May 31, 2026: Challenged by Cherries

I've always been challenged by the various cherry trees we have in the Lakes Region, and this spring, with many blooming, once again I couldn't tell them apart.  So I decided to make a concerted effort to finally figure them out.  There seem to be four species that grow here, although I learned that one of them isn't actually a cherry tree, but a fruiting shrub, growing up to six feet high.  That's the one that's blooming widely all around the lake, the Black Chokeberry.

Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)

Black Chokeberry grows along the shores of lakes and wetlands, and also on field edges - I've seen them at 2000' elevation on the ledges of Mt. Roberts in the Ossipee Mountains.  Their flowers grow in clusters, as do their fruit.

Chokeberry is flowering now all around the Lakes Region

Chokeberry fruit in September.

The fruit stays on the plant into winter, providing a late winter food source for year-round fruit-eating birds like bluebirds and cedar waxwings.

There are two varieties of chokeberry that grow in New Hampshire, black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) and red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), but I'm pretty confident most of what I see is the black variety as they are a more northern species, growing as for north as Canada.  Also, the color of the fruit I've seen in the fall is a good indicator.  If you look inside a chokeberry fruit you'll find multiple seeds (like a fruit) rather than the single pit of a cherry.

Moving on to the true cherries (genus prunus), the grand champion is the Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) which can grow up to 80' tall and is highly valued by craftsmen for its beautiful wood.  It has blossoms and fruit that grow in racemes - a long, thin tubular shape. 

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

Black cherry was planted on many New England farms and you can find them at the Meredith Page Pond Town Forest near the Barnard Ridge Road trailhead.  There is a very large one in the old orchard being rejuvenated, as well as several smaller ones in the field.   

Common Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) has flower clusters similar to black cherry, but its leavers are wider and more rounded, and it's a smaller tree, growing only to 18' tall.

Common Chokecherry

Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica) is also a small tree, growing to about 20'.  Its flowers and fruit grow in clusters similar to Black Chokeberry.

Pin Cherry (Prunus pensylvanica)

The three prunus cherries are all considered pioneer species, as they quickly emerge in open areas following fire or logging (the chokeberry is not).  A great example of this is the stand of pin cherry trees that rapidly took over a clear cut abutting the Eames Conservation Area in the Hamlin-Eames Town Forest.  If you hike the White Trail where it runs along the boundary line you can see this stand just over the stone wall that is the boundary.

So, we have pin cherry, black cherry, common chokecherry, and black chokeberry.  No wonder I've been confused by cherries!

Black Cherry:

Habitat:  old fields and woodland edged
Height:  40'

Flowers:  5" long racemes 

Fruit:  1/2", dark red to black

Leaves:  5", elliptical, toothed

Pin Cherry:

Habitat:  clearings

Height:  20'

Flowers:  1/2" in clusters 

Fruit:  small, red

Leaves:  4", lanceolate

Common Chokecherry:

Habitat:  water edges, roadsides

Height:  18'

Flowers :  4" racemes

Fruit:  1/2" red to black

Leaves:  elliptical, finely toothed

Black Chokeberry (not a cherry):

Habitat:  water edges

Height:  12'

Flowers : 3" clusters 

Fruit:  1/4", black, in clusters

Leaves:  2", oval, finely toothed

This week found me near Squam Lake, hiking up Eagle Cliff  (where I found many black cherry trees!) and over to Red Hill.  It was a cool, sunny morning and the lake and mountains were beautiful.

Squam Lake from Eagle Cliff.

The hike along the ridge from the cliff to the Red Hill fire tower was a spring nature tour.  I heard 17 different birds, including a loon carrying all the way from the lake on that quiet morning.  Other treats included seeing a bright red Scarlet Tanager (which I often hear, but rarely can see high in the canopy) and hearing both Hermit and Wood Thrushes.  

The wildflowers were as captivating as the birds, and I even found a new flower I hadn't even heard of before:  Rock Harlequin.

Rock Harlequin  (Capnoides sempervirens)

It's a tall, spindly plant with pretty pink and yellow blossoms at the top.

The North Carolina State Extension states rock harlequin thrives on rocky cliffs, granite domes, and in rock crevasses with poor drainage.  They prefer acidic soils in climates with cold winters and cool summers. [Ref:  NC State Extension]  This is exactly where I found these; they were growing in a sunny spot right at Eagle Ledge, amidst a large patch of bluets.   

Bluets

Often when I see bluets they're more white than blue, but these flowers up high had a nice blue hue.

A few wild columbine were also blooming alnog the ridge trail.

Columbine

May and June spring hiking can be slow with all the nature to observe, so remember to bring along the bug spray when you're out.  It is also loon nesting season, and there is news on that front.  The Wicwas northern pair has selected a site and is now on the nest, hopefully with two eggs to incubate.  They chose the same site as 2024, which didn't work out for them - the nest was predated, after which they built a second nest in a different location.  Let's hope things go better this year.  The site is well hidden and well away from boating traffic, so no signs will be placed there.

Both members of the southern pair have now been confirmed by their bands (thanks DT!) and with only a single loon being seen in their territory now, it's likely they have a nest with eggs too.  If you happen to come across it on your travels, please let us know so we can take any precautions needed to protect it.  

Friday's 3" of rain raised the lake level by 6" even with the dam lowered in preparation.  Hopefully both pairs can defend their nests from the rising water.  Last year we fledged only one chick, Spangle.  We hope to increase that number in 2026!

Spangle, shortly before leaving the lake in early December 2025.

May 24, 2026: Woodland Flower Exhibition

It's the time of year when the elegance of woodland flowers, those ephemeral wonders of evolution, draw me into the forest each spring.  Last week the trilliums were blooming.  This week the Eastern Starflower, Fringed Polygala, and even an early Pink Lady's Slipper burst onto the scene.

A Lady's Slipper in a sunny spot makes an early appearance.

The lady's slipper is one of our more ancient woodland flowers, having evolved when the last dinosaurs roamed the earth some 70 million years ago.  They can be long-lived, up to 50 years, but are slow growers, requiring over a decade before they form their first flower.  The starflower and trillium are more recent arrivals.

Eastern Starflower

 

Painted Trillium

High above these small plants, the pale-green color of the forest canopy shows the deciduous trees are about to pull the shades on the forest floor, dimming the light that granted these flowers their chance to shine. 

Pale green leaves as chlorophyll starts to develop in them.

Maples are fast growers and already have leaves and even seeds well formed.

Red Maple with many "helicopter" seeds

The slower-developing oaks are farther behind.  But with long days and warm temperatures, they're coming on strong now, and are dumping copious amounts of pollen from their abundant flowers.

Those long dangling flowers are full of pollen to torment allergy sufferers

Perhaps you noticed the hummingbirds in last week's blog were all female ruby-throated hummingbirds which lack the ruby throat of the male.  This week, I saw both male and females at our feeder. 

Mr. Ruby comes in for a drink, landing gear deployed.

Here is Mrs. Ruby-throat, waiting patiently for her turn.

Mrs. Ruby - lacking a ruby throat.

I'll end today with nature's sky show from the week.  Venus has been bright in the western sky all week (and still is, along with Jupiter). 

Venus hugging the moon with Jupiter above to the left.

On Monday evening it was in close proximity to the crescent moon. 

Venus and Moon were alright that night.  (With apologies to Sir Paul McCartney.)

There was probably some astrological meaning there!

May 17, 2026: Busy Beavers

A beaver dam holds back the large pond in the Sherman Easement at Page Pond.

I was out with the trail crew on Tuesday morning doing winter clean up and spring brushing of the trails at Page Pond.  One team worked on the wetland loop, while I was on the team that patrolled the Brook Trail and the Beaver Pond Trail, the later of which is living up to its name.  Beaver activity is evident by cut trees and the well maintained dams.  (There are several dams visible from the trail, including a series of dams along the stream that drains the large beaver pond on the Sherman Easement).

For food, beavers prefer deciduous trees with nutritious bark and low tannins and noxious chemicals:  aspen, birch, maple.  They get less picky when food is in short supply, and they'll cut down almost any tree for use in dams and lodges.

I think this is an Eastern Hemlock

Their well constructed dams kept the pond full even with our dry spring (until later in the week).

Much of the right had side of the pond is a dam.

I would have been interested to see what the pond looked like after we received 2.75" of rain on Thursday.  The Beaver Pond Trail is especially beautiful in spring when many wild flowers bloom along the trail, and both purple and painted trillium are blooming right now.  The trail is most easily accessed from the Blueberry Hill Road Trailhead.

Painted Trillium

Lake Wicwas rose about 11" as a result of that storm, and low-lying areas of the shoreline are flooded.

+12" at the Wicwas Dam on Saturday.

On my check around the lake, I came across quite a bit of beaver activity on Wicwas too. 

These are also hemlocks.  The bark and cambium were removed from most of them; only the one on the far right was cut down and taken away.  Trees with bark removed all the way around will likely die.  If you'd like to learn more about beavers, here's a fun, two-minute video from NH Fish and Game that a friend sent me. (Thanks DM!)

Beaver aren't the only animal munching on trees.  Early in the week I saw that the Hobblebush Viburnum were starting to bloom.

Hobblebush Viburnum

These large flowers last a long time and transition through multiple stages of flowers and fruit.  However, all the flowers and most of the other buds and branch tips on the entire stand of hobblebush were soon cut off.  A few days later I found where they had gone.

A fresh pile of deer droppings near the viburnum.

Those hobblebush flowers have been processed into fertilizer to nourish the next generation of forest plants.  Deer right now are feasting on plentiful tender, new spring growth, especially does which will soon be giving birth to one or two fawns.  

Here's evidence of one more animal that feasts on trees, and not one we're fond of.

Emerald Ash Borer damage.

The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive species that has decimated the ash trees in North America.  The larvae bore under the bark and feed on the cambium just like the beaver, and once the tree is girdled, sap carrying water and nutrients can no longer pass from roots to leaves and vice versa.  You can see this tree is right beside the Yellow Trail in the Hamlin Town Forest; it was cut down after it died to keep the trail safe.

I'll end with a small bird report - a really small bird, the Ruby-throated Humming bird.  A couple of friends put up a hummingbird feeder with a camera built into it which automatically records both still shots and videos whenever a bird comes to the feeder and triggers the motion sensor. 

Photos by Pam Hunt.

Being within inches of the birds, the camera captures a lot of detail.

In the video below you can see how rapidly it cycles its tongue in and out, and how fast it breaths - about 4 breaths per second - by the way its abdomen vibrates while it's feeding.  Turn up the volume so you can hear it chirp when it first lands.

Here's a slow motion version where you can see its tongue, and get a glimpse of its wings which are flapping about 50 times per second.

This is a fun camera - thank you Pam and Bob for sharing!

P.S.  Remember that as lake temperatures rise, the concern of cyanobacteria rises as well.  The Lake Winnipesaukee Alliance is sponsoring an open event on June 17th at the Meredith Community Center for people to learn more about how to deal with this increasing threat to our lakes.  It runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm; you can learn more about the event and the cyanobacteria threat here.

May 10, 2026: Spring Multimedia Show

In addition to the spring warbler invasion that's serenading us with the joyous sounds of nature, we're now being treating to an influx of visual beauty as spring flowers erupt everywhere.  It's nature's live, multimedia show in full 360 degree non-virtual reality!  Last week the tiny Trailing Arbutus provided the trailer with the first blooms in the forest, and this week, the main event is on, starting with a large and showy shrub on display throughout the Lakes Region.

Serviceberry (aka Shadbush)

Serviceberry is widely spread around lake shores as well road sides, especially in damp damp soils.  The tree above is in Chemung State Forest along Chemung Road.  

In sunny spots, violets are blooming, both the Common Blue and the Sweet White.

Common Blue Violet

Sweet White Violet

A walk through the field at Page Pond Town Forest revealed Wild Strawberry joining the cast as well.

Wild Strawberry

High up on the summit of Belknap Mountain, a lone elderberry bush was just starting to come on stage to display its purple flowers.

Red Elderberry

I've had reports of Bluebead Lily flowering, but in the Belknap Range, they weren't quite far enough along, at least as of Thursday.

Bluebead Lily about to bloom.

They are probably in bloom by now, because this is a magical time in the New Hampshire forest.  The days are long - over 14 hours between sunrise and sunset - but leaves aren't yet on the trees, so for a very short period, direct sunlight shines down onto the forest floor.  The woodland flowers thus have a brief window after snowmelt to sprout, photosynthesize, and put out flowers, before the curtain closes and they are immersed in deep shade for the next five months.  

There was a surprising guest appearance on my hike in the Belknap Range:

Red Eft

I didn't expect to see an eft this early in the year, especially on a cool and partly cloudy morning at elevation.  It was resting on an exposed piece of granite which was being warmed when the sun shone down around the clouds.

The sound track to accompany this week's multimedia presentation was provided by Black and White Warblers, Ovenbirds, Black-throated Green Warblers, Bluebirds, Common Yellowthroat, and many more.  I heard nine species in the Belknap Range, and I participated in a bird walk sponsored by the Meredith Conservation Commission at Page Pond Town Forest yesterday, where, under the expert guidance of Dan Mullarkey and Kelly Hanson, we observed 20 different species.  My favorite was the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker which we heard several times.

A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker seen on yesterday's bird walk at Page Pond.

Back on Wicwas we had a huge flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers at the lake for several days, feeding on caterpillars on the trees.  

Yellow-rumped Warbler on a broken maple branch at Lake Wicwas

There are also dozens of Tree Swallows zooming all around the water picking off insects on the wing.  They are too fast for me to capture their acrobatics, but our pair of Eastern Phoebes gave me nice show right at the house. 

Spring is in full swing now, and there will be many more birds and blooms to look for in the coming weeks!

                                                     

  Happy Mother's Day!