One of the less known parts of DuPuis is the Powerline Grade along the eastern perimeter. A one way trip is 13 miles long and can be traveled on foot, bike, horse, or car. As the name implies, the shellrock road parallels high tension power lines running south from the FPL Indiantown plant. The southern half of the road runs between a canal (with many resident alligators) and the adjacent Corbett WMA. You may also see otters, deer, birds and various Florida fauna. Bringing your camera is recommended! Happy caching!
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is a species of ivy common to the eastern and central United States. It has green leaves in groups of five with a toothed edge. Over the summer the vines grow small dark colored berries. This ivy is commonly used for ornament purposes since it will grown to cover walls and buldings. While its extensive growth can sometimes be a nuisance and choke out other plants, it is not invasive.
Virginia creeper can occasionally cause minor skin irritation, but is mostly harmless. It is often confused with the not-so-harmless poison ivy (toxicodendron radicans) due to similiar coloration and growing in a similiar manner. A noticiable difference is that poison ivy only has three leaves. Virginia creeper is also sometimes confused with wild marijuana (cannabis sativa) because of similiar leaf patterns, but the two plants have very different stems.
This plant is also the namesake of of the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 35 mile rail trail in southwestern Virginia.