Tucker Frye- Ferns on the Noland

     Walking through the Noland Trail, there is a seemingly endless supply of nature. The only thing that reminds you that you are not in the wilderness is the gray pathway your feet follow and the occasional passerby. Colors swirl as if mixed in layers by a master painter. All around are different shades of brown that climb up into a sea of green. The pathway divides a floor of green that often extends above the ankle. Beneath the leaves clipping my legs is a soft ground of brown dirt, lush with life I cannot see. These are the most prominent and continuous colors that follow the gray pathway, but there are others that fill the forest with life. Flowers of many colors bloom in different positions. Some kiss our ankles while others poke at our heads. Beautiful whites, blues, pinks, and reds turn the ceiling of the forest into a light show.
     Among all these plants, there is one that seems to stand out to me. It is not the most exotic looking plant at first glance, but it is constant and I seem to notice it more and more. It's a fern. A green fern stares me in the face wherever I walk. The farther I walk, the more different they become. Ferns of different sizes and shapes litter the ground. The only thing that seems to connect them are the many jagged fingers that extend from the stem.
     Obviously there is something special about the fern if it appears so often on the Noland Trail. I did some research and found that there are about forty types of fern in Virginia. Of the forty different types, all forty are on the Noland Trail. In fact, the first thing you see when you first enter the trail is small stand of ferns. The different types of ferns were brought to Newport News park by George Mason, a hull designer who worked at the shipyards and was one of the original workers to help develop the park. Interestingly enough, Mason found that all but four species of Virginia fern already grew in Newport News park. He added the final four and called his collection complete.
     My first reaction to my research is "Wow how neat!" But after reflecting longer on the movement of the fern species I can't help but feel at odds with the man who so easily changed the natural habitat. Who is he to think that he can simply throw a bunch of ferns into an already established ecosystem? Then I began to think about what is the difference between a man putting seeds of a certain species into an area where that species had no previously existed, and the wind carrying the seeds or perhaps a bird dropping them off. The latter version is more natural right? A bird eats a seed from one place and then drops it off in a new area. Well, that is no different from George Mason's version. He did not pull out the genetics of one fern and mix it with another plant. George Mason took some seeds and planted them in a new area. Suddenly, this man-made forest has become much more natural again.