7/4/2024: A Walk with Nursery Manager Glenn White: Hidden Gems of the Preserve

As soon as you turn off River Road on a warm day and pass through the entry gate to the Preserve, you notice the change. The air is a little cooler, the wind rustles through the green leaves, a wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) calls from the lush woodland understory, and you can feel the peaceful and restorative effects immediately.  Anyone who has visited the Preserve has a favorite spot, a favorite plant, a favorite story. On a beautiful day in mid-May, we took a walk through the woods with Glenn White, the Preserve’s nursery manager, and he shared with us a few of the spots he loves the most.

Along a path in Penn’s Woods arboretum as you head towards the R.O.T. plot stands mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia). Mountain laurel, an iconic native evergreen and Pennsylvania’s state flower, is not very common in the Preserve, and Glenn noticed this one was struggling to compete with invasive multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) and other shrubs. In late 2022,he undertook some clearing efforts around the laurel and the small rhododendron grove behind it to give both a chance to thrive. Since then, it’s been fun to see the transformation of this special spot. A dormant colony of mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) has reappeared on the forest floor below the laurel, and come June the laurel shows off its creamy white and pink blooms in appreciation!

Another beloved Preserve spot for Glenn is the Medicinal Trail. Located in one of the more remote parts of the property, it offers a sense of seclusion not easy to find amidst our bustling river towns. The trail follows a babbling brook crossed by two wooden bridges where one can pause to listen to the music of the flowing water and maybe spot a nesting Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) as it walks along the brook’s edge bobbing its tail up and down as it goes. Glenn recalls being serenaded by the whinnying song of a barred owl (Strix varia) while adding new plantings along the trail, which has benefited from a number of improvements and new signage over the last few years.

Lastly, we come to the spot where Glenn truly fell in love with the Preserve: a wooden memorial bench along the sloping and fern-carpeted Evergreen Trail that invites you to stop awhile and rest while you listen to the Pidcock Creek far below. It was in this spot many years ago that Glenn sought a quiet retreat to think about his life path and where he was inspired to change its course and pursue a career in the nursery and landscape fields after an earlier foray in the manufacturing world. He is thrilled that after a course of study at Rutgers University and becoming an American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Certified Horticulturist, he has found his way back to where his dreams began at the Preserve.

This year the Preserve celebrates its 90th anniversary. During those many years, it’s meant so much to so many visitors. What special memories do you have of times spent in nature here at the Preserve? Share your stories with us on our Facebook and Instagram or by emailing pr@bhwp.org.