May 28, 2017

There were enough nice days this week to move the plants along nicely, but there was also plenty more rain.  The cool temperatures and abundance of water is benefiting  not only the duration of the flower's blossoms, but also the production of the fruit producing trees - the blueberries, apples and cherries are looking like they'll have banner years.

Black Cherries are looking - and smelling - wonderful

These plants will, with a decent summer, produce a large crop of fruit to nourish many animals through the fall and winter, both the direct consumers, and those farther up the food chain.  It should bode well for the foxes, bobcats, owls, hawks - the entire forest community.

All of the plants are taking advantage of the good spring growing season; conifers, which will form their seeds later in the year, are now pushing out their "candles", one of which will grow upward to continue the trunk and the others will fold down to become this years branches.

Each year a white pine will grow its trunk upwards anywhere from a couple of inches to a couple of feet depending on the available sunlight and nutrients.  Did you know you can accurately determine the age of a young white pine by counting the number of branch whorls on the trunk?  Each whorl represents one year of growth.

A four year old white pine, starting its fifth year's growth

A 12 year old pine (the bottom-most whorl is hard to see)

This technique works until the lower branches die and fall off, usually in the 20 to 30 year time frame and can often be used to determine the last time a particular forest was timbered.  You can also determine the time-span since an unusual growth year to guess what might have happened, for example, low growth in a very dry summer, or a growth spurt if surrounding trees were removed.

Back to flowers, the Lakes Region is in that narrow window where both late Trillium and early Lady Slippers are blooming.

Pink Lady's Slipper in the Hamlin Conservation Area

Painter Trillium along the shore of Lake Wicwas

This week I found a trillium that was just starting to push out its blossom, something I had never seen before.  I had always assumed they grew a stalk above the leaves with a bud that then bloomed, but this indicates that the blossom actually forms right within those three leaves that give this plant its name.

A trillium blossom emerging from within its trio of leaves

Hopefully you were able to find some this weekend - if not, there's one more day!

The rain and cool temperatures have also been supportive of bumper black fly and mosquito crops - not quite as welcome as the flowers.  At least we can hide indoors or use bug spray to protect ourselves.  Pity the poor animals that don't have these relief methods.  The loons in particular suffer, as they must sit on their nest incubating eggs for hours at a time, stationary, at the mercy of these blood sucking tormentors.

Loon on artificial nest at Pleasant Lake.  Photo by Kittie Wilson

As far as we can tell, the loons on Wicwas haven't nested yet, but they seem to have quieted down a bit - maybe they have settled their territorial disputes and will nest soon.  Other loons in the state have nested but here on Wicwas, with all the rain, their preferred nesting sites are still under water so they may be waiting for the lake to drop.  Or maybe they're just smart enough to wait until peak bug season has passed!

The Canada Geese, having arrived when the ice was still on the lake, are much farther along;  their nests were completed weeks ago and now they are out sailing the lake with their new little fluff balls.

This picture is from last year - I've only seen a two-chick family so far this year

Remember the hobblebush flower I posted on May 14th?

Well, I had forgotten that it hadn't completed its blossom until I saw them again last week.  Each of those little balls in the center of the flower have now turned into its own tiny flower.

Hobblebush in full bloom, basked in the glow of the sunrise

More pretty flowers which, with the sun's love, will eventually turn into food for all the neighborhood creatures to consume.

On this Memorial Day, let's remember all who gave their lives so we can enjoy the life we so often take for granted.

A veteran's grave at Oakland Cemetery

May 14, 2017

Happy Mother's Day!

The world is unfurling around the lake just in time for Mother's Day, even if today wasn't very pretty. But the hills are turning green and whether you look high or low, buds are reaching out to find the sun.

The hills are alive with green

High above, trees are forming new leaves to gather in the sun's increasing energy.

Red Maple

Paper Birch

  And down at your feet ferns are unfurling fronds to do the same.

A Bracken Fern emerges

The warm weather this week brought out the black flies in force.  "Something Wild" did a story on the importance of black flies - you can listen to it here.  It doesn't make them any more tolerable, but at least it shows that we live in a healthy environment, and without them we wouldn't have the cheery sound of warblers and thrushes singing in springtime.

I saw this pretty Common Yellowthroat hopping around the bushes along the shore of the lake this week.

Common Yellowthroat (Geothylpis trichas)

I took the following picture two years ago, but I think of it whenever I get annoyed by black flies circling around my head - proof that something really does appreciate those little black tormentors.

A Yellow-rumped warbler reduces the count by one

Another of our distinguished summer residents has returned to New Hampshire:  the Osprey.  I saw my first of the season as it sped across the lake early one morning.

First Oprey sighting of the year

Only after I looked at the picture did I see that it was on a mission to avoid the eagles and find a safe spot to enjoy its breakfast after a successful morning fishing excursion.

Breakfast via air mail

The much larger Bald Eagle would be happy to steal a fish from a hard working osprey.

As larger species are putting out leaves, the smaller flowering trees continue to regale us with their spring display.

Hobblebush viburnum keeping things pretty

I'm looking forward to the lilac blooming, which will be our next performer, adorning the countryside with both color and aroma!

May 1, 2016

I guess am going to witness the entire transition to spring after being away for a couple of weeks.  To make sure I get the full effect, mother nature provided one more taste of winter, painting the world white and covering the budding trees with ice.

A touch of snow on April 27

The black cherry received a good coating of ice.

Cherry Buds encased in ice

I will watch these buds for the next couple of weeks to see how they develop.  I'm guessing they have evolved to be able to survive a late spring freeze and still produce fruit, unlike the more fragile cultivated varieties of fruit trees, but we'll see.... 

It didn't take long for the snow to disappear as soon as as the sun came out.

7:00 am and melting quickly

I did some boundary monitoring in the Eames Conservation area and was treated to some beautiful blue spring skies.

Views in the woods are still expansive with no leaves on the trees, but the black flies have come out.  They don't last long, but the mosquitoes will follow shortly.

I also saw signs that moose have been in the area.

Moose droppings among the dry oak leaves

The blueberry bushes have started to bud, rendering the first of many teases of the long awaited treat of fresh blueberries this summer.

Warmer spring temperatures have roused the very first of the wildflowers, the Trailing Arbutus. 

These tiny fragrant flowers grow only about one inch above the forest floor

It is just the start of a captivating season on the lake, pretty enough to make it worth the torment of black flies and mosquitoes to witness the artistry of nature.