Last updated: July 19, 2022
Place
Lady Bird Johnson Nature Trail Stop #1
Dave Van de Mark
Quick Facts
Location:
Lady Bird Johnson Trail
Significance:
Walking tour in old-growth redwoods
Designation:
National Park
A Timeless Place
Countless people through the years have entered this grove of trees. They, too, gazed at the stupendous heights of the redwoods and vainly stretched their arms around the stalwart gray trunks. How long ago did our own ancestors first share our wonder at these forest giants? How many generations before us have joined in a collective gasp of amazement at the forest before you now?
An old-growth redwood forest is many things. First and foremost, it is home to very old and very large trees. Under the dense canopy, redwood seedlings grow in the scattered sunlight beneath their towering forebears. Nearby, decaying trees, felled by a thousand years of winter winds, nurture the soil, and provide life for an amazing array of other trees, shrubs, and flowers. Varying shades of green and splashes of seasonal color are the canvas on which the mountain lion and black bear thrive alongside the marbled murrelet and winter wren.
Ahead of you are the results of nature’s long march of time and what a forest can become when left alone.
Countless people through the years have entered this grove of trees. They, too, gazed at the stupendous heights of the redwoods and vainly stretched their arms around the stalwart gray trunks. How long ago did our own ancestors first share our wonder at these forest giants? How many generations before us have joined in a collective gasp of amazement at the forest before you now?
An old-growth redwood forest is many things. First and foremost, it is home to very old and very large trees. Under the dense canopy, redwood seedlings grow in the scattered sunlight beneath their towering forebears. Nearby, decaying trees, felled by a thousand years of winter winds, nurture the soil, and provide life for an amazing array of other trees, shrubs, and flowers. Varying shades of green and splashes of seasonal color are the canvas on which the mountain lion and black bear thrive alongside the marbled murrelet and winter wren.
Ahead of you are the results of nature’s long march of time and what a forest can become when left alone.