastern red cedar, american basswood, white ash, and black gum.   Most of the larger trees where in the 7-8’ cbh range and the average canopy height is between 90-100’.

Viewing south from the top of the east ridge of Hornbecks Creek – photo by George Fieo

 Jessica and Dave with 8’1” x 115.2’ eastern hemlock – photo by George Fieo

Witch hazel was the most common understory species commonly reaching a height of 15-20’ with a few being even taller.  Spice bush, I think, and two large downy serviceberry were also present.

Jessica with 1’.5” x 47.7 downy serviceberry – photo by George Fieo

The forest floor varies greatly.  There are patches of perennial flowers, which I’m not to familiar with.  In other areas there are just this years seedlings of white pine and eastern hemlock sprouting amongst the needles.   In some areas it’s nothing but 2-3’ tall yellow birch saplings under the hemlocks.  There were 2 or 3 species of fern I’m not familiar with also.

Boulder covered with moss & and ferns – photo by George Fieo

A moss covered snag – photo by George Fieo

We saw several species of bugs that we where not familiar with too.  A black and yellow wood boring type of wasp that was roughly 5” in length, two centipedes that were between 4-6” in length, and some black and orange beetles between 1-1.5” in length.  Frogs and toads where a common site along with a small garter snake.  I believe I saw a wood thrush and another song bird I’m not familiar with. It was gray with a white under belly and eye brows.  It was about the size of a blue bird and seemed to be jamming to the Geico commercial.  

Black and orange beetles on fungi – photo by George Fieo

The biggest surprise at Hornbecks Creek were the five american chestnuts we found.  None of the trees seem old enough to produce nuts yet so there must be a parent tree nearby.  I could not find it nor any nuts or burs under any of the other trees.  We only searched the immediate area as we where at the end of our hike.  The smallest chestnut is 10’2” tall and the largest is 41.3’ tall.  The upper half of tallest chestnut is dead.  It leafed out but the leaves are now brown.  There are 8-12” water sprouts growing just below the dead wood.  I saw no signs of the blight.  All of the other chestnuts seem to be very healthy.  

American chestnut leaves – photo by George Fieo

American chestnut bark pattern – photo by George Fieo

Me with the smallest american chestnut – photo by Dave Schully

Here are the numbers for the trees I measured

Species                                 CBH                        Height

A Basswood                       3’1”                        90.1

A Beech                               6’9”                        92.7

A Chestnut                         1” dia.                   10’2”

A Chestnut                         1.25” dia.             18’9”

A Chestnut                         1’ @ 2”                  26.9

A Chestnut                         1’.5”                       29.4

A Chestnut                         1’3”                        41.3

Chestnut Oak                    6’11”                      86.4+

Downy Serviceberry       1’8”                        37.5

Downy Serviceberry       1’.5”                       47.7

E Hemlock                           7’5”                        99.8

E Hemlock                           6’4”                        107.3

E Hemlock                           6’5”                        108.4

E Hemlock                           8’1”                        115.2

E Hemlock                           7’11”                      116.9

Pignut Hickory                   6’1”                        94.2+

Pignut Hickory                   4’10”                      97.6

Pitch Pine                            6’11”                      85.8

Pitch Pine                            3’4”                        91.7

Sugar Maple                       5’3”                        97.8

Sugar Maple                       6’7”                        108.2

White Pine                          8’5”                        101.7

White Pine                          7’2”                        107.1

White Pine                          7’7”                        107.1

White Pine                          5’10”                      107.3

White Pine                          8’5”                        109.1

White Pine                          7’1”                        119.2

Yellow Birch                        5’5”                        77.8

Dale, the 116.9’ hemlock and the 108.2’ sugar maple should help bump up the RI for the Delaware Water Gap.  There are taller specimens for most of the hardwoods but I’ll have to wait until leaf drop.

George