Annual Ephemeral Wildflower Hike @ Kelly Hollow | Sunday, May 13th, 11:00 AM

This a chance to find and identify the beautiful Spring Ephemeral wildflowers which are so named because they appear above ground in early spring when they flower and fruit and then die back into the ground, all in a short period before the trees have had a chance to leaf out. Most hikers never see these flowers because they wait for late spring or summer to get into the woods. We will look for Trillium, Spring beauties, Trout Lily, Hepatica, Violets, Squirrel Corn, Dutchman's Britches, Jack-In-The-Pulpit and many others. We may also find some early mushrooms.Kelly Hollow is one of the most beautiful short trails in the Catskills with rocky streams and waterfalls. It has a combination of coniferous and deciduous forests with the remains of a lovely beaver pond near a lean-to at the top. The trail is an easy to moderate loop of about 4 miles. Bring lunch and/or snacks to have at the lean-to (there is a privy nearby.)Event Duration:  4 miles, 3 hoursLevel of Difficulty:  Easy-ModerateLeader(s):  Howard RaabBring: good hiking shoes, lunch, bug spray, something to drinkRegistration required by May 5.  Register by contacting the leader. See below.Group size is limited to 20. As it was well attended last year, I would suggest that you register early.Dogs allowed:  Leashed dogs are welcome.Additional Information: Hike will be canceled in case of steady rain. If in doubt, call before 10:00 am Sunday.Questions about this event can be directed to:  Howard Raab at howardjraab@gmail.com, or (845) 586-3112.Driving Directions:  We will meet at the Old Stone Schoolhouse, 2.2 miles West of Margaretville at 10:30 am or at the trail-head at 11:00 am.Directions: The  Kelly Hollow Trail is located on Millbrook Road in the town of Middletown, NYNJ Trail Conference map #142, F-5,6.Directions to trail-head: Go right (west) on the NYC reservoir road across Rt.28 from the Old Stone School House, for 3.7 miles. Then left on Millbrook Road for 5.3 miles to the trail-head parking area on the right.