October 11, 2026: Foliage and Fungi

New Hampshire's trees timed things perfectly to have peak foliage line up with the long holiday weekend, and it's a great display this year.  

The west Shore of Lake Wicwas yesterday.

Maple tree in Oakland Cemetery in full dress uniform.

I think we're just about at peak here in the Lakes Region which means leaf peepers have the whole state to enjoy:  early colors to the south, peak here at the lakes, and just past peak in mountains and northward.  This is the busiest travel weekend all year for the state and it may set an all-time record with 4 million visitors expected over the foliage season.

Red Maple leaves

Those who live right here in the middle of it all have the benefit of just looking out the window to partake in the experience.

And when we do venture out, the locals know the hidden, untraveled back roads that pass through secret scenery without the crowds.  We took the back roads up to the Quincy Bog in Rumney where there's a beautiful two mile gentle walk around the bog.  

Quincy Bog

Unfortunately, the day we were visited, there were very few migrating birds to be seen - just a few mallards, though probably well over 100 Canada Geese.

Fall color isn't limited to just the leaves.  Witch Hazel, perhaps the latest blooming of the trees and shrubs, is only now putting out its delicate and spindly yellow blossoms.

Witch Hazel

These won't bear seeds until next fall.  

Late berries lend color too.  

Possumhaw showing off its colors.

I'll stop now with the foliage because I'm overdue for a fungus review.  

A large Chicken of the Woods

I'm not a mushroom expert and can't identify most of them, but I'll name those I think I have right.  What I can say about fungi is that the part of a fungus we see - often called a mushroom - is just a tiny part of a huge organism.  

A variety of amanita

The vast majority of most fungi is hidden underground; the part we see is just a fruit it produces above ground to distribute its spores.  The underground part, called mycelium, connects with other plants in a symbiotic relationship, and is in fact essential to the existence of the majority of our land-based plants.  Without mushrooms there would be no trees and possibly no plants at all.

A recently emerged Amanita is not fully open.

The mycelium is an extensive underground network of threadlike strands that grow slowly and may live for hundreds of years.  The fungus grows around and into the roots of plants, bringing nutrients to them, and in return, the trees provide the fungus with sugars the tree produced via photosynthesis. This explains why a mushroom can suddenly materialize and grow so large in just a few hours - it has tremendous stored energy in its vast underground system which it sends to the fruit when triggered.

Here are a few more of the most interesting of the many fungi I noticed this fall.

Northern Tooth (Climacodon septentrionalis)

This is perhaps a tooth fungus growing on a tree.

Orange Jelly

Next is this diner-plate sized mushroom.

This last one is very interesting and requires more research.  I'm not going to even venture a guess - what do you think it should be called?

That's it for the fungus report.  Moving on to a less enjoyable topic now, you may have see the report about a loon killed by lead poisoning this summer in the Loon Preservation Committee September Newsletter.

This x-ray shows the lead sinker the loon had ingested. LPC Photo.

This male loon, banded on Paugus Bay in 2024, has an interesting history including spending time on Lake Wicwas in the summer of 2024.  The LPC article includes a photo of the loon on Wicwas which was taken on May 6, 2024 and reported in the May 12, 2024 Wicwas Nature Journal. 

The loon killed by lead this fall, as seen on Wicwas in 2024.

The history, which includes hatching two chicks on Pickerel Pond in 2025, is in the LPC newsletter.  To date, seven loons - that we know of - have been killed on New Hampshire Lakes due to lead poisoning.  Thankfully, the two loons remaining on Lake Wicwas appear to be strong and healthy.

Pip and mom are here and doing well!

October 4, 2026: Turtle Time

It's hatching time for turtles in New Hampshire.  Back in June I posted about a snapping turtle nest that had been excavated by a predator to get a high-protein meal of a couple dozen turtle eggs.  Snapping turtle eggs have an incubation period of about 80 to 100 days depending on environmental conditions, so come September, they are ready to hatch.  Most new hatchlings will find their way to the nearest water body and then dig into the bottom where they'll spend the winter hibernating safely below the frost zone.  Some may instead dig down in the dirt under a rotten stump or large fallen tree, but that's a little more risky in a climate as cold as we have in New Hampshire.  

This week a kind Samaritan discovered a tiny snapper hatchling when working on a wood pile in their yard. We don't know if it was just resting on its way to water or whether it was thinking it would try to make it through the winter there, but we agreed it would be better off in a lake or pond, so we helped it find its way into the lake.  But we first captured the cute little guy or gal for the record.

A recently hatched snapping turtle.

It's hard to believe this tiny creature will grow into a monster that can weigh 40 to 60 pounds.  

Whether this turtle hatched as a guy or a gal wasn't determined by its DNA when it was fertilized, but rather by the temperature inside the nest while it was incubating.  Snapping turtles don't have an X-Y chromosome determination like mammals, but rather develop their sex during incubation by the action of enzymes, which are accelerated by temperature, and that drive the quantity of estrogen in the developin

g egg. At nest temperatures below 73 degrees or above 81 degrees, mostly females will develop. [Ref: Embryonic temperature influences juvenile temperature choice and growth rate in snapping turtles Chelydra serpentina, O'Steen, 1994]   Temperatures between that range will produce mostly males.  But temperature may not be uniform across the nest, so a single nest may well result in hatchlings of both sexes.  

It will be several years before even an expert would be able to determine the six of this new turtle.

It's nice to know there are people (thank you Ursula!) that will to make the extra effort to take care of the smallest of nature's creations.

Last week's milk snake and this week's snapping turtle are examples of reptiles getting ready for winter.  I also found this nice plump toad that has fattened up on bugs and slugs all summer (toads are great to have in your yard) to be ready for a long winter nap. 

American Toad

Toads must dig down deep enough in loose soil to get completely below the frost line to survive winter.  Digging under brush piles is a common method because the brush pile provides extra insulation above the ground.  A brush pile, as well a a compost pile, is a valuable feature to have in every yard.  Under large fallen trees and boulders are prime locations for hibernation too.

On a hike north of the notches this week with four good hiking buddies (all four are in the picture below) we found that the foliage was just about at peak that far north, with leaves already starting to fall.

Four great hiking companions at the summit of Owl's Head.

Maple leaves blanket the Cherry Mountain Trail in a multi-colored carpet.

A stand of Yellow Birch and Sugar Maple on Mt. Martha.

At the summit of both Mt. Martha and Owl's Head, Mountain Ash was in full fruit mode with loads of a plump ripe berries.

American Mountain Ash

We wondered if these berries are edible.  According to Wikipedia, the parasorbic acid they contain is harmful to humans, but if they are cooked or frozen, the acid is reduced and they can be used for jams, syrup, chutney, and even wine.

There are mountain ash in the Lakes Region, with a large stand at the summit of Mt. Roberts in the Ossipee Range.  It's also looking like a good year for apples in the Lakes Region.

Apple tree along Chemung Rd.

And at Page Pond Town Forest.

I tried a few and they were pretty good.

Apples are appreciated by many animals including bear, fox, and deer.  Perhaps this buck walking down our road was heading towards those apples on Chemung Rd.

Foliage here in the Lakes Region is still developing, with only the maples near the lake showing strong color, but this should be the week for foliage viewing around Wicwas and the other lakes in the region.

I'll end this week with another reptile I came across just yesterday, this time a Ring-neck Snake sunning itself in the old log yard along the Yellow Trail at the Hamlin Town Forest.

Just one more animal - like the rest of us - savoring every last warm day here in October.

September 27, 2026: Misty September Morning

Now that we're past the autumnal equinox, shorter days mean sunrise occurs at a more agreeable hour to experience the wonders the dawn of a new day bestows upon us.

Mist rises from Wicwas shortly before 7:00am.

Water evaporating from the warm lake condenses into gently twisting sinuous veins of vapor, and soon, low rays from the rising sun penetrate the gloom, illuminating early foliage in low wetlands where cool air settles over night.

Chemung State Forest.

Dew collects heavily on spider webs, lending a season-appropriate, ghostly feel to the scene.

Hundreds of Bowl-and-doily Spider webs will go unnoticed an hour later when the dew evaporates.

Bowl and Doily Weaver spider webs collect the morning's dew.

An orb-weaver spun a classic haunted-house specimen of a web.

As the day warms and the light brightens, other autumnal gems emerge from the shadows.

Indian Cucumber

Canada Mayflower

Sometimes it's difficult to get myself out of the house before breakfast on a cool fall morning, but I'm always rewarded when I do.

Often these nascent misty mornings ripen into glorious September afternoons, which then draw me onto the water.  Dragonflies catch meals of late summer insects, turtles soak up the last warm rays of summer, and the aquatic foliage turns colors every bit as beautiful as the trees.

Amphibians and reptiles use these warm days to keep their body temperatures high enough to eke out a few more weeks before they search out a safe sanctuary for their long siesta through the coming winter.  Sometimes they seek out human assistance, as did this Milk Snake which tried to take up residence in a warm garage.

Milk Snake.  Photo by MT

I've never seen a milk snake - thanks for sharing!

It seems most loons have left the lake now, but both Pip and mom are still resident, and spending a lot of time fishing. 

Pip and mom provide a good comparison of juvenile and late-season mature plumage.

Pip is taking long dives, sometimes away from mom, but often in the same vicinity, and when mom comes up with a Pip-size meal she waits for Pip to surface to offer it up, which is always accepted.

Mom, waiting for Pip to surface to deliver a plump sunfish. 

Nature's equivalent of door dash.

At this point in the season, much of an adult loon's breeding plumage has faded.  Only a few of the distinctive rectangular white spots are still visible.

Mom is losing her summer finery.

Even when an adult's spots are gone, it won't be confused with a juvenile which can be recognized by the gray and white chevron pattern.

Pip is a fine looking young guy or gal at this point.

I've been noting a lot of interesting fungi this fall, too many to add to this post.  I'll hopefully have space for them next week.  I'll close this entry with a precursor to foliage season.

Lilly pads and Bur-reed in their fall colors.

The experts are forecasting excellent foliage this year so make your plans now - colors will be coming on strong north of the notches this week.