Kentuckiana Hiker’s Review

Spider Wasps

On a recent hike along the Scott’s Gap Loop in Jefferson Forest I took a moment and stopped for a nice long drink while descending the last hill of the day. Looking around, I heard a loud buzzing near my head, which is a pretty common occurrence on the trail in the Summer heat. Turning my attention toward the noise, I watched a black colored wasp fly past me and land directly on a wolf spider’s web on the hillside just above me.

Spider Wasp

If you’ve hiked any trails in Jefferson Forest, or even looked closely at your shrubbery, you’ve most likely seen a wolf spider web. About the size of a dinner plate, the wolf spider’s web lays flat on the ground or in the cover of leaves and funnels down to a hole at one end of the web. The wolf spider waits in the hole for any movement it senses on its web and will dart out to capture any insect that might land or fall into its trap.

With this in mind, I watched this black wasp land on the spider web and methodically begin to tap its abdomen on the web surface. The wasp continued its tapping while walking back and forth across the surface of the web. It then shocked me by casually proceeding straight down the wolf spider’s hole and disappearing for a moment. It then re-emerged and took flight, landing a few feet further along the trail on the next spider’s web, doing its little tapping dance again.

As the wasp darted down this next spider hole, I realized I was having another animal documentary performance. The wasps I’ve seen on TV usually attacked tarantulas, but I was just watching the hillbilly version of the spider wasp.

Necessities: July

The great thing about hiking is that really, all you need is the desire to walk. As I’ve gotten more and more involved in the pursuit of my hobby though, I’ve accumulated some of the gear associated with hiking, some of it good, some of it great, some of it rather disappointing. Since I would classify myself as primarily a “day-hiker”, I have yet to take the next big step of investing in gear that is associated with camping and backpacking.

With that in mind, I’ll recommend hiking gear each month in this section of Trail Shorts. This month, you have to start at the ground and work your way up.

First and foremost for anyone interested in hiking is a good pair of hiking shoes. Take your time. Get a good comfortable shoe. Don’t be afraid to pay a little extra. Buy a half-size to a full size larger hiking shoe than what you normally buy in an athletic shoe (to make room for a good pair of socks).

Next month: Trekking poles.

Chanterelles

I’m no expert on edible fungus. Earlier this year though, I spotted my first morel mushrooms and even ate a couple when I brought them home. The nice thing about morels though is that they can’t really be mistaken for anything else. With Summer just starting, another much desired and edible mushroom is out in abundance along the trails of Kentuckiana: the golden chanterelle. On a recent hike I spotted literally dozens of these delectable beauties.

Golden Chanterelle Mushroom

What to look for:

• golden to orange coloring

• unblemished and smooth cap tops

• gills starting near the base and continuing to the edge of the cap

• uniform light colored gills

• fluted shape from base to cap

What to avoid:

• discoloration or pattern on cap top

• gills that don’t form straight lines from base to cap

• gills that are mottled in color

• don’t pick unless absolutely sure

• don’t pick if found in park areas

Obscured by clouds

The hills of Jefferson County are not very high by any standards. On a recent July 5^th hike along the Siltstone Trail in Jefferson Forest, the wet weather combined with cool temperatures made for very low clouds. This afforded views of the Forest that you seldom get to see.

As showers and thunder rolled through Louisville, the higher ridges of the Siltstone were shrouded in the clouds, giving the hills an almost Alpine feel. If you ever get a chance to hike in Jefferson Forest under foggy conditions, it is a sight that should not be missed..

Clouds Along the Siltstone

Echinacea in bloom

If you enjoy butterflies, then I highly recommend you make an effort to get out to the Horine Reservation section of Jefferson Forest in the next 2 weeks. Along the gravel road that leads to the campgrounds and the Red and Orange trailheads, the echinacea flowers have bloomed in abundance this year. For almost one hundred yards along the forest side of the road, these flowers are feeding a cornucopia of insects and song birds.

If you enjoy colorful photography, the echinacea make for great subject matter or as an excellent background for wildlife. Be sure to get your free permit at the Jefferson Forest Welcome Center before visiting.

Yellow Sulphur Butterfly on Echinacea

Echinacea Blossom

For more of the photos from the hikes I took for this month, check out the Horine Red Trail, Siltstone in the Clouds and Rain Out,

For the adventurous only! Enjoy a day of hiking throughout Kentucky’s Land of the Arches! On these guided hikes you will get a good look at the area’s rugged cliff lines, rock shelters, rhododendron and natural arches. Destinations include both well-known features as well as some little known secrets! Each trip is different. Total distances vary from 6 to 12 miles. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. $10/person registration fee. Adults and children ages 12 and up welcome. To register contact Tyler Morgan at tyler.morgan@ky.gov or call (606) 663-2214.