A turkey vulture sits in tree at Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area in Owings Mills, MD on Sunday, September 19, 2010.
Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area is made up of 1,900 acres of serpentine barren. A serpentine barren area is commonly unfertile, filled with lots of stone, and sparsely vegetated. When talking about Soliders Delight, the term barren was used to describe it not because it lacked trees, but because it lacked timber.
The underline rock in the area called serpentinite, hence the name Serpentine, is also known for being used as a decorative stone and as a road material. In addition, the serpentine area of Soldiers Delight was once known for its chromium ore and was the largest producer of chrome in the world during the 1800’s.
Today, Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area has over 39 rare, threatened, or endangered plant species as well as rare insects, rocks and minerals. A variety of birds and other animals call Soldiers Delight home too including: turkey vultures, deer, hawks, turtles, foxes and more.
There area seven miles of trails for visitors to hike on and the area is open year round. Soldiers Delight is also home to an aviary and a nature center that offers multiple programs to the public throughout the year.
Information from The Maryland Department of Natural Resources website and The Maryland Geological Survey website was used to write this article.
Below you will see a series of photos of some of the vegetation, insects, and wildlife that can be found at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area.
More Photos:
Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area – Images by Anthony Washington
