Events

Since the parking lot at the hike site is small, we will meet at 1:30 pm in the parking lot of Five Guys in Bellevue (Belle Forest Shopping Center, 7026 Hwy 70 S, Nashville, TN 37221) and carpool from there.  This shopping center at the northeast corner of the intersection of Highway 70 S and Old Hickory Blvd directly across the street from a Kroger.

The name for this hike really should be serviceberry hike because 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 realm covered by a large diversity of trees in a small area. Its name is derived from a small cave with a small ‘cool house’ by the last farmer in the valley in the mid-19thcentury, to store milk and meat during the hot summers.  Three streams, one flowing from the cave, converge to a tributary of the Harpeth River watershed. These clean streams provide the basis for a rich lowland hardwood forest with a large number of huge trees. The cave is located on the base of a central incline that ascends dramatically up to a ridge, which extends for a mile towards the West Meade area. This ridge constitutes a remnant of the Highland Rim and as such, 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 large 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 canescensand 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.

 Trees in the Belle Forest Cave Property Arboretum

Scientific name
Commmon name
#

Asimina triloba
Pawpaw
1

Ulmus rubra
Slippery Elm
2

Cornus florida
Eastern Dogwood
3

Populus deltoides
Eastern Cottonwood
4

Fraxinus americana
White Ash
5

Fagus grandifolia
American Beech
6

Acer negundo
Boxelder
7

Morus rubra
Red Mulberry
8

Quercus rubra
Northern Red Oak
9

Platanus occidentalis
Sycamore
10

Liquidambar styraciflua
American Sweetgum
11

Robinia pseudoacacia
Black Locust
12

Liriodendron tulipifera
Yellow-Poplar
13

Juniperus virginiana
Eastern Redcedar
14

Quercus shumardii
Shumard Oak
15

Ulmus alata
Winged Elm
16

Sassafras albidum
Sassafras
18

Acer saccharum
Sugar Maple
19

Cladrastris kentukea
Yellowwood
20

Celtis laevigata
Sugarberry
21

Prunus serotina
Black Cherry
22

Cercis canadensis
Redbud
23

Carya laciniosa
Shellbark Hickory
24

Carya tomentosa
Mockernut Hickory
25

Diospyros virginiana
Persimmon
26

Carya glabra
Pignut Hickory
28

Quercus alba
White Oak
29

Quercus velutina
Black Oak
30

Quercus montana
Chestnut Oak
31

Quercus coccinea
Scarlet Oak
32

Vaccinium arboreum
Farkleberry
33

Nyssa sylvatica
Black Gum
34

Quercus stellata
Post Oak
35

Oxydendrum arboreum
Sourwood
36

Quercus falcata
Southern Red Oak
37

Amelanchier arborea
Servicebery
38