A simple, yet complex walk in the woods

When I was a kid, any patch of trees, big or small, was called a "woods." It was a simple name describing what we thought was a simple place. But the "woods" are exceptionally complex, and it is best to call this habitat the "forest," and a single, immersive, visit will show that you can't see the forest for the trees. Sure, forests have trees, but not only in numbers. Forests typically have a variety of species of trees. We all probably know oaks and maples, but forests in places such as Ohio can host well over 100 species of trees. How many can you name? How many can you identify? And this doesn't include the nearly 60 different native shrubs found in the state. While so many trees are deciduous, meaning that they seasonally lose their leaves, many others retain their leaves year-round. These are the evergreens, and while they are dominated by the conifers like pine and hemlock, some have broad leaves and true flowers. Can you name any broad-leaved evergreens? And then there are vines. And then brambles. Besides woody plants, forests are filled with soft-bodied plants -- herbaceous plants. A grand, and colorful, array of spring wildflowers can blanket healthy forests in April and May. While some disappear as the forest floor gains shade, others stick around, often showing off the literal fruits of their labor. Do you know what "smart berries" are? What about "doll's eyes?" And what about ferns? And mosses? And lichens? And algae? And fungus? And slime molds? And not to mention microbes! When it comes to animals, most of us think of mammals, and forests are filled with mammals. Sadly, many visits to a forest only contain views of a squirrel and a couple of chipmunks. Many of the other forest mammals are hidden away during daylight hours. For those not wishing to hike in the dark, signs like fur, footprints and droppings can reveal who is really living in the forest. What mammal has telltale thumbs on its hind feet? A warm-weather morning hike might reveal lots of birds and bird songs. In the heat of a summer day, a forest goes pretty quiet. In winter, it can go really quiet. Nonetheless, a Midwest forest is filled with dozens of nesting species of birds and hundreds of seasonal migrants. While some show themselves readily, others only give themselves away by sound. Bird sounds can be quite revealing and tell a fairly complex story of what is happening just out of sight. (And sometimes they can tell just what the birds think of you.) Reptiles don't make a lot of noise, so confirming their presence might require visual confirmation. But understand that while a sunning turtle might give you a good look if you are stealthy, a sunning snake might just blend into the maze of tree branches. But fear not, neither of these reptile groups are going to ambush you. They just want to keep their distance from humans. How many venomous snakes are found in Ohio? Forest streams and ponds, and vernal pools, too, might be home to frogs and fish. But the list of wetland wildlife doesn't stop there. There might be snails and clams and aquatic insects. There might also be wetland plants, some below the surface, some floating, some sticking out fully. Can you name a wetland plant besides a cattail or lily? What is a darter? Insects thrive in a forest summer, but during the winter, they seem to be absent and in this there exists a simple miracle of nature. While some insects bother us … think bees and mosquitoes … others are almost perfectly beautiful … think butterflies. Some defy our understanding of physics … like the flight of bumblebees, and some show us alternative energy … like fireflies. Some work hard and supply a surplus of food … like bees, and some show us the benefit of teamwork … like ant colonies, and most show us through their metamorphosis that change is not only inevitable, but can lead to something better. What's the difference between a chrysalis and a cocoon? Arachnids, including spiders, are nearly as diverse as insects and plentiful within a forest. Some hide in plain sight. Some live their life within the leaf litter. Some live in the treetops. Some never leave their subterranean home. Some build webs to catch their meals and these webs catch a few wayward hikers by surprise. What's the name of the classic spiderweb weaving spider group? Still there are more animals to be found in a forest. Some are well-known ... like worms, and some are quite alien and creepy ... like spidermites. How many native worms live in northern Ohio forests? Besides all of the living aspects of a forest, many non-living features combine to make it complete. Included are obvious things like rocks and water, but also consider things like temperature, humidity, odors, shade and textures. Some of these seem quite inert, while others are the result of the common and necessary biological process taking place that kept a forest habitat healthy. Can you imagine the smell of fallen leaves in the autumn? It would be simply wrong to say that "woods" are not as common as they used to be. Ohio, for example, once a highly tree-covered state, lost some 90 percent of its contiguous forest by the early 1900s. Since then, however, the state has pushed its forest cover up to around 30 percent. Thus, forests are now much more common than they were just a hundred years ago, and, naturally, that means that a forested trail is all the more accessible to you … and so are its secrets, its wonders, its inspirations and its benefits. Now, more than ever, it is time to visit the "woods" and to see that it is more than a simple collection of trees.