May 20, 2018 - An Arachnid Convention

The weathermen have really struggled the past two weeks - they keep forecasting rain, but it never happened.  The incredible stretch of warm sunny weather ended yesterday, but it was much appreciated by the trees which blasted out their leaves in just one week, and though good size, the leaves haven't turned dark green yet.

This provides a unique window into seeing what kind of trees make up the forests of New Hampshire as the dark green of the coniferous trees - pine, hemlock, spruce - stand out from the light green of new leaves on the deciduous trees.  A stark strip of light green leading up from the lake caught my eye again this week.

I asked why there is such a uniform stand of deciduous trees with white pines lining both sides.  The answer came quickly:  there is a ravine here with wetlands at the bottom.  White pine thrives in dry sandy soil, but not in the soggy soil of a wetland.  The natural community known as a Red Maple - Black Ash Swamp [Ref:  Sperduto & Kimball, "The Nature of New Hampshire", University of New Hampshire Press, 2011] is the domain of red maples which thrive in the rich, wet soil, and crowd out most other trees, save for a rare Black Gum.

A wide range of birds use this community for food and cover and on any morning a dozen different birds can be heard, though most are hidden away in the dense forest.  One pretty Chestnut-sided warbler did present itself to me.

Chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica)

The squirrels and chipmunks which live on the edges of these wetlands are not so shy, especially when you're standing just beyond the entrance to a chipmunk's new home that it's still in the process of furnishing.

The squirrels just seem annoyed that you are in their territory.

We can optimistically hope that the dry weather will mean a shorter black fly, mosquito and tick season.  Have you ever wondered why you can come back from a walk with three or four ticks on you?  Maybe you happened upon lunch break at a parasite conference.

Female wood ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) hanging out at the food court, waiting for lunch to arrive

But we allergy lovers sure appreciated the little rain we did get on Saturday to knock down the pollen levels a bit.  Those trees, loving the hot dry weather after those April showers, can dump out a lot of pollen from all those branches.

Oak trees are producing a lot of pollen at the moment

I'm hoping the weathermen - which are forecasting another dry week - are wrong again, and we'll get a little much-needed rain.

May 13, 2018 - Happy Mother's Day!

Our particular latitude of planet earth is robing itself in the color of new life as trees burst out to show off their new summer sportswear.  The drab hills of brown and gray, having passed mostly through the short crimson phase, have progressed to the lime-green of emergent leaves.

The lower trees tend to open their leaf buds first, as seen by these beech leaves which have escaped their long, thin buds.

Newborn beech leaves

And smaller red maples have done the same.

Red maple showing its true color before being masked by chlorophyll

Upstairs, the taller trees lag behind, but only by a few days this year as the sudden warm weather pushed all residents along in quick succession.

Tinges of red linger among the lime green

One doesn't have to look hard to find flowers among the trees this time of year, as many are wearing white flowers with their green leaves to recognize Mother's Day.

Shadbush (Downy Serviceberry)

After a cold and misty start early on this Mother's Day, the morning turned bright and mostly sunny here in the Lakes Region.

A misty start to the Mother's Day

So in observation of Mother's Day, here is a bouquet of birds and blossoms that made an appearance this week to honor all mothers.  Happy Mother's Day!

Daffodils at the Chemung State Cemetery

Painted Trillium in the Hamlin Conservation Area

An Ovenbird or "teacherbird" (Seiurus aurocapillus) visits the Harris Conservation Area

Azalea along Wicwood Shores Rd

Large-flowered Trillium also on Wicwood Shores Rd

A Common Yellowthroat sings in the Chemung State Forest

Common Violets are in many fields and roadsides

Love you mom!

May 6, 2018 - April Showers, May Flowers

A late ice-out didn't slow down the native flowers one bit.  The Trailing Arbutus, commonly known as Mayflowers, blossomed right on schedule, appearing on the first day of May.

Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens)

These are always the first wildflowers to appear in the spring, and although tiny, they have the most beautiful, sweet fragrance, which is strong enough to note even as I run past a patch of them on the trail.

Pick one up and roll it between your fingers and you will be amazed at the scent.

I thought the late snow pack might slow things down a bit, but apparently not, as Marge Thorpe found a Purple Trillium blooming on the trail to Crockett's Ledge on Saturday morning, having survived the storm that blew through Friday night.

Purple Trillium (Trillium erectum)  Photo by Marge Thorpe

Another early bloomer is the Bloodroot, though this one has the advantage of being pampered in Linda's flower garden.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Though lacking a blossom, another early, very fast grower in New England forests is the Skunk Cabbage.  These seem to explode on the scene in wet, marshy areas, growing by leaps and bounds.  This cabbage patch is beside Chemung Road approaching the Hamlin trailhead, being fed by the stream that drains the beaver ponds that give the Four Ponds Trail its name.

Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) stands in stark contrast against the drab forest floor

Unlike the Trailing Arbutus, Skunk Cabbage gives off a most unpleasant odor when disturbed;  its name is quite appropriate.  I have distinct memories of these from my earliest escapades in the woods around my home, wondering where that awful stench was coming from as I traipsed through swamps and marshes.  (And mom never yelled at me when I came home with mud up to my knees.)

Odoriferous or not, the season of wildflowers is just beginning, and will brighten our world for the next five or six months - a great reason to get out and brave the bugs.  Yes, the black flies have arrived too.

In the world of reptiles, one may find turtles on both land and water at the moment as they escape the cold water of their winter dungeon to seek out the warmth of spring air.

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) sunning

Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)

That big snapper was right on the trail in the Page Pond Town Forest, and doing a good impersonation as a rock, wasn't noticed until she snapped at us as we walked by - more than a little startling!  It's still a little early for momma snappers to be laying eggs, so perhaps she was also just out enjoying a walk on a warm spring day.

On the bird front, there has been an eagle scouting out Lake Wicwas almost everyday this week, causing much anxiety to the other birds on the lake.  The loons tend to call out when it's soaring overhead, but the Canada geese really get squawking when its around.  The eagle might only be catching fish and water snakes at this point, but I expect it's taking note of future dining opportunities when little loon and geese chicks hatch out later this summer.    : (

Keeping close to shore, and an eye on the sky

I would so love to someday see a bald eagle flying with a three foot long Northern Water snake dangling from its talons.

Finally, there is one more May flower that adds color to the otherwise gray forest this time of year - the Red Maple blossom.  One of my friends says the spring foliage season, which is largely administered by the red maples, is her favorite season.

Red maples fronting the spring foliage season

Red maple blossom adorned with spider webs and dew

Imagine how many of these tiny blossoms there must be to wash an entire hillside with the red hue of a New Hampshire spring.

April 29, 2018 - The lakes get busy when the ice goes out

You may have seen the post on Wednesday reporting the ice went out of Lake Wicwas on April 25th.  It was the second latest date I've recorded, with the only later one occurring on April 29, 2002.  It happened rather quickly once it started, as Monday and Tuesday were warm days with full sunshine (there are almost 14 hours between sunrise and sunset here in late April).  Here's how the lake changed over the course of five days:

April 21

April 22

April 23

April 24

April 25

When the ice went out, spring just exploded around the lakes.  Within the course of just a few days a whole season's worth of new life appeared as everyone who was waiting arrived at once.  Just some of new arrivals include the migrating waterfowl such as mergansers, buffleheads, wood ducks, ring-necked ducks, and of course, the loons.

Mr. and Mrs. Merganser

The Buffleheads

The Ring-neckeds

Ring-neckeds can run on water!

Airborne

I love how you can see the disturbance on the surface of the water from the down force of air pressure created with each downward thrust of his wings.

And my favorite pair of wood ducks has appeared on the lake, hopefully to nest again around Marion Cove.

What a handsome couple

Most of the ducks are shy and keep their distance, but a pair of mallards came right up and put on a show:  Click here to watch.

Marge Thorpe got a good look at what is most likely one of our nesting loons while it was fishing near shore.

Marge Thorpe photo

I'm pretty sure I got a glimpse of the silver and white bands on one of the several loons present, but I'll wait for positive confirmation before I'm sure our nesting female has returned.

There were also more songbirds appearing including phoebes, thrushes and several different warblers.  They're here knowing there will soon be a smorgasbord of insects for them to feed upon, which means the arrival of some less welcome visitors as well.

And let's not forget the mammals;  both muskrats and beavers are now out plying the lake.  As soon as there was open water around the edge of the lake the beavers started their evening patrols, looking for food and building materials, and mounding piles of debris up on the shore.

On Patrol

Moving on....

but then sneaking back to scope out the blueberry bushes

Perhaps you've noticed the increasing size of some of the beaver lodges.  The one visible from Chemung Road in particular is now towering above the lake.  It looks like it will be another active year with the beavers - watch out for those precious trees and shrubs!  A simple wrap of chicken wire will usually protect them.

So while all the animals have declared spring is here, I'll close with two interesting views of what the lake looked like just one week ago, and which show how the wind and sun let the ice form in the fall and then take it away again in the spring.

The dark ice in the middle was the last section to freeze in December

From now on, pictures will be of shining blue liquid!

April 25, 2018 - Ice Out

Ice out on Lake Wicwas was declared today at 12:41 pm when the last section of ice had melted away from the boat launch.  Stress Free can now make all its ports of call (the boat launch, the large cove on Wicwood Shores Rd, and Marion Cove).  

6:29 am - Still ice between the buoys

12:41 pm - All clear