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The Gastonia Greenway
Avon Creek joins Catawba Creek in Gastonia, North Carolina

[lineberger park mile zero.]

The Gastonia Greenway begins at the southern edge of Lineberger Park, where a kiosk marks what should be mile zero of the Greenway. Avon Creek flows south under Garrison Boulevard in a double box culvert which also houses a pedestrian underpass which usually contains standing water.

[garrison blvd culvert.]

From its south side, the culvert under Garrison Blvd. is covered with kudzu. The Greenway now runs past Avon Creek to the west, and Fern Forest Drive to the east.

[glenn foundation bridge.]

The Greenway now crosses Avon Creek over the Carrie E. and Lena V. Glenn Foundation Bridge. (We're looking back northward over the bridge, into the parking area on Fern Forest Drive just off of Garrison Blvd.)

[orange jewelweed.]

Orange Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis, Balsaminaceae [touch-me-nots]) blooms around the bridge in late summer.

[chinese yam.]

Beyond the bridge the Greenway runs high above the steep bank of Avon Creek, among a variety of small deciduous trees. Various creepers climb into the trees, among them the strange invasive Chinese yam (Dioscorea oppositifolia, Dioscoreaceae). The convolvulus-like vines bear knots of small (1 to 3 cm) bulbils that break off in the fall, and grow new plants the following spring. (The Chinese yam flowers but does not produce seeds in North America.) The potato-like underground tuber is edible. In 2004 D. oppositifolia was present on the Greenway only in this small area.

[spicebush.]

Across the path from the creek, near a bench, sweetshrub (spicebush, Carolinia allspice; Calycanthus floridus Calycanthaceae) blooms the third week in April, filling the air around it with its spicy sweet scent.

[quarter mile marker.]

The quarter mile marker is on the east side of the Greenway, just south of the very short unnamed street that connects Fern Forest Drive with Union Road. Avon Creek is inconspicuously culverted under this short connecting street. The quarter mile marker is often obscured by brush in the late summer.

[kudzu flowers and pods.]

Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata; the name Pueraria thunbergiana, used on the signs on the Greenway, is probably a junior synonym) grows profusely in many places on the Greenway, where it is the most visible invasive plant. The largest growth is where Union Road veers off westward and the Greenway takes a plunge to nearly the level of Avon Creek. In late summer the kudzu here flowers abundantly from hanging stems. To some noses the flowers smell like grape soda, but I cannot smell kudzu flowers (or grape soda) at all. The flowers produce empty pods; I have never seen the large hard seeds though apparently some occur.

[summer grapes.]

Along here summer grapes (Vitis aestivalis, Vitaceae, grape family) festoon the trees. They're supposed to be edible, but they're usually too high up to reach. The early settlers made wine (or tried to) from these tiny grapes.

[halfmile marker.]

At the half mile marker there is a six-panel brown fence on the west side, and along the creek bank a green wire fence on the east side.

[tulip poplar flower.]

Tulip poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera, Magnoliaceae) drop their unearthly flowers onto the Greenway's pavement.

[redbud.]

Redbud, Judas tree, flowering Judas (Cercis canadensis, Fabaceae, bean family) blooms in mid April, with many small trees along the Greenway. The flowers and young seed pods are supposed to be edible, but don't try it on my say-so! It's called Judas tree because of the fancied resemblance of its bright red flowers to the drops of blood on the tree the traitorous apostle Judas hanged himself from, since it blooms around Easter time most years.

[three quarter mile marker.]

The three quarter mile marker is surrounded by Chinese lespedeza (Sericea lespedeza or Lespedeza cuneata - Fabaceae, bean family), an introduced ground cover plant that has become a minor invasive species. Above the marker is a roof that looks vaguely like the roof of a Pizza Hut.

[hen of the woods mushroom.]

Somewhere along here - and I ain't sayin' just where - a hen of the woods mushroom (Grifola frondosa) has fruited more than once from a rotting stump. I've eaten several pounds of it so far, chopped up and sauteed. Note its adornment with poison ivy and Virginia creeper.

[mile marker.]



The one mile marker is just beyond the telephone pole with the emergency call box on it. A short access road takes you out to Fern Forest Drive. Beyond the mile marker a clearing gives way to woods that surround Avon Creek, still on the east side of the Greenway.

[maple in early spring.]

Just before you get to the mile marker, the maples bloom and set their samaras profusely in the early spring.

[bridge where avon joins catawba creek.]

At perhaps the prettiest spot on the Greenway, a bridge crosses the place where Avon Creek on the east side of the Greenway flows into Catawba Creek, which comes in on the west side of the bridge. There is a small sandy island in the creek right at the confluence. Avon Creek deeply undercuts its bank as it joins Catawba Creek. The banks of both creeks are covered with a profusion of flowering plants and vines.

[one and a quarter mile marker.]

Cross the bridge, and wind through a wooded area. The one and a quarter mile marker will be on your left. Kudzu soon obscures it as the summer progresses.

[bridge for hudson avenue.]

The path goes on under Hudson Blvd, where it is often covered with sand that washes up from Catawba Creek when it floods. The path then crosses the creek again, and passes by a clearing with purple martin houses and some Boy Scout projects.

[one and a half mile marker.]

Soon you'll reach the one and a half mile marker, on your right.

[porcelain berries.]

Along here porcelain berries (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata Vitaceae, grape family) abound, with their spectacularly colored fruits that look like they were made of enameled metal. A native of China, Japan, and Korea, porcelain berry is an invasive species in our area.

[one and three quarter mile marker.]

Soon you'll reach the one and three quarters mile marker, on your right. A bench invites you to sit down.

[wisteria.]

Chinese wisteria marks what may be the site of an old house, festooning trees along the creek. Wisteria sinensis (Fabaceae, bean family), a serious invasive farther south, does not spread much beyond where it is planted in Gaston County. Its fragrant purple flowers appear in mid April.

[two mile marker.]

The two mile marker, easily seen on your right, is surrounded by a large stand of bamboo.

[bamboo shoot.]

Bamboo shoots appeared, growing right through the edge of the pavement, very suddenly on April 21st, 2005. Since I don't know the species of bamboo here, I wouldn't advise eating them without finding out, since some species of bamboo are poisonous.

[fallen cottonwood leaves.]

Not far beyond the two mile marker, in a bend in the road, is a large cottonwood tree that covers the walk with "cotton" in the spring, and with its early fallen leaves in late August.

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Posted to the Web February 2nd, 2005
Updated April 22nd, 2005