June 10 tour with Jeff, sign-up here --> link
Atlanta Beltline Tour Group
May 21, 2023
This Week's Tour...
...met at 9:00AM Saturday on the Beltline Eastside Trail near Parish (R.I.P...soon to reopen as "Painted Park"!). We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.
"The Tourists"...
Small group on this Sunday tour (for which I subbed), but from a mighty range of backgrounds, one a ViHi neighbor (and Trees Atlanta Docent!) and the other a Peruvian doctoral candidate from Georgia Tech. Go Jackets!
Thanks for a great tour!
Pic of the week...
...building permit for Western Electric Company Plant on Ralph McGill, 1939:
Built in 1939, Western Electric Company built telephones, switchboards, and their components here along the Beltline until they moved outside of town in 1975. The building sat vacant until purchased and renovated as loft in 1995. Imagine a huge, beautiful building sitting empty on today's Beltline!
Thanks, National Register of Historic Places!
Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.
What is unique about a sassafras tree?
"Description: Sassafras trees are unusual among trees because they have three distinctive leaf shapes. As seen in the photo (right), these shapes are 1) a simple, unlobed leaf, 2) an asymmetrical leaf resembling a mitten, and 3) a three-lobed leaf."
Sassafras
"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.
Q: Cottonwood and aspen are in the same genus (Populus deltoides vs. Populus tremuloides), but they seem to have very different water needs.
A: Still researching, but seems to be a question of the evolutionary paths of cottonwoods and aspen, with one species adapting to wet creek banks and the other "tolerant of wide variations in climate." U.S. Forest Service
April 8, 2023
This Week's Tour...
...met at 9:00AM Saturday on the Beltline Eastside Trail near Parish (R.I.P...soon to reopen as "Painted Park"!). We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.
"The Tourists"...
What fun! Despite a persistent drizzle, 2 hardy tourists stuck it out...one who walked from his Edgewood home and the other who came all the way from Detroit!
Thanks for a great tour!
Pics of the week...
..Ponce City Market then and now:
Top is undated photo of the Sears building, notably without eastern wing (middle left), with Ponce de Leon Park (right) and Ford Factory (lower middle). And in an unusual twist...look how much of the old car parking has been replaced by Old 4th Ward Park!
Thanks, Telephone Factory Lofts!!
Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.
Shout out to the Black Gums or Tupelos that are interspersed with native oaks and pig nut hickories along the "Olmstead" section of the Eastside Trail.
"Nyssa sylvatica grows to 20–25 metres (66–82 ft) tall, rarely to 35 metres (115 ft), with a trunk diameter of 50–100 centimetres (20–39 in), rarely up to 170 centimetres (67 in). These trees typically have a straight trunk with the branches extending outward at right angles.[3] The bark is dark gray and flaky when young, but it becomes furrowed with age, resembling alligator hide on very old stems. The twigs of this tree are reddish-brown, usually hidden by a greyish skin. The pith is chambered with greenish partitions.."
Tupelo or Black Gum
.
March 10, 2023
This Week's Tour...
...met at 9:00AM Saturday on the Beltline Eastside Trail near Parish (R.I.P...soon to reopen as "Painted Park"!). We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.
"The Tourists"...
What a great group! Long time Virginia Highland neighbors! College kids visiting from Germany! Future Trees Atlanta docents! I hope I earned the privilege of your time.
Thanks for a great tour!
Pic of the week...
..rail lines and Terminal Station! Re-posted from Atlanta Time Machine, a very cool pic looking north, with old Atlanta Terminal status a little south of center:
1965 aerial from Atlanta Time Machine. Spring St. (now Ted Turner Dr.) and Mitchell St. second intersection up from lower right. Just to the left of center is the Atlanta Gas Light reservoir. The bladder is UP. Far left, center is Charles M. Mayson Plant, City of Atlanta incinerator. The garbage trucks went down Mangum St. to the incinerator. They burned twice a day. In this period the garbage collectors went in your backyard to pickup the garbage from, usually, galvanized steel cans. Lower right are the two Southern Railway buildings. Upper left of them is Terminal Station with the canopies over the passenger loading platforms..
Thanks, Atlanta Time Machine!!
Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.
The Georgia oak may not be our state tree, but it is 100% Georgia (well, maybe 90%);
"The Georgia oak is native to the southeastern United States, mainly in northern Georgia, but with additional populations in Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina.[4] It grows on dry granite and sandstone outcrops of slopes of hills at 50–500 m (160–1,640 ft) altitude.[5][2]
The tree was first discovered in 1849 at Stone Mountain, Georgia, where several stands of pure specimens grow along the popular walk-up trail at around 400 m (1,300 ft), near the large chestnut oak in the middle of the trail and before the rest pavilion halfway up the trail.[6] Georgia oaks are also found at nearby monadnocks, including Panola Mountain and Arabia Mountain in Georgia."
Pignut Hickory
"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.
Q: What are those dangly things (that we see hanging from oak branches in early spring)?
A: Jeff knew they were called "catkins", but wasn't sure of the botanical details. Here they are!
Oaks have male flowers arranged in catkins that hang from the smaller branches. A catkin is an inflorescence where the flower parts are greatly reduced, and with these Georgia oak male flowers, the only thing visible are the paired stamens that will produce the pollen.
The female flowers, also greatly reduced with only sepals and pistil, are singly arranged on young branches. They produce one of the most distinctive fruits of all plants, the instantly recognizable acorn.
December, 2022
This Week's Tour...
...met at 9:00AM Saturday on the Beltline Eastside Trail near Parish (R.I.P...soon to reopen as "Painted Park"!). We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.
"The Tourists"...
Three hardy locals on a cold winter day!
Thanks for a great tour!
Map of the week...
..Atlanta Rail Lines!
From the Beltline bridge over North Ave, we looked towards the southwest to the Georgia Pacific building, and just a block south of that, about 2 1/2 miles away, is Underground Atlanta and the original location of the "Zero Mile Post", the marker placed in 1837 that brought all the trains to the "yard". This modern day map shows what is left that still runs through the ATL.
Thanks, Rail Fan Guides!!
Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.
The Georgia oak may not be our state tree, but it is 100% Georgia (well, maybe 90%);
"The Georgia oak is native to the southeastern United States, mainly in northern Georgia, but with additional populations in Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina.[4] It grows on dry granite and sandstone outcrops of slopes of hills at 50–500 m (160–1,640 ft) altitude.[5][2]
The tree was first discovered in 1849 at Stone Mountain, Georgia, where several stands of pure specimens grow along the popular walk-up trail at around 400 m (1,300 ft), near the large chestnut oak in the middle of the trail and before the rest pavilion halfway up the trail.[6] Georgia oaks are also found at nearby monadnocks, including Panola Mountain and Arabia Mountain in Georgia."
Georgia oak
"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.
Q: Why can't Neighbor Jeff update his blog on time?
A: Cuz he's a huge slacker! He'll do better next time!
November 12, 2022, 9:00AM
This Week's Tour...
...met at 9:00AM Saturday on the Beltline Eastside Trail near Parish (R.I.P...soon to reopen as "Painted Park"!). We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.
"The Tourists"...
"6 Atlantans and a guide walked on the Beltline one day..."
Thanks for a great tour!
Map of the week...
..Trees Atlanta champion tree map!
"Each year, Trees Atlanta publishes the list of Champion Trees in metro Atlanta. The compilation of the list is a labor of love lead by an amazing volunteer team. The list includes specimens located mainly inside I-285; all trees are nominated and identified by community members then reviewed by trained Champion Trees volunteers.
"These trees represent some of the oldest, tallest, broadest, and most beautiful trees our city has to offer. These grand friends have witnessed the ever changing landscape of Atlanta and are part of our city’s iconic urban tree canopy."
Thanks, Trees Atlanta!
Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.
The loblolly pine is considered to be the "second most common species of tree in North America", but the Atlanta Champion specimen is by NO MEANS COMMON! Located just off the Beltline Eastside Trail on Ralph McGill in front of telephone factory lofts, this monster is 11.3 ft in circumference, 90.0 ft in height. Give that big boy a HUG!
Loblolly pine
"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.
Q: When is the Atlanta Streetcar coming to the Beltline?
A: This is a great question! Mass transit has always been a part of the ABI plan...and its implementation is on ongoing process. Check out this link for more info!
October 8, 2022
This Week's Tour...
...met at 9:00AM Saturday on the Beltline Eastside Trail near Parish (R.I.P...soon to reopen as "Painted Park"!). We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.
"The Tourists"...
...je voudrais crier a mes nouveaux amis! 3 voyageurs impressionnants de Marseille and an awesome Atlanta-based orchestra teacher!
Thanks for a great tour!
Map of the week...
..Trees Atlanta inventory map!
Trees Atlanta has planted over 150,000 trees in Atlanta...and they are ALL mapped here! Take a look...it is pretty cool and a great learning resource.
Thanks, Trees Atlanta!
Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.
Hands down, the shrub that elicited the most chatter during our talk was the sumac found on "Succession Hill" next to Freedom Parkway and along the eastside of the trail as one approaches Ralph McGill. My new french besties were quick to point out that they use sumac as an acidic flavoring in cooking, especially in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. I'm not advocating it, but it is certainly worth looking into!
"Made from the coarsely ground berries of a variety of sumac bush, it's used as much for its bright color and presentation as it is for its flavor, which is often described as slightly salty, tart citrus."
Smooth sumac
"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.
Q: You described the long low limbs of the live oak tree as supporting "spanish moss" and that we might know it from trees shown in spooky movies. We've seen it in movies...and it's a real thing? What exactly is Spanish moss?
A: Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern United States, and West Indies.
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