June 19th, 2021

 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 3/4 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.

"The Tourists"...
...shouting out to this week's tourists, including a family with twins and a couple from near the Beltline Westside trail! Also...ROSWELL IN THE HOUSE!

Thanks for a great tour!

Map of the week...
...we spoke about the "Zero Mile Post" marking the new convergence of railroad lines that would eventually become the center of the City of Atlanta, circa 1837. Here it is located on an old Atlanta map...and here is a pic of it in its original location (now in the Atlanta History Center).

Thanks for the pic, 

AJC!!

Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.

The eastern cottonwood is one of several water-seeking plant species found along the Beltline between Freedom Parkway and the skate park. Because of their flat stem, leaves shake and pivot in the slightest breeze, a characteristic trait for this species. 

Populus deltoides

(A scientific name I can actually remember!

A "poplar" with "triangular" leaves!)

Eastern Cottonwood

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Q: Where did the old rail line that used to run along the Beltline Eastside Trail corridor go?

A: Short answer...North! Because railroads have changed and merged and decommissioned over the years, the long answer differs depending on what decade one is researching...but check out this cool map that shows the Beltline corridor connecting with Norfolk Southern (previously Southern Railway). COOL!

Thanks, Atlanta Ga Railfan!

May 8, 2021

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 3/4 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.

"The Tourists"...
...shouting out to this week's tourists, including fellow GA TECH alums and a mom visiting from Panama City Beach (PCB at PCM)! Also...MACON IN THE HOUSE!

Thanks for a great tour!

Map of the week...
...we spoke about the Ponce Springs amusement park that was located where Ponce City Market is today. In the late 1800's, Atlantan's rode a trolley from downtown, up Peachtree Street, and out Ponce de Leon to arrive at the amusement park and lake. That trolley line was extended in 1889 to include a loop - Nine Mile Circle - that included Ponce Springs at its center, pictured in this map. 

Thanks for the map, 

Wikipedia!!

Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.

There are 2 varieties of Tupelo (or Blackgum) planted along the eastside trail between Freedom Parkway and Ralph McGill; Green Gables and Wildfire. Both have spring foliage true to their names; green and tinged with red, respectively. That red tinge on Wildfire's early growth is a hint at the showy, fiery red leaves that will appear in the fall. 

Nyssa sylvatica 'Wildfire'

Wildfire Tupelo or Blackgum

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Q: Can I grow native oakleaf hydrangea in Panama City Beach?

A: Short answer...YES! Zones 5-9a! Long answer...in Florida, you'll want to give it at least some shade. Thanks for the info, U of F!

Hydrangea quercifolia

April 10, 2021

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"...
...shouting out to this week's tourists, including visitors from the great states of Texas and California! 

Thanks for a great tour!

Map of the week...
...we spoke about Old Fourth Ward park and that location's previous lack of commercial development due to its swampy landscape. What do you expect? It's a watershed draining down to the former site of a lake!  Today, it's a 5-acre park with a 2-acre stormwater detention pond capable of storing water from a 500 year flood!

Thanks for the map, 

Landscape Architecture Foundation!

Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.

I'm not really singling out one species, but a whole genus and their "flowers" that are on display this time of year. I'm talking about the catkins of oak trees, the showy male part of their reproductive cycle that will soon fall off the tree, having done their part, and leave the female part to grow into acorns in the fall.

Querus Bicolor

White Swamp Oak

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Q: What is that flower?

A: All along the Eastside Trail, many of the native flowers planted (and self-seeded) there are coming into bloom. One of the most prolific this time of year is the Daisy Fleabane. 

Erigeron annuus

March 13, 2021

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"...
...shouting out to this week's tourists, including a new Atlanta transplant from NY! 

Thanks for a great tour!

Map of the week...
...we spoke at length about how the Atlanta city limits expanded in the 1800's concentrically, starting with the Zero Mile Marker near underground Atlanta. We noted that prior to 1904, North Ave was located "north" of the city limits. Standing on the Beltline Eastside Trail at North Ave (red "X" marks the spot) and looking north - and if it were 1904 - land to the left/west was newly annexed to include Midtown and soon-to-be Piedmont Park and to the right/east was still just plain ole Fulton Co. (until it's annexation in 1909).

Thanks for the map, reddit!

Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.

I'm totally copping out and calling "oak" my "single" favorite this week. We spent time collecting a few of last fall's leaves that still encircled the bases of trees on the tour and noting differences between red and white oaks (red have pointed lobes, white oak lobes are smooth), but also similarities, especially between Chinkapin and White Swamp Oaks. Here's a great resource for identifying different features of North American oak species <link>.

Querus Bicolor

White Swamp Oak

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Q: There is a huge old beech tree in Spring Vale Park; is it a "champion"?

A: Trees Atlanta maintains a list of the largest of each species of tree found within the city limits; the "champions". There are several beautiful, old specimen trees in Spring Vale Park - which makes sense; its steep, challenging, watershed terrain was left as a park by the original developers of the Inman Park. However, none are listed by trees Atlanta. Time to head over there with a tape measure? If there is a beech greater than 10ft in circumference, it could be a candidate!

200 year old Lullwater Conservation Garden beech

Nearly a champ at 12.4 ft cir!

(Thanks Druid Hills Civic Association!)

Feb 13, 2021 - Welcome back...with safety measures!

This Week's Tour...
...met at 9:00AM Saturday on the Beltline Eastside Trail near Parish. We walked for 1 1/2 hours, covering 1 mile of the Beltline, ending at Ponce City Market.

"The Tourists"...
...shouting out to this week's 2 hardy Tech students that braved the misty morning to join me for the first tour since we were COVID-cancelled back in 2020. 

Thanks for a great tour!

Map of the week...
...replaced by "pics of the week"! On the tour, we discussed the evolution of the "Du Pree Manufacturing Company Excelsior Factory" or Excelsior Mill; from wood shavings producer (1907...see the 1911 Sanborn Fire Map below), to pizza and movie house (1977), to its penultimate rebirth as The Masquerade nightclub and concert venue (1989). While being developed by its current owners, part of the historical protected facade collapsed in 2019 (seen here in before and after pics). 

Thanks for the map, Wikipedia!

Tree of the week...
...singling out one of the hundreds of specimens from the dozens of collections along the arboretum.

There is no more prominent tree in Georgia's hardwood forests than the beech, rendered showy in winter thru retention of coppery dead foliage (marcescence), sheltering its nascent buds until spring .

Fagus grandifolia

American Beech

"Stump" of the week...
...featuring a question raised during the tour that Jeff couldn't answer.

Q: What is the timeline of Atlanta's founding to being razed in the Civil War?

A: While there are many significant dates during the growth of Atlanta, the most relevant to the tour are:

1836 - Georgia State Legislature voted to create the Western and Atlantic Railroad

1837 - Route was surveyed from Tennessee state line south to roughly the location of today's "Underground Atlanta"

1839 - Terminus is settled

1843 - Marthasville is founded

1845 - Marthasville is renamed Atlanta (and incorporated in 1847)

1864 - Atlanta is burned

1868 - Atlanta becomes the Georgia State capital

Prior to Atlanta, the state capital was located in towns with river-based transportation. Atlanta marked a change to newer, land-based transportation, the locomotive! 1776 - Savannah. 1782 - Augusta (Savannah River). 1798 - Lousiville (Ogeechee River). 1807 - Milledgeville (Oconee).

Route of the Western and Atlantic RR

(Thanks Wiki!)

June 13 - CANCELLED, but Trees Atlanta projects are coming back!

June's tour is cancelled while we all shelter in place. Check back on the Trees Atlanta website for tour dates when we get the word to start back up.

Meanwhile, if you miss being outdoors, check out some of Trees Atlanta's newly designed, small group and individual volunteer projects here --> link

May 9 - CANCELLED

May's tour is cancelled while we all shelter in place. Check back on the Trees Atlanta website for tour dates when we get the word to start back up.