April 13, 2025: Spanish Moss and Soggy Snow

We spent the past week in South Carolina where it was nice to see something other than snow in the tree branches.  When we returned to the lake on Thursday night we found quite a change had taken place in the days we were gone.  Not only was all the snow gone, but the lake was almost completely open.  We were greeted the first night home with the call of a loon drifting over the lake.  The next morning was dull and gray - a perfect day if you're a duck - and we were immediately treated to a smorgasbord of ducks on the lake including mergansers, wood ducks, mallards, black ducks, and these ring-necked ducks which are always a treat to see.

Ring-necked Duck.

Later in the day a pair was having an afternoon siesta near the shoreline.  

Sleeping with one eye open at 1:00pm.

I was careful not to disturb them, but eventually they woke up and perked up a bit.

When they suddenly leapt out of the water, I thought I had startled them.

But in fact, their flock, which was hidden around a point of land, had taken flight, and they were just heading off to catch up with their friends.

Can you see the mallard on the rock near shore?

Another early migrant was an Eastern Phoebe.

Eastern Phoebe perched over the lake, hoping the insects are out soon.

And no surprise, with the ice out, the beavers are back on their evening cruises across the lake in search of food and timber for building supplies.

There were branches nibbled clean of their bark showing they had been on shore, and sure enough, come night fall, one arrived to feast.

That's one big beaver that seems to have stored up plenty of winter food, but nonetheless is looking for something fresh to eat.

Now, South Carolina.  Our hostess arranged for perfect weather in the mid 80's all week and not a drop of rain.  A fun part of visiting new areas is finding unfamiliar things to investigate, such as these blossom-type items scattered all over the ground in a Low Country forest.  I figured they were pollen-producing blossoms of a tree and it didn't take long to identify them as Sweetgum.  

The dried up, brown spikey-thing (a "gumball") tucked into the leaf litter on the left was a helpful clue.

Imagine how much pollen can be expelled from all those blossoms.  

Male flowers of the Sweetgum tree.

Not far away at food-serving facility beside a lagoon I saw a large bird we don't have in New England but is easy to identify.

A Black Vulture looks for easy pickings.

Black Vultures don't venture north of Massachusetts, but maybe soon they'll make their way up here like the Red-bellied woodpeckers and winter Bluebirds have.

On the Isle of Palms we saw the usual culprits such as Laughing Gulls, Egrets, and Boat-tailed Grackles, but also a new bird for me, Willets.

Willets foraging in the surf on Isle of Palms.

It took a bit for me to recognize them as they were wearing winter or immature plumage.  (Thanks RB for the confirmation!)

Along Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, a pair of Barn Swallows was dashing around over the marsh collecting insects, but then perched on a railing just for our enjoyment.

Barn Swallows at Shem Creek.

There were also pelicans gliding low over the creek watching the fishing and shrimp boats for cast-off fish.

Over at Folley Island we saw Pelicans performing their freefall crash into the Atlantic Ocean.

Searching for targets.

On the attack.

Contact!

No trip to the Low Country would be complete without a visit to a stand of Live Oaks with their Spanish Moss.

This is "Oak Alley" at Boone Hall Plantation which also provides much history of the slave trade and life in South Carolina.  It's worth a visit, for the history lesson as well as the flowers.

Some of the gardens in front of the plantation Mansion.

And then, after a beautiful trip through the Shenandoah Valley where we drove along miles of Red Buds and flowering trees, watching summer return to late winter, we were back in New Hampshire.  And yesterday, mother nature made sure we knew that as we woke up to this on Saturday morning.

Back to snow in the trees - we should have stayed down south another week!  Thanks for a great visit!

October 2, 2022:

I was away for the past couple of weeks, and on trips outside the Lakes Region I usually allocate time to exploring interesting natural areas.  But this trip was spent exploring our nation's early history in the historic triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, with only one short nature walk before hurricane Ian chased us home.  There are so many opportunities here to learn about American history in the 16th through 19th centuries, and even some world history of those times related to the European exploration of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.  It shouldn't have surprised me to find that understanding history at that time included understanding the natural world as well - so much of the colonists' survival depended on knowledge and use of natural resources including plants and animals for food, medicine, tools, and shelter.  

Location of the Jamestown Church where John Rolfe and Pocahontas were married on April 5, 1614.

One  interesting fact I learned is that bison were plentiful in Virginia at the time the Jamestown colony was started in 1607 and they were an important part of native American society, being hunted for food, clothing, and shelter.  There were also caribou here, as there were in New Hampshire before overhunting extirpated both species from the eastern United States.

Even without focused nature hikes I still came across interesting plants and animals.  A day at the beach provided an opportunity to observe many osprey circling over the ocean and diving for fish, and as I watched them I wondered if they were locals or perhaps New England osprey on their way to South America.  I also came across herons and rails including this Night Heron in the moat at Fort Monroe in Hampton Virginia.

A Night Heron comfortable with human alterations to the environment.

On the grounds at Williamsburg are some huge trees that looked like live oak but are actually Compton Oaks, a hybrid of two oak species, the Southern Live Oak and the Overcup Oak.  

Compton Oak at Historic Williamsburg.

I thought this tree would have been hundreds of years old but in fact it's not quite even 90 years old, having been planted around 1933.  Things sure grow fast in this climate. 

This tree is younger than my parents.  (Sorry mom and dad : )

Magnolia trees grow large and lush in the Virginia climate as well.

Magnolia trees at the Smith's Fort Plantation in Scotland.

At this time of year they are done blooming but have large colorful seed pods now that the blossoms have gone by.

Pink and white seed pods on the magnolia.

A few of the pods were starting to release their bright red seeds.  

Near the magnolia a red iris was still blooming, and a stunning yellow butterfly was collecting nectar, combining for a dramatic color scene.

Red spider lily.

Cloudless Sulphur butterfly.

The magnolia trees and red spider lilies were at a plantation in Scotland, which is just a short ferry ride across the James River from the original Jamestown settlement.  The Jamestown Colony, which was was reconstructed on the exact same footprint (minus the part that has eroded into the river over the past 400 years) looked awfully small when viewed from the river.  

The entire colony fit within the walls that look like a gray picket fence - except for the corner that has since eroded away and is now under the James River.

Those were some pretty brave pioneers.  The tall, white monument built for the tercentennial in 1907 is made of New Hampshire granite!  It's outside the original colony walls as are the buildings to the left.

Archeologists were able to locate the exact position of the fort's walls by discovering the circles of different color clay where the posts of the fort were placed. Every bit of wood is long gone.  The same method was used to identify the location of the church shown earlier.  Archeology work continues; over a million artifacts have been uncovered and identified to date, and many of them are on display in the museum.

Ongoing archeological studies at Jamestown.

It's harvest season in Virginia and on our one nature hike we found lots of nuts and acorns along the White Oak Trail which follows the Warwick River in Newport News Park.  

Sweetgum

Shagbark hickory

Sweetgum fruit has many small winged seeds that are released through the holes in the spikey ball, while hickory has a hard, sweet nutmeat inside.

We arrived back in New Hampshire yesterday, pushed home a bit early by hurricane Ian, and are pleased to find the maple trees just starting to turn their leaves red and orange.  I'm looking forward this week to finding our loon chick Maddie and seeing how much she's grown.  I'll end the Virginia story with with one more brilliant Virginia plant:

American Beautyberry  (Callicarpa americana)

The color of the berries is unique, unlike any I've seen in New England.