MO Trees: Binary Berry Multi-Cache

Daylight hours only, please! Kiwanis Park is open from 6 AM to 11 PM.

Welcome to Kiwanis Park! A remarkably large variety of trees call this small recreation area home. One pairing in particular, the Southern and Northern Hackberry, are an odd sight (and not just because of their bark). Both of their native ranges overlap here presenting a unique opportunity to see both species at once.

We'll visit each of the Hackberry trees in turn and learn how to spot these commonly odd stands of flora. Then, once we know how to find each, we'll identify two "mystery" trees. All you will need for this exercise are your eyes and a GPS or smartphone. Let's get to it!

Tree name: Southern Hackberry (Celtis laevigata)
Location: Posted Coordinates (N 38° 56.590, W 92° 21.952)
Nicknames: Sugarberry, Sugar Hackberry

Identification (01010011)

Two rather skinny trees joined at the base may be found on the northeast corner of a pavilion at the posted coordinates. These are prime examples of the Southern Hackberry tree. Most people notice the bark first. What should be smooth and grey is broken up by warty knobs that dot the surface. These protrusions seem to run all the way to the top nearly sixty to eighty feet in the air into a broad crown.

Now, look up! Emerging from the trunk are slender, zig-zagging twigs that hold alternately attached, lance-like leaves that taper with few or no teeth. Each leaf has an uneven base and is yellow-green in color. Don't worry; that's normal for this species.

If you are fortunate enough to visit before a flock of hungry birds, you may spot many small berries no more than a quarter of an inch wide hanging from the limbs. These deliciously sweet, round orbs are highly sought by wildlife and remain on the tree well into winter. Starting green, they turn orange-brown to red or purple when ripe with smooth flesh even after the fruit has dried.

Right-o! Now that you're familiar with the Southern Hackberry, let's visit the Northern Hackberry just to the west of the parking lot. The coordinates follow.

Tree name: Northern Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)
Location: Northern Hackberry (N 38° 56.620, W 92° 21.989)
Nicknames: Common Hackberry, Beaverwood, False Elm, Nettle Tree

Identification (01001110)

Remember everything you learned about the Southern Hackberry? Good! Now take those observations and crank them to eleven. The Northern Hackberry is the Southern Hackberry on overdrive! Immediately south of (and nearly sharing roots with) a Shagbark Hickory tree is our Northern Hackberry friend. Warty, corky ridges instead of knobs cover the surface of a light grey bark. Slender branches curve back toward the trunk sometimes clumping up into what appears to be and is called a "witches broom".

Be careful not to be swept away as you look up at the nearly sixty foot tall tree. The narrow, rounded crown contains alternately attached leaves with bite! Toothy, unevenly based and tapering into lances, they grow larger than their southern counterpart - up to 3 and a half inches long. This foliage is also dark green with a leathery texture.

The exaggerations don't stop there. Fruit grows a bit larger retaining a rounded shape. While the coloration is the same as its Southern counterpart, winter has a drastically different effect. Dried fruit of the Northern Hackberry wrinkles up much like fingers left in water too long! The fruit is not too sweet but still prized by local wildlife.

You've seen both the Northern and Southern Hackberry trees by now and taken in their unique natures. Are you ready to test your knowledge? Of course you are! Continue west from the Northern Hackberry waypoint to the sidewalk on the east side of College Park Drive. Walk south to the Mystery Tree One coordinates. With a little substitution and mathematics, you'll find out where to find the geocache!

Location: Mystery Tree One (N 38° 56.584, W 92° 22.018)

The Geocache (Part One)

While standing on the sidewalk, look east at these coordinates. You will see a Hackberry tree directly across the sidewalk from a utility pole. Is this a Northern Hackberry tree or a Southern Hackberry tree? Choose the species and let X equal the west coordinate of the corresponding example tree you visited earlier. In other words, you are choosing the west coordinate of either the Posted Coordinates or the Northern Hackberry listed above. Add 0.027 to the minutes of that coordinate.

(A note for newer geocachers: Longitude and latitude coordinates in geocaching are provided in degrees and decimal minutes. For example, Mystery Tree One stands at west 92 degrees and 22.018 minutes.)

One down, one to go. Continue south on the sidewalk to the Mystery Tree Two coordinates.

Location: Mystery Tree Two (N 38° 56.563, W 92° 22.018)

The Geocache (Part Two)

Again, to the east of the sidewalk is a Hackberry tree. Anything else would defeat the purpose of this exercise! Does the tree belong to the Northern Hackberry or Southern Hackberry species? Choose and let Y equal the north coordinate of the corresponding example tree you visited earlier. Subtract 0.020 from the minutes of that coordinate.

Ready to find the geocache? You should now have a north and west coordinate, Y and X, respectively. Plug those into your GPS or smartphone to locate the cache! Good luck, be stealthy, and hide the container well to keep it safe and out of sight.

Permission was obtained to place this geocache.