September 28, 2025: A Goldfinch Buffet

Large numbers of American Goldfinch have been feasting on the wildflower buffet provided by our hot, dry summer, and Linda's patch of Woodland Sunflowers is a popular dining spot now that the daisies and black-eyed Susans have closed up shop for the summer.

An American Goldfinch dines in the sunflower department.

Goldfinch are so light (they weigh about half an ounce) they can flit from blossom to blossom, perching on the top of each stem to rip out seeds for as long as they like.  

Did you see the bumblebee sharing the flower patch?  Here's an interesting fact about goldfinches:  They are strict vegetarians, consuming animals (insects) only by accident.  And for this reason, when a Brown-headed Cowbird lays an egg in a goldfinch nest for the goldfinch pair to raise, it inevitably dies because it can't survive on a diet consisting of purely seeds.  [Ref: Cornell Lab of Ornithology]

Several varieties of asters have taken over the open fields from the Black-eyed Susans as the predominant flower, and the goldfinches enjoy these as well.  I think asters must thrive in dry hot weather because they're so abundant and healthy.  I found these Savory-leaf Asters a couple of weeks ago, but they are still blooming, even without much rain.

Savory-leaf Aster (Ionactis linariifolia)

Without much rain until Thursday that is, when the Lake Wicwas weather station recorded 3.5" of much needed precipitation.  

That was a good start to addressing the rain deficit present throughout all of New Hampshire.

The goldenrod doesn't seem quite as prolific as some years but it still dominates many fields.  I found a monarch partaking in the nectar on this goldenrod plant.

I also learned of a new flower, easily overlooked as it's not very flamboyant.  I had probably assumed it's a goldenrod plant that hasn't turned yellow, but in fact it's a related plant called Silverrod.

Silverrod (Solidago bicolor) also known as White Goldenrod.

Both silverrod and goldenrod are also in the Asteraceae (aster) family.  Yet another variety of aster was growing on the ledges of Mount Cardigan and Firescrew:

Mountain Aster (Oclemena acuminata)

Also at an elevation of 3100' on Cardigan were quite a few Mountain Ash trees.

America Mountain Ash (Sorbus americana)

This reminded me of a stand of Mountain Ash on Mt. Roberts.  Look for them if you hike Mt Roberts at this time of year.  

There are at least two varieties of Tussock Moth caterpillars feeding on deciduous trees right now.  I've seen Hickory Tussock and Spotted Tussock caterpillars so far.

Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar

Spotted Tussock Moth caterpillar on a birch leaf.

Keep your eye out for these on your walks.  They are pretty, but not good to touch as their long hairs have toxic chemicals that can cause a skin rash.

Now an update the loons.  Through I didn't Spangle this week, others have, and Eric Smith sent me some great pictures of her that he took last week.

Photos by Eric Smith

As large as she is now, she's still happy to have mom or dad bring her food.  

Amy Wilson also took some great pictures of Spangle swallowing a large sunfish that one of her parents caught for her.  You can see those pictures here.  

It appears only one parent is present, so it's possible the male has moved on the to ocean for the winter.  Thank you Jeff and Amy for sharing these great photos!  

A few people have asked about Spangle's younger brother, Star.  He disappeared around August 15th, at a time when there were rogue loons on the lake, sometimes as many as four at once.  We'll never know, but it's possible that Star was killed by one of these rogues.

Lastly, fall foliage season has begun.  I think the Lakes Region and north will be past peak by Columbus Day, so do your leaf-peeping early this year!

July 2, 2023: Dating Dragons

A few weeks ago I mentioned that dragonflies and damselflies have some interesting mating techniques, and with lots of these mythical creatures now emerging from the depths, July is a good time to observe them in action. 

A male (blue) and female (tan) bluet damselfly in their mating configuration.

As I mentioned previously (May 28, 2023) dragonflies and damselflies are considered aquatic animals because they spend most of their lives as nymphs living in the water.  After a number of months - or even years - they emerge from the water and transform into the flying creatures we usually see.  They climb up out of the lake on plants and docks where they extricate themselves from their final aquatic shell as almost-flying creatures.  

A newly hatched damselfly next to a shed larva shell.

Before they can fly they need to bake in the sun while they pump up and dry out their wings.  You may find their old exoskeletons left behind with a small hole in the top where they climbed out,

Here I could see the hole through which it escaped its juvenile prison.  It's rather amazing that the adult was packed into that small skin, let alone being able slide out its fragile legs.

Out in a marsh, this next dragonfly climbed up a reed, escaped from its skin, then climbed up another inch to dry itself in the sun, hoping it could become airborne before it was gobbled up by a predator:

A freshly metamorphosed dragonfly and its exoskelteon.

After emerging, the adult dragonfly's (and damselfly's) primary mission is to find a mate and reproduce. This is where it gets really interesting. The male and female dragonfly have their reproductive organs on opposite ends of their body which results in a heart-shaped mating position, with the female holding onto the male while it deposits sperm from near its thorax into the female's receptacle near its tail. 

The male is blue, the female green.

The process takes a few minutes so you often see Odonata (the order that includes dragonflies and damselflies) flying in their mating position.  As in many species, the female is the one that selects a mate.  Males will demonstrate their acrobatic abilities, and the female will select one of her choosing.  After mating, the female will do its best to avoid any other interested males, going so far as to fall to the ground and play dead in some species when approached by another male.  The reason for this is that male dragonflies have the ability to remove any existing sperm in a female before depositing its own.  This would mean the female's chosen mate's genes would be eliminated from her offspring.

After mating, the female will place the fertilized eggs either on a plant or directly into the water.  Perhaps you've seen a dragonfly in a touch-and-go flight pattern, dropping down to touch the surface of the lake and then taking off again.  Each time it touches the water it is depositing one egg in the lake from the end of its body.  Thus a new cycle begins, as the egg will hatch into a new dragonfly larva, consuming microscopic organisms as it grows though multiple molts as a larva.  Different species of  Odanata (there are over 7000 species) have differences in their anatomy and behavior, but most of them have similar traits.

Lakes, streams, wetlands - they truly are the fountain of life.  This week I was up in the mountains, hiking on Mt. Cardigan and Firescrew.  There on the open ledges of Firescrew is a small alpine lake.

An alpine lake on the Firescrew ledges.

As we approached the lake my hiking partner heard something familiar, and we had to stop and listen to believe what what were hearing.  There was no doubt; here, in the alpine zone, at an elevation over 3000 feet, was a frog.  We didn't leave the trail in this fragile habitat to look for it, but it sounded like a green frog.

I've always seen green frogs near the lakes, where this one was hunting for insects.

I never expected to find a frog in this adverse environment.  Then, my hiking companion posed the astute question "how did it get here?"  There are streams nearby, but none that flowed out of this isolated pond in a depression in the granite.  I suppose frogs migrate up streams, and in a dry summer, when a stream dries up, they may go in search of the water a frog needs to survive.  

There's always some new wonder to discover in nature.

We also saw quite a few pretty alpine flowers on the hike, including three-toothed cinquefoil:

Three-toothed cinquefoil on the high Firescrew ledges.

By the way, Firescrew supposedly got its name from the smoke of a wildfire on the mountain that was twisted up into the sky by swirling winds into a large vertical corkscrew shape. 

On our hike, it was smoke from wildfires in Canada that made for the hazy sky, but it was a great hike with my sister - thanks for the adventure!

The summit of Mt. Cardigan from Firescrew.

Back at Lake Wicwas all is well with the loons.  LuLu and Checkers have been protected from all threats and are doing well, and the second pair is still tending to their eggs on the nest in Harris Cove.  They should be hatching about one week from now.  

I hope you have a great Fourth of July, enjoying some fireworks, whether man-made or nature-made!

Orange hawkweed, Nature's fireworks.

Happy Fourth of July!  

January 31, 2021: Windy Winter Days

Old mother west wind, to borrow a phrase from Thornton Burgess, sure was busy this week.  Not only did she usher in some real cold, but she swept almost the entire surface of Lake Wicwas clear of the recent snow.

Ready for skating again.

The snow could be seen blowing through the air, swirling into snow-tornadoes rushing down the lake before being dumped on windward shores where the trees ended their journey.  There were parts of the lake that didn't want to release its snow, hanging on to it in variously shaped islands with sculpted cliffs, a miniature version of the geological facies found in southwest regions like Moab and Bryce Canyon.

On one of those windy days I came across a set of tracks in the piled up snow near shore that I wouldn't have identified if I hadn't seen the culprit in action.

Who left these?

I could have spent hours searching through tracking books and not identified them.  I'll share a few more pictures before I reveal the perpetrator in case you want to figure it out.

Hint:  Remember it was a windy day, and it was close to shore.

So here's the answer:

That old mother west wind was having a good time tossing a white pine cone around the lake.

I have a recollection of seeing a mark similar to this in the past, but wasn't sure what caused it; having seen proof now I hope the memory will stick for future observations.  

With the cold and the wind I didn't observe much animal activity out there, and whatever tracks they made were quickly filled in with blowing snow.  But I did come across this tiny set of mouse tracks in a sheltered spot.

A mouse travelling back and forth between hidey-holes in the snow.

The strong wind also did some work on the ice hanging off the eaves where snow had frozen and slid slowly out to hang in the breeze.  

More wind sculptures.

I was fortunate enough to pick the calmest day of the week to ski up Mt. Cardigan, and though it was perfectly calm on the summit, proof of the wind was visible in the wind-scoured rocks and rime ice formations.

With the cold weather, Meredith Bay is also finally iced-over, getting prepared for the Pond Hockey Tournament next weekend.

A cold day on Meredith Bay, with the Belknap Range in the background.

The coldest days in winter do tend to be the prettiest!

February 5, 2017

There is so much do in the Lakes Region in the winter, I don't even know where to begin.  Let's start with the headline New Hampshire winter activity, downhill skiing.  There are two great ski areas right here, Gunstock and Ragged;  we had a perfect day at Ragged with great snow and beautiful views of the Presidential and Franconia ranges all day long.

Upper Ridge at Ragged

That night a couple of inches of new snow fell, just enough to freshen up the lake and provide smooth, effortless cross country skiing.  The clouds were clearing and the lake was beautiful.

Classic New England

Sheep and Bryant Islands decorated for winter

Crockett's Ledge is more exposed in winter

More Classic New England

The snow had just stopped falling so there were no animal tracks to be seen, but I did find this strange groove in the snow. 

Animal track or ice crack?

I can't tell if it's an old animal path or just a wiggly crack in the ice - any ideas?

The next day, it was back west to Cardigan Mountain State Park to hike Mt. Cardigan.  At 3516 feet it's not particularly tall, but its lone exposure and bald summit lend an air of a much higher peak.  All was calm hiking up the east side of the mountain, but once on the ridge, the west wind made itself known, and it was definitely winter. 

Mt. Cardigan, near the summit

A little frosty at the summit

Looking back at Ragged Ski Area from Cardigan

Cardigan is a great way to experience the high mountains with a reasonable hike of five miles.

The following day it was off to the seacoast and Rye Harbor State Park with friends to look for the snowy owl.  We didn't find it.  But we did see a loon diving in the harbor. 

Could this be our loon plying the waters of Rye Harbor?  (Photo by PC Chao)

It's fun to think that this could be one of our loons, spending its winter vacation here on the New Hampshire coast.

On the way back we stopped to watch the planes landing on the country's only FAA approved ice runway on Alton Bay.

The Alton Runway on Winnipesaukee

Saturday was busy with the New England Pond Hockey Classic on Meredith Bay and the Tamworth Ice Harvest and Winter Festival at the Remick Museum in Tamworth. 

Hockey on Meredith Bay

Harvesting ice in Tamworth

The Model T snowmobile club provided free rides under the supervision of Mt. Chocorua

You can see more from Tamworth here.

Skiing, skating, hiking, wildlife, State Parks, and up next... the fishing derby.  Don't let anyone tell you there's nothing to do in winter!

P.S.  You may have seen that the Lake Wicwas Association is sponsoring a guided snowshoe tour in the Hamlin Conservation Area on February 25th.  If you didn't get the notice, send an email to Webmaster@LakeWicwas.org and they will send you the details and put you on the email distribution for future notifications.

Go Pats!