On October 27th, the Halifax Chapter took a trip out to Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest in Mooseland.

There is a lovely set of maintained trails at Otter Ponds, but we couldn’t help but step off the trail sometimes to feel the springiness of the moss-covered forest floor. One characteristic of older forests is the presence of fallen trees. Great for climbing! Otter Ponds volunteer leader Wade Prest explained how the root ball of a fallen tree will become a prime spot for new trees to grow, leading to “pits and mounds” across the forest floor. Ahh… so nice to be enveloped by a canopy of mature Red Spruce. We saw lots of a fungus called Witches’ Jelly, or Witches’ Butter, while on the trail, and another that loved to grow on the road surface. We think it was Orange Peel Fungus.