October 27, 2024: Fly Away Woodies!

Autumn is fading fast and our last long stretch of summer-like weather is probably behind us.  Hunting season has begun with archery for deer now underway with firearms beginning on November 2nd (muzzleloaders only) and continuing through December 15th, so remember to wear bright colors when out in the woods.  Duck hunting season is in full swing as well and will continue until late December with a two-week break in November.  Why the break in the middle?  It's done to comply with federal hunting rules which allow only 60 days of waterfowl hunting.  Because some birds migrate early while others migrate later in the season, the break in the middle allows hunters to pursue all species through the season while satisfying the 60 day limit.  

Usually we're awakened on opening day at exactly 30 minutes before sunrise, but this year the first shots didn't ring out until Friday, two weeks into the season.  I expect they had good luck as there have been a lot of Wood Ducks on the lake this week.  Going past the boat launch later that morning I saw the hunters taking their boat of the a lake and thought about stopping to ask about their day, but decided I really didn't want to know - between the two hunters they could have legally taken twelve of our pretty woodies.

Wood ducks are pretty skittish this time of year, probably on high alert from being pursed for a couple of weeks as they make their way south through New England.  Detecting the slightest motion causes the whole flock to take flight.

Wood Ducks in Flight.

By first light Wood Ducks are on the move from their overnight spots and just a couple of hours later they are nowhere to be seen until evening comes. 

A flock of woodies at first light.

Wood ducks do molt into winter plumage called the "eclipse phase" but the birds I've seen this week still appear to have their breeding plumage.  As early risers, they get to enjoy salmon-colored sunrises on misty mornings.

Rising sun burns off the morning fog.

Foliage is well past peak in the Lakes Region now but there are still some pretty colors to be seen, especially in the beech and oaks when they're lit up with the warmer hues of autumn sunshine.  

There's a stray maple here and there that's lagging the others for some reason.

Many maple trees now have bare branches but earlier in the week there was still some nice color in the hills behind Wicwas.

Bare branches and morning rays.

The blueberries and huckleberries will be the among the last to hang on to bright red leaves.

As the leaves depart the trees, so do the boats on the lake, but like the trees there are a few hardy souls still hanging on to these last days of the season before they leave the lake.

A quiet boat trip on a late October evening.

Migrating birds are hopefully safely heading on their way as well.

 Fly away Woodies!

October 20, 2024: Philbrick-Cricenti Bog

It's been over a decade since I wrote about the Philbrick-Cricenti kettle hole bog in New London, and it's time for an update.  The bog is just as beautiful as ever, and recently the New London Conservation Commission upgraded much of the boardwalk so it's now even more accessible. 

A quick refresher on the bog's history:  It started as a lake over 15,000 years ago when the continental ice sheet deposited a huge chunk of ice that sunk into the earth and created a pond as it melted.  150 years ago it was still a pond that people fished in, but today the pond is completely covered by a floating peat bog.  As you walk across the bog you are suspended above the hidden lake by the floating mat of moss.  There's a pole beside the boardwalk that you can pull up and see that the water below your feet is over ten feet deep.

Bogs have a unique natural community of plants that can survive in the highly acidic and nutrient-poor conditions in a bog.  One of the most interesting - and beautiful - is the Pitcher Plant.

Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea)

Pitcher Plant is a carnivorous plant that attracts insects by sight and scent.  

Once an insect lands on its slippery cup it slides down past downward facing hairs into the bottom of the cup which contains water and the plant's digestive juices. 

Bye-bye bug.

I was also intrigued by these dead stalks sticking up out the bog.

I looked them up to identify them and found that they also are part of the Pitcher Plant - it's their seed pod.

A Pitcher Plant seed pod.

All that red throughout the bog is the thick layer of Sphagnum Moss that has formed over many years.  

Sphagnum Moss.

Some of it is grounded while much of it is floating on the pond.  Over time the moss will decay and eventually become peat.  

Sphagnum moss working its way towards peat.

Along the board walk we noticed a plant that looked like rosemary.

A rosemary lookalike.

Looking into this one I learned it's called Bog Rosemary though it's not related to the herb rosemary.  Bog Rosemary is in the heath family, and is in fact toxic, containing andromedotoxins which can cause breathing problems among other health issues.  

Plants in the heath-family are generally well suited to the acidic, low nutrient soils of bogs, and another heath plant abundant at the bog is Leatherleaf, which is also prevalent around Lake Wicwas.  Other plants found at both Wicwas and the Philbrick Bog include cranberry and blueberry.  Something Wicwas doesn't have is Tamarack which is a tree prevalent all around the Philbrick Bog.

Tamarack

Tamarack is considered a deciduous conifer, unusual in that it loses its needles in the fall which is why they are a nice yellow-green color right now.

Back at Lake Wicwas it's a quiet time of year.  We toured the lake yesterday on a gorgeous October day and saw no loons, herons, osprey, or eagles, just a dozen mallards enjoying a nice rest day on their trip south.  

It sure was a pretty day.

I hope you're able to enjoy this fine New England weather wherever you are!

October 13, 2024: Anthocyanin

It sounds scary, but anthocyanin is what produces the red and crimson foliage that makes New Hampshire famous this time of year.  

Red Maples are the red champions of the autumn nature show.

Yellow and orange colors in leaves are present year-round but are only revealed in the fall when the leaves stop producing the chlorophyll that conceals their underlying colors. 

Photosynthesis ceases at the leaf tips first and works back towards the stem.

Trees with red leaves, however, actually create the pigment anthocyanin as they shut down photosynthesis in the fall.  They don't do it for our viewing pleasure or to extend the tourist season, but rather because the chemical helps protect plants against cold temperatures.

Black gum are less prevalent than maples but have even deeper red color in their leaves.

They use some of the sugars created over the summer to form this compound.  Anthocyanin is produced by a wide variety of plants with red, blue, and purple coloring including blueberries, tomatoes, red cabbage, beets, grapes, corn, even sweet potato.  It's one of several chemicals in the flavonoid family which are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits to humans.

Indian Cucumber has only a splash of anthocyanin.  The berries aren't edible, but the tubers are.

The color of these plants varies because anthocyanin changes color with pH level:  it is red in acidic conditions, purple in neutral, and yellow in alkaline conditions.  The chemical is thus useful in measuring pH levels - remember pH strips in high school chemistry?  Wikipedia provides lots of information on anthocyanin if you're interesed in learning more.

Jack-in-the-pulpit berries must be quite acidic.

Sumac is another red star this time of year.

Blueberry bushes are known to love acidic soil, and their leaves also turn dark red in the fall.

These were at 2400' elevation on the ledges up to Black Mountiain.

Black Mountain State Forest is in Haverhill and Benton, NH, and though the foliage there seemed past peak that far north on Friday, it was still pretty.

Thank you TB for the recommendation - it was a great hike!  

Around the Lakes Region, the maples are still at peak color.  I'll end with a few sights from around Lake Wicwas.

It's not too lake to take it all in!

October 6, 2024: Wildife in Action

Fall is progressing, most evident by the cooler temperatures and changing leaves.

North from the White Mountain Ledge on a perfect October day.

Wildlife is noting the changes too and their behavior is seen in many ways.  For some time now the songbirds have greatly reduced their singing.  Some have already left the Lakes Region, and much of the sounds of those remaining are the raucous alert calls of birds grouping up to drive off something they sense as a threat.  Chick-a-dees and Blue Jays are loud examples of this.  Sometimes I can determine what they're concerned about - crows, raptors, or even my presence in their house - but other times I have no idea.  I never realized just how acrobatic crows are until I saw a mob of them fighting over nesting rights on the cell tower atop Eastman Hill yesterday.

There were at least ten crows circling and dive bombing here.  The nest is in the center.

The Red Squirrels also get annoyed as I walk a trail through their home.

"Who's in my forest?!"

Beavers have resumed their daily cruises across the lake as they prepare for winter by searching out material for their homes, food for their winter pantries, and marking their territories to dissuade other beavers from entering their claimed domain.  Beavers' actions on land aren't easily observed as they work under the safety of the dark of night, so when I saw a scent mound being formed on the shoreline I set up a camera to see if I could catch the action.  Sure enough, that night the landowners stopped by.  

A big beaver at a small scent mound.

First, at 2:20 in the morning one beaver came by to check on and freshen its scent mound.  

Rubbing scent from its musk glands on the mound.

Then later a pair of friendly beavers were there, with at least one of them having an evening snack.  The camera took video of both moments:

As an added bonus, I got some daytime pictures of Gray Squirrels at the shoreline, including a couple that appeared to be getting a little frisky one morning.

It appears our three banded loons are still on the lake, and one of them is starting to lose its bright summer plumage, another sign of the season.

Breeding plumage is fading fast.

This is our south male as shown by the bands visible in the last photo.

The north male is still here as well and has been seen a few times fishing with another loon.  He hasn't started to change his appearance much.

Still looking dapper in his formal suit.

He's quite accomplished in his fishing skills.

Down he goes.

On one dive he came up with a keeper, way too big to swallow underwater which loons do with most of the fish they catch.

Yes, he's going to swallow that whole.

This big sunfish had to be worn out before swallowing so he wouldn't have a large fish thrashing around in his gullet:

There's a lot of activity to be seen as wildlife - as well as we humans - prepare for the change in season, some moving south for the winter and those that stay put preparing to survive the New England winter.  Trees have to stay here; deciduous trees prepare by storing in their roots the energy their leaves generated all summer and then letting the leaves go.  That process gives us the great fall foliage which should be just about at peak for the upcoming holiday weekend.

Here's hoping for good leaf-peeping weather over the coming week!

A foggy sunrise on this fine Sunday morning.