Sierra Club Outing

July, 2025
by Laurie Sax, Class of Fall 2024

What would it be like if you had several hours to have an in-depth conversation about conservation while enjoying in nature? I got to find out when I led my first group hike with the Sierra Club this past May.

Laurie Sax leading a guided hike with Sierra Club at Hawn State Park

In preparation for my first group hike as a leader, I thought about all of the guided hikes I’ve been on over the years. My favorite guide was a woman named Whitney, who seemed to have a fun fact about everything she saw on the trail. The Missouri Master Naturalists trained me to be that guide for someone else, so I jumped at the opportunity when Sierra Club reached out looking for Outings Leaders. I attended the training and got to planning my first hike right away. I knew I wanted it to be in Hawn State Park.

Whispering Pines Trail at Hawn State Park

The first weekend in May, I planned a 4-mile route on the Whispering Pines Trail in Hawn, which is just over an hour south of Saint Louis city. To prepare for the group hike, I went out alone to hike the route the day before. On the pre-hike, I collected a list and pictures of the species of wildflowers, shrubs, and trees that were in the park. I did this for two reasons: one, so I had a plan for current trail conditions and points of interest along the route, and two, so I could upload the observations to iNaturalist which helps scientists studying these plants. I was delighted to find so many blooming wildflowers on our route! In all, I identified 26 wildflowers (a good amount, but not all, were flowering), three grasses, one fern, and five trees. (I copied the full species list at the end of this article.)

On the day of the group hike, I woke to a perfect 60 degree sunny spring day. I was excited for everyone to see my favorite part of the park where the trail meanders through a seemingly endless forest of shortleaf pine trees, towering over the trail on both sides. I was careful to not say any spoilers, though - I wanted to see what my fellow hikers noticed on their own about their surroundings. That’s what made the experience very special for me. We talked about the flowering plants, the summer tanager singing in the trees, the soil, prescribed burns, and of course - the pine trees. At the end of our hike, we were greeted with a field of azaleas blooming along the cliffside. It was a naturalist’s dream.
I hope my fellow hikers learned something and left with a deeper appreciation for the area than when they arrived. I’m looking forward to hosting many more group hikes in the future.

Species List:

American Hophornbeam *ostrya virginiana*
Common Pawpaw *asimina triloba*
White oak *quercus alba*
Sassafras *sassafras albidum*
American Alumroot *heuchera americana*
Bastard Toadflax *comandra umbellata*
Bird’s Foot Violet *viola pedata*
Black Raspberry *rubus occidentalis*
Clasping Venus’s Looking Glass *triodanis perfoliata*
Common Cinquefoil *potentilla simplex*
Common Dewberry *rubus flagellaris*
Cutleaf Toothwort *cardamine concatenata*
Early Azalea *rhododendron prinophyllum*
Early Lowbush Blueberry *vaccinium pallidum*
Eastern Beebalm *monarda bradburiana*
Fire Pink *silene virginica*
Flowering Spurge *euphorbia corollata*
Four-leaved Milkweed *asclepias quadrifolia*
Long-leaved Bluets *houstonia longifolia*
Low St. John’s Wort *hypericum stragulum*
Mayapple *podophyllum peltatum*
Pale Beardtongue *penstemon pallidus*
Rue Anemone *thalictrum thalictroides*
Soft Thistle *cirsium carolinianum*
Spreading Dogbane *apocynum androsaemifolium*
Three-lobed Violet *viola palmata*
Two-flower Dwarf Dandelion *krigia biflora*
Violet Woodsorrel *oxalis violacea*
Virginia Creeper *parthenocissus quinquefolia*
Wild Comfrey *andersonglossum virginiuanum*
Christmas Fern *polystichum acrostichiodes*
Inland Wood Oats *chasmanthium latifolium*
Silky Oat-Grass *danthonia sericea*

Nature Observations

Great Rivers Chapter MMN Annual Picnic at Little Creek