July 5th, 2026: Alpine Bogs

Last week I paddled through a typical Lakes Region bog.  This week I discovered a less common type of bog, one high in the White Mountains.  One might not expect to find a wetland in exposed rocky terrain above timber line at 4000 to 5000 feet of elevation, but the poorly draining bedrock means that any depression that collects the frequent rain the mountains extract from the atmosphere has nowhere to go.  The result is alpine lakes (think Lonesome Lake or Lakes of the Clouds) and wet, muddy, alpine and subalpine bogs. 

Star Lake at 4900' on Mt. Adams in the Presidential Range.

Ledges and ravines also collect copious amounts of snow which lasts well into May.  Such locations are protected from late spring frosts, so can harbor plants that usually can't survive harsh alpine conditions.  Here are some of the plants our hiking group found along our traverse of the Franconia Range between Mt. Lafayette (5249') and Little Haystack ( 4780').

Mountain avens grows where deep snow collects in the mountains.

Mountain cranberry (or cowberry)

Three-toothed cinquefoil grows in subalpine bogs.

Alpine bilberry (or bog bilberry)

Labrador tea grows in many alpine habitats.

Bunchberry bloomed in the Lakes Region months ago.  It's one that survives in the alpine zone protected beneath late snowpack.

Wild raisin (or Possumhaw virburnum)

We had the good fortune to meet a Forest Ranger at the Greenleaf Hut and he hiked part way down the Old Bridle Path with us so I was able to get help with identifying some of these.  You may have heard the reports of the recent rescues of hikers on Franconia Ridge.  There have been so many rescues on the Falling Waters Trail that the Rangers have renamed it the "Falling Hikers Trail".  We hiked on Monday before the heat hit - it was a beautiful day on Franconia Ridge.

Our intrepid clan of seven hikers.

Back on Lake Wicwas, the water warmed dramatically from three days of temperatures in the 90s - our loons must be happy they weren't trying to incubate eggs this week!  Little Northern Pip continues to grow, being well fed and well protected by the parents.

One of the parents in search of fish.

Still, sometimes Pip is left all alone, being vulnerable to dangers of all kinds, from eagles to boat traffic.

The hot weather brought out lots of summer insects including, unfortunately, deerflies.  But most of our flying friends are much more enjoyable.

A dragonfly rests in the morning sun to dry off nighttime dew.

Whether you're paddling the bogs or standing on your dock, keep an eye for these ancient flying dragons that evolved over 200 million years ago and survived through even the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs.

A friendly dock sitter, a damselfly.

Finally, it's time to search out grandma's blueberry muffin recipe - it won't be long now!

Happy Fourth of July!

Center Harbor, after the concert.

June 28, 2026: A Floating Nursery Log

Before we look at the nursery log, here's the loon update.  All our hopes for fledging a chick this year may fall upon little Northern Pip and its parents' vigorous protection of it from all danger. 

Northern Pip, five days old.  Photo by Debby Crowley.

Which by all appearances, they are doing. 

Two parents and one chick means twice the attention.  Photo by Debby C.

The reason we have all our hopes on Pip is because the southern pair has abandoned its nest - and for no clear reason.  On Monday, Shayne D. noted that both adults were out on the lake away from the nest.  On Thursday, seeing the same situation, I took a look at the nest, and found a single egg. 

A lone, unattended egg in the southern nest.

On Friday afternoon, the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) gave the order to mark the egg and check it on Saturday.  Dave T. did that and found it had not been tended, so he collected it for analysis by the LPC.  We may not know the status of the egg until winter when things slow down enough for the LPC biologists to do forensics, but we may learn then why it was abandoned.  There's a chance the southern pair will attempt a second nest, but if not, we'll have to hope the big, strong male, and unknown female that make up the northern pair can keep Pip safe all summer long.

Our banded male, up close and personal.

Wicwas isn't the only Lake having loon challenges.  A pair using one of the floating nests that the LPC has a camera on is on their fourth egg, after three failures, each for a different reason.  Details were in the Laconia Daily Sun yesterday (see page 25).

Now the "nurse log".  You may have heard about nurse logs in the forest - large trees that fall to the ground and decay slowly over many years, providing a fertile bed for plants to grow.  Much of a forest floor is covered with a dense layer of leaves which can prevent germination, so these fallen trees can become filled with new life.  Well, on a paddle this week I came across an aquatic analog, an old log floating in the lake that's serving the same purpose, but for bog-centric flora.

Nurse log

Let's look at what's growing here.

The primary base plant is Sphagnum Moss, which covers much of the log and may provide a good place for other plants to take hold.

Sphagnum Moss

The tall, grass-like plant growing most profusely on the right is a sedge.  There are many varieties of sedge and I won't attempt to determine which this is.

Sedge

In the center is another tall plant, this one woody, which can grow quite tall and dominates much of the higher ground in the bogs around Lake Wicwas:  Leatherleaf.

Leatherleaf

Growing on the right side of the log, with a reddish-green color (which helps identity this species) is Bog St. John's Wort.

Bog St. John's Wort

One of the most interesting of our bog plants is the carnivorous Round-leaved Sundew, which is on the log in several places, but most visibly right in front of the St. John's Wort beside the bare spot on the log.

Round-leaved Sundew

When you find these on your paddles near a bog, look closely and you'll see fine hairs with a sticky drop of dew on each which catches small insects which the plant then digests.

Hardest to find on the log is the Purple Pitcher Plant, another carnivorous plant.  These are small, tubular stems growing right along the water's edge.  They'll be easier to spot in fall when they've grown larger.

A mature Pitcher Plant, fully grown in October.

Finally, the crown jewel of the log is the Rose Pogonia.

Rose Pogonia

This pretty member of the orchid family also grows on wet soil around water, and it's extremely abundant this year.  There are two growing on the log and another ten or so behind the log at the very top of the first photo of the full nursery.

These are some of the most common species seen in an exemplary acidic bog habitat in New Hampshire.  I will remind you that I have no formal training in botany, but am learning from books and often the internet (PlantNet ID is excellent), and I may not have all these right.  If you notice an error, please let me know!

In a few weeks, I hope to have a similar post on plants in the aquatic habitat, this time with expert assistance.  Wicwas' resident biologist, Russ Brummer, is leading a Weed-Watcher class on July 11th, and all are welcome to participate.  Below are the details in case you're interested in becoming a weed-watcher, or are just curious about the aquatic plants we have in our NH lakes.  Last year's class was interesting, and a lot of fun - you can see what we did on the July 13, 2025 post, "Weed School".

I hope to see you there!

June 21, 2026: We have Chicks!

We have our first loon chick of 2026, earlier than anticipated. Eagle-eye loon-watcher Amy saw it on the morning of June 17 with both adults tending to it, far away from the nest.  Which raised the question, was there a second egg?  With the three loons well away from the nest, Amy checked the nest and found an unattended egg just sitting there.  So we called the Loon Preservation Committee and they said the parents may return to it, but we should mark it and check again in 12 hours to see if it had been turned. If not, it would be an inviable egg.  So following the described procedures, I went to mark it.  When I got close, I could see it was damaged - there was a crack in the shell.

But then I thought I saw the crack move.  And then I heard a peep!

The crack was the chick inside starting to peck its way out!  I couldn't resist taking some pictures before I got out of there, hoping the parents would hear it calling and return.

When I checked again in early evening, one loon was back on sentry near the nest, and the other was on the nest, and the next morning - there were two chicks!

Riding on mom's back.

Two chicks safely tucked up under dad's strong wing.

So now the addictive draw of watching baby chicks being raised has begun. One parent dives constantly to find tiny minnows for the chicks. Sometimes it takes a bit for the small fluff balls to build up the confidence to swallow what must appear huge to them. But when they're hungry enough, they do it.

Mom takes a well deserved nap.

While dad quietly brings in dinner.

Junior takes over.

It's a big bite.

Going down.

And dad's already searching the next fish.

Unfortunately, the good news didn't last long. The very next night there was a lot of loud ruckus on the lake, and the next morning, only one chick was to be seen.  The pair has been fending off a rogue loon the past few days, and that may be culprit of the chick's demise.  It was hard to watch the adults floating in the lake for hours that morning, scanning the water and cooing gently in hopes of locating their lost chick.  Contrary to the tranquil appearance, being a loon is not an easy life.

We assume the surviving chick is the older, larger, stronger of the two.  The tradition on Wicwas is that a chick is named by the first person to see it.  Amy named our little one "Northern Pip".  

Meanwhile, the southern pair has taken up residence on their nest, and because it's in a more travelled part of the lake, signs have been placed to alert boaters.   Please encourage anyone you see too close to back off a bit.

Southern nest.  Photo by Dave Thorpe.

Earlier in the week I saw a different bird collecting food for its young chicks. 

A Tree Swallow with a beak full of damselflies.

There have been a lot of tree swallows zooming all over the lake this spring, feasting on the plentiful insect population that thrives near water.

On land, the mammals are raising their young as well.  I came across a doe that was nursing a tiny, tiny, fawn right along the edge of the road beside the Hamlin Town Forest.  I was on my bike and I stopped. Mom stared at me for a moment, then walked calmly off, dissolving into the forest. The fawn, confused, stood there for a second or two before wobbling off on its spindly little legs to find its mother.  A second four legged animal we're not quite sure we're happy about is a skunk family that has taken up residence behind the house. So far we haven't seen anything more than a few little black and white fur balls scurrying around in the trees as mom shoes them back into the den.

The skunk family residence in the rocky hill behind the house.

Soon enough they'll be out exploring their neighborhood, and though skunks are mostly nocturnal, juveniles will often sneak out during nap time when mom is sleeping.  Fortunately, young skunks don't develop the ability to spray for about three months, and by that time we hope they have learned to sleep whenever we might be out and about!

We'll be in loon overload for next couple of months, so I'll end with another of nature's summer light show.

The crescent moon was back to join Venus and Jupiter in the western sky.

June 14, 2026: Pollen Aplenty

Before we look at pollen, a disclaimer is in order:  When we get to the loon update, this post will get a little racy, so be warned. 

If you're in the Lakes Region, you know that the white pine trees released their copious load of pollen this week. 

Lakes were yellow, cars were yellow, even indoor surfaces near open windows were coated with a thin layer of yellow dust.  Pine marks the end of tree pollen season and the good news is that the large yellow particles, which are so visible, are too large for your immune system to interpret as a virus, so they don't trigger your immune system.  But they sure do make a gunky mess in the lake.

I mentioned on May 24th that Jupiter and Venus were visible in the western sky shortly after sunset.  Since then they have been on a course for a close encounter, with their closest alignment occurring on June 9th. 

Jupiter and Venus shine in the evening sky over Lake Wicwas

Venus is the brighter of the two, about seven times brighter than Jupiter.  The hot weather this week - it hit 93.4 degrees on Friday - made for pleasant nighttime sky-gazing.  The frogs and toads loved it too.  On the night of the conjunction, the Gray Tree Frogs celebrated the event by serenading me with musical accompaniment as I enjoyed the celestial light show. 

In daylight hours it was the Green Frogs that were providing the background music.

If you turn the volume up you'll hear some mosquitoes buzzing in addition to the frogs and the blue jays.

Last week I noted a painted turtle nest that had been raided for the eggs.  This week it was a snapping turtle nest.  

The consumed eggs of the nest (the hole on the left) were spread out on the ground.

This nest was very near where I saw the snapping turtle I mentioned last week laying eggs beside Chemung Rd.  There are a lot more eggs in a snapping turtle nest than in a painted turtle nest.

And snapper turtle eggs are rounder, whiter, and a little harder - not as leathery - as painted turtle eggs.

We didn't get up to Sugar Hill this year to see the lupines, but I'm guessing there's a good showing based on how many we have blooming in our yard.  The bumblebees been out doing their part to make sure there will be another good crop next year too.

A bumblebee comes in to add more pollen to the bundle on its leg.

Now to the loons. The northern pair is still tending their eggs, though sitting on the nest in 90 degree heat must be excruciating.  We can only hope they're able to keep the eggs from overheating.  As for the southern pair, Deb Crowley saw them starting to build a nest in the same spot they successfully fledged a chick in 2022. 

Photos by Deb Crowley

They got right down to the business of making a family after they started nest construction.  Guy Sanderson caught the southern pair in the act of copulation (this is where things get R-rated).

Video by Guy Sanderson

It may not be very graceful, but it appears to be effective! 

A female will develop and lay her first egg three to five days after successful fertilization, and a second egg, if laid, will follow one or two days later.  By Friday the pair was on the nest so we assume there's at least one egg present.  It was a little later start than typical due to the heavy rain, but at this point we're in good shape for two potential nests.  We'll keep an eye on things and provide an update next week.

On the way out this week, I'll note it also seems to an especially favorable year for the Larger Blue Flag.

Keep an eye out for these beautiful native lilies as you paddle around any lake in New Hampshire.