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Trees of St. Tammany Parish: Black Cherry Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

isht kinta: Since the cache owner has not responded to my reviewer log the geocache has been archived.

isht kinta
Geocaching Volunteer Reviewer

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Hidden : 8/8/2014
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

This is one of a series of caches highlighting a few of the many species of trees indigenous to St. Tammany Parish. This one features the Black Cherry (Prunus serotina), also known as the wild black cherry or rum cherry.


These caches can all be found hanging in the species of tree in the cache title.

Cache is a small camoed bison hanging at about eye level. It is just off of the walking/biking path that runs the full length of this highway on the highway side. You might be tempted to park near-by at the highschool baseball field but it probably isn't a good idea. There is a small strip mall (see the additional waypoint) about .16 mi. away. I'd recommend parking there. It's a very nice walking path. 

Personal Note

This species of tree was a large part of my childhood. They were quite plentiful around my grandmother's house (and still are, as I live in the same location now, north of Covington). Grandma was an avid baker and was always making jams and jellies. She also dabbled in wine making (which she insisted was only for medicinal purposes). Anyway, to harvest black cherries, she would lay a sheet beneath the tree when they were ripe and have me climb the tree and shake it to make all of the ripe cherries fall onto the sheet. Worked out well for her and was fun for me. I also enjoyed the resulting confections very much..the jelly, not the wine. ;)

Today, I love to burn the wood in campfires and in my fireplace because it smells very good when burning. It's also good for smoking meat as it infuses a unique, yummy flavor.

Info about Black Cherry trees:


Range

This cherry is native to eastern North America: from eastern Canada through southern Quebec and Ontario; south through the eastern United States to Texas and central Florida; with disjunct populations in Arizona and New Mexico; and in the mountains of Mexico and Guatemala.

Black cherry range

Description

It is a moderately long-lived tree, with ages of up to 258 years known, though it is prone to storm damage, with branches breaking easily; any decay resulting, however, only progresses slowly. Seed production begins around 10 years of age, but does not become heavy until 30 years and continues up to 100 years. Germination rates are high, and the seeds are widely dispersed by birds who eat the fruit and then excrete them. Some seeds however may remain in the soil bank and not germinate for as long as three years. All Prunus species have hard seeds that benefit from scarification to germinate (which in nature is produced by passing through an animal's digestive tract).

Black Cherry leaves

Interesting Facts

Like apricots, the seeds of black cherries contain compounds that can be converted into cyanide, such as amygdalin. These compounds release hydrogen cyanide when the seed is ground or minced, which releases enzymes that break down the compounds. These enzymes include amygdalin beta-glucosidase, prunasin beta-glucosidase and mandelonitrile lyase. In contrast, although the flesh of cherries also contain these compounds, they do not contain the enzymes needed to produce cyanide, so the flesh is safe to eat.

 

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Oynpx pureel gerr, rlr yriry, "uvtujnl fvqr" bs gur fvqrjnyx. Arne gur cubar crqrfgny.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)