Arcadia WMA, Tefft Hill from the State Garage
Posted By auntie on July 31, 2014
4.75 miles, exeter, ri
i think this is my favorite route onto arcadia. you park next to the state garage on route 3, nooseneck hill road, and walk down a trail under route 95. don’t know why this tickles me so, but it does. and this is also my favorite loop: the white-blazed arcadia crossover trail to the yellow- and blue-blazed arcadia/north south trails to the yellow-blazed arcadia trail, and back to the white-blazed crossover trail.
rattlesnake plantain
this is actually an orchid. the google tells me it’s one of the most common north american orchids. it’s still quite pretty, even if it is common.
elm saw fly larva
when i saw this large, maybe two-inch-long creature, i was sure it was a caterpillar, and i was excited to go home and find out what kind of butterfly or moth it would become. feh. turns out it’s actually the larva of the elm saw fly. i don’t know if you have any experience of saw flies, but the larva of the pine saw fly, which congregates in large numbers on pine trees, are downright creepy. they move in unison. no matter how many there are, it’s like they’re psychically connected. ick. i don’t know if these larger elm saw fly larva are psychic, but i somehow don’t want to find out. ICK.
blue-yellow trail split
this is where the blue-blazed north-south trail diverges from the yellow-blazed arcadia trail. i met some nice folks just north of here who were visiting from westchester, new york, and hiking/biking the north-south trail. it sounded like a lot of work. me, i like my vacations more… vacation-y. you know, sitting in the sun with umbrella drinks and a good book. but to each his/her own.
today’s haul
this time of year the white-blazed crossover trail is mushroom heaven. i bagged a bunch of cinnabar chantarelles (the orange ones), golden chantarelles (the tan ones), and even 2 horns of plenty (the brown ones in the lower left). can you say “wild mushroom risotto?” sure you can. me too. yum.
i have added this specific hike to the hikefinder. map is courtesy of the rhode island dem, to which i have added my route.
Rattlesnake plantain! I’d seen some seed heads last fall and had no idea what they were. I’ll bet it was rattlesnake plantain. And as for the mushrooms, I’m trying to add a variety every year or two. So far I’ve had the courage and luck to get morels and hen of the woods. I wonder which should be next . . .
morels? you found morels around here? color me jealous!
and black trumpets are a good choice for a foolproof mushroom… unmistakable for anything but. and soooo aromatic and tasty! see http://brucefellman.zenfolio.com/blog/2014/8/horns-of-plenty-redux and http://the3foragers.blogspot.com/2014/08/black-fungi-of-summer.html. i know bruce is local, and i’m pretty sure the 3 foragers are, too.
Thanks, I will check out those links. I can’t claim any great foraging skills on the morels. 6-8 come up among my asparagus every spring!
[…] by fellow hiker Auntie Beak. Myself and another couple of hikers met up with Auntie Beak and followed her route. This hike is in the eastern part of the Arcadia Management Area and uses parts of the Arcadia […]