Look for these pods here on the forest floor. The old woods road to the left is not part of the main trail loop, and is not as easily walkable. But, it leads down to the Rancocas Creek, on the way passing through several interesting plant communities. American holly is abundant here, but scarce in many other places where it was equally common, as a result of habitat destruction and over-picking. Almost one tenth of North America's plant species are in danger of extinction from similar causes.
Many birds eat holly berries.
Sweet gum is a common tree along this trail. Its fruit is a spiny ball about an inch across, that is composed of many single-seeded woody capsules. Here at the Rancocas Nature Center these sweet gum fruits are a favorite fall and winter food of red squirrels, and piles of torn-apart 'gum balls' found along the trail mark red squirrel feeding places. The name of this tree derives from a sweet, sticky substance which exudes from injuries to its bark. Here, by this old trash dump, is a good place to stop and think about one human influence on the environment not just about unsightly litter, but about the dumping and disposal of larger quantities of waste.