MNPS Field Trip: Winter Solstice Walk and Hooley (Sunday)

Sponsoring organizations: Maryland Native Plant Society, Mattawoman Watershed Society, Virginia Native Plant Society Potomack Chapter, Botanical Society of Washington

Leaders: Rod Simmons, Jim Long, Alan Ford, Robin Firth

Celebrate the start of winter at Mattawoman Wildlands in Chapman State Park, with its spectacular scenary and remarkable diversity of native plants and wildlife. It has been over 8 years since we last visited this forest. The south tributary in Chapman Forest South is a pristine, spring-fed stream that begins as a series of acidic seeps and magnolia bogs, then flows through steep, forested ravines to Mattawoman Creek. We will walk along the floodplain from near the stream's convergence with Mattawoman Creek, and proceed upstream through gradual elevation changes to upland Oak-Heath Forest at the summit of the gravelly ridge. This is a remote area and we should see great diversity of flora. Most of the vegetation is typical of the Coastal Plain, but some sections pass through beds of calcareous marine sands and marl, which give rise to distinctive flora with montane elements.

FREE. REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.

Notes: Most of the walk traverses rolling, fairly open forest and makes use of some trails. We will encounter some steep grades and damp areas.

Bring: Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Bring lunch, water, and your favorite field guides.

Cancellation Policy: Trip will go in light drizzle but will be canceled for heavy rain, sleet, heavy or steady snow, or if road conditions are dangerous. CANCELLATION WILL BE POSTED ON THIS WEBSITE BY 8:30 AM THE DAY OF THE EVENT.

Contact: Kirsten Johnson, kh.johnson @ymail.com

Directions: CARPOOL IF YOU CAN. Take Indian Head Hwy (Rt 210) south from I-495. Proceed approx 15 miles. Continue on Rt 210 to the Rt 227 intersection at Bryans Road (McDonalds, etc, on the right, large CVS on left.) Don't take the Prince Georges Co versions of Rt 227, many miles before this intersection. Turn left onto Rt 227 and proceed south approx. 3-4 miles. Slow down as the road begins to descend down a big hill to Mattawoman Creek (Lamont's will be on the left) and be prepared to turn right just after the stream crossing at Buteaux Crossing and before the abandoned railroad tracks. Parking area is on the right at the tracks. We will meet here. For overflow parking, there is an area near Mattawoman Creek on the east side of Rt 227, opposite the above-described parking lot. But it is small, often muddy, and dangerous to turn in and out of. PARKING ON THE ROAD IS NOT AN OPTION.