We will meet at a public parking area and carpool to the hike site because there is very limited parking there.
Member-only hike
March 17, 2024 1:00 – 3:30 PM CDT
For this hike we selected a date when the serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) is likely to be in bloom. Located near the heavily developed neighborhood of Bellevue, the Belle Forest Cave Property is a quiet untouched area covered by a large diversity of trees in a small area. Its name is derived from a small cave with a small ‘cool house’ build by the last farmer in the valley in the mid-19th century to store milk and meat during the hot summers. Three streams, one flowing from the cave, converge to form a tributary of the Harpeth River. These clean streams provide the basis for a rich lowland hardwood forest with several large trees. The cave is located on the base of a central incline that ascends to a ridge which extends for a mile towards the West Meade area. This ridge constitutes a remnant of the Highland Rim and is geologically different from the limestone strata below. The difference between the alkaline soil and the streams in the valley and the dry, acid soil on top gives rise to a diversity of trees. As one ascends a small path up the hill from the cave we find Mockernut Hickory (C. tomentosa), Pignut Hickory (C. glabra), several Red Oak species and large examples of Chestnut Oaks (Quercus montana). An open area just above the cave is covered with old Farkleberry bushes (Vaccinium arboreum), and surrounded by Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica), Post Oak (Quercus stellata) and Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum). In early Spring we find several smaller Serviceberry trees (Amelanchier arborea) scattered along the slopes. Native azaleas (Rhododendron canescens and R. alabamense) are another treasure on this hill. They are found only on this hilltop and then scattered 1-2 miles away towards some hillsides in West Meade. None of them can be found in the Warner parks, to our knowledge.
Arboretum List
| Scientific Name | Common Name |
| Acer negundo | Boxelder |
| Acer saccharum | Sugar Maple |
| Amelanchier arborea | Serviceberry |
| Asimina triloba | Pawpaw |
| Carya glabra | Pignut Hickory |
| Carya laciniosa | Shellbark Hickory |
| Carya tomentosa | Mockernut Hickory |
| Celtis larvigata | Sugarberruy |
| Cercis canadensis | Redbud |
| Cladrastris kentukea | Yellowwood |
| Cornus florida | Eastern Dogwood |
| Diospyros virginiana | Persimmon |
| Fagus grandifolia | American Beech |
| Fraxinus americana | White Ash |
| Juniperus virginiana | Eastern Redcedar |
| Leriodendron tulipifera | Yellow Poplar |
| Liquidambar styraciflua | American Sweetgum |
| Morus rubra | Red Mulberry |
| Nyssa sylvatica | Black Gum |
| Oxydendrum arboreum | Sourwood |
| Populus deltoides | Eastern Cottonwood |
| Prunus serotina | Black Cherry |
| Quercus alba | White Oak |
| Quercus coccinea | Scarlet Oak |
| Quercus falcata | Southern Red Oak |
| Quercus montana | Chestnut Oak |
| Quercus rubra | Northern Red Oak |
| Quercus shumardii | Shumard Oak |
| Quercus stellata | Post Oak |
| Quercus velotina | Black Oak |
| Robinia pseudoacacia | Black Locust |
| Sassafras albidum | Sassafras |
| Ulmus alata | Winged Elm |
| Ulmus rubra | Slippery Elm |
| Vaccunium arboreum | Farkleberry |