Wildflowers Mystery Cache
Biology Prof: This cache has only been found 4 times in over 3 years so I think its time to archive this one and open up the area if others want to place a cache neaby.
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Size: 
(regular)
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OK class, listen up! We are going to take a field trip to the Blackwater Creek Nature Area and look for wildflowers! We will start in the parking area behind the Greek Orthodox Church on Langhorne Road (at the coords listed above). REMINDER: THE PARKING AREA AND TRAILS CLOSE AT SUNSET. This is a multistage cache and the answer to the question(s)at each stop will give you one of the numbers in the coordinates. Six numbers for the cache coordinates will replace the letters in the following:
37 25.ABC 079 10.DEF
Everyone ready to go? So what if you aren’t that wild about flowers? Not to worry. Along the way there will be two hidden film canisters: one contains the latitude coords and the other, the longitude coords.
From the parking area, walk down the bike trail to 37 25.170 079 11.106. Then take the Creekside Trail to the right. Be careful! It is steep and can be slippery in wet weather.
STOP # 1 37 25.150 079 11.060 These plants are phlox (the wild version of the ones that many people plant in gardens). How many petals does the phlox flower have? Almost all flowering plants are divided into two groups: monocots and dicots. Monocots have flower parts in 3’s (or multiples) and dicots have flower parts in 4’s and 5’s (or multiples).
Is phlox a:
1. monocot
2. dicot
At this point, turn left on the trail. Turning is a good idea since
1. the bridge is washed out ahead
2. this trail ends at a steep bluff
3. the trail is washed out at the creek bank
4. there is work on the Combined Sewer Overflow project straight ahead
Add the numbers of the 2 correct answers. Replace letter B in the coords with this number.
STOP # 2 37 25.201 079 10.878 Virginia Spiderwort. You probably saw several of these coming down from the bike trail but rather than stop your rapid descent, I decided to point them out here. The color of the spiderwort flower is:
1 yellow
2 orange
3 white
4 blue
Replace letter A in the coords with the number of the correct answer
STOP #3 37 25.178 079 10.859 The genus name for this little plant is Houstonia, but the common name comes from the color of the flower. The common name of this plant would be:
1 redets
2 purplets
3 bluets
4 pinkets
Replace letter C in the coords with the number of the answer to this question
STOP # 4 37 25..166 079 10.852 Fire Pink. OK so the flower isn’t pink but it is a member of the Pink Family (the tips of the petals look like they have been cut with pinking shears). Actually, the color of the flowers are:
1 white
2 yellow
3 purple
4 crimson
Take the number of the correct answer, add 2 to the number and replace letter D in the coords with that number.
Just before you get to the bridge, turn left onto the Freer Nature Trail
STOP # 5 37 25.174 079 10.746 The brown sign at this location says that at one time this area was:
1. the site of a pump house to pump water up from the creek
2. an agricultural field
3. a logging operation
4. the site of the first home on the north side of the creek.
There is a dead tree just up the trail from the sign. If you really really need the coords, a film canister is hidden behind the tree - the latitude coords are in the canister. Please cover the canister with the wood mulch so it won’t be seen.
STOP # 6. 37 25.220 079 10.720 Squaw Root. Some people think all plants are green. Squaw Root is a non-green flowering plant which is a parasite on oak roots. These brown plants are all along the right side of the trail at this stop. The other-than-brown colors are the flowers which are:
1 cream colored
2 light purple
3 red
Subtract this number from the correct numbered answer from STOP 5.Replace letter E in the coords with this number
STOP # 7 37 25.264 079 10.681 May-apple. These plants are found all over the place on both sides of the trail. The plant has white flowers in April-May and the apple-like fruit in May (thus the plant name). The flowers and fruits are located:
1 right where the plant comes up out of the ground
2 just above the highest leaves on the stem
3 on a separate stem from the leaf-bearing stem
4 where the two large leaves branch from the stem
Just in case the May Apples have passed on (or if you are not the wildflower enthusiast that you thought you were) look in the bottom of the hollowed-out beech tree for the buried film canister that has the longitude coords inside. Please rebury the canister well.
Just ahead, the trail forks. According to the sign, how far is it to the bikeway? Take the number from this distance measurement and add it to the correct number answer from STOP 7. Replace the letter F in the coords with this number. Then take the left fork toward the bikeway (for the record: from there it is 0.75 miles to the parking area)
Now you know the final cache location! The cache is a plastic container with the usual goodies and perhaps a few surprises!
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