MOUNDS STATE PARK, IN

As an anthropology student in the early ‘70s I learned about the moundbuilding native Americans of the southern and central U.S. So I was eager to have the chance to see some of the best examples of these massive constructions by the Adena and, later, Hopewell cultures. The mounds here date from about 160 B.C.E., and were, we think, used for ceremonies, celebrations, and observances of the solar and celestial year.

Consider that, before they could even begin building, they had to clear the entire area of trees and brush, and that they dug four- or six-foot deep ditches with digging sticks, loaded all the dirt into baskets and piled it onto encircling mounds, you get a real sense of the impressiveness of these constructions. Some of the large ones are hundreds of yards across. Unfortunately, while they are indeed impressive, time has softened the outlines of these earthwork circles, making them hard to photograph.

A portion of the Circle Mound. Most, like this one, consisted of a central flat area, surrounded by a ditch and outer raised walls.

Easier to envision in illustrations, like this of the Great Mound and adjacent structures:

The park also has several miles of well-marked hiking trails, some of which run along the White River (which is brown):

Moe and I enjoyed the trails yesterday, as the skies were cloudy and the weather a bit cooler. As in Ohio, there were plenty of fungi to be found:

Beautiful Turkey Tails! (Trametes versicolor)
Hemitrichia sp. (young Sporangia)—brilliant red-orange, and only a few mm wide.
Clavaria sp., possibly vermicularis.
Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)—a beautiful specimen nearly 16” in diameter
Phlebia tremellosa, I think. Check out the cool pinkish undersides in the next pic!
Phlebia tremellosa, showing the pink underside.
Fuzzy-wuzzy slime mold!
Def. a jelly fungus. Poss. Tremella foliacea (leafy jelly fungus), but more likely Auricularia auricula (ear fungus or maybe Tremiscus hellveloides (apricot jelly fungus)
Rhodotus palmatus, with its distinctive raised, pale network on the cap. Rare!—yay me!
Rhodotus palmatus stem and gills

It rained overnight and this morning, which led to some post-breakfast napping, but the sun (and the heat and humidity) was out by noon, so we took a short hike before returning for lunch.

Meanwhile, Russ texted me from Lewisburg, OH, where he was resting under a covered bridge because his “neck hurt so bad I can’t hold my head up” and he was dizzy and short of breath. I suggested he get medical help, which led him to downplay his symptoms, which led me to yell at him in text….

He promises to call me back soon to let me know how he’s doing.

[Update: apparently, he did see reason and called EMS. What did they say?, I asked. “For some reason, my heart rate is elevated,” he says. He refused to go to a hospital because he would have had to leave his bicycle and all his possessions. 🤦‍♂️ He doesn’t think he can make the nearest motel, which is 12 miles away, so he’s going to call someone in the town offices or police to see if he could stay in the park he’s currently in. I promised I would stay by my phone.]