More and more brilliant. Each day, little by little the leaves are becoming more and more, the perfect autumn coloring. These few, scarlet Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) leaves.
Little By Little
Author Archives: Brenda Clements Jones
The Noisemaker
Oh my goodness! Such happy sounds, but so much of it! I love to hear the constant chatter.
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus).
Extremely Rare
Extremely rare, but they do exist. American Chestnut (Chestanea dentata).
Before 1904, this fast growing, tall tree ruled swaths of eastern US forests. I mention the year 1904 because that is when the chestnut blight fungus (Cryphonectria parasitica) was first discovered at the New York Zoological Gardens. The blight was introduced to the US by accident from East Asia and it nearly wiped out the whole population of these wonderful trees over the course of just a few decades.
It brings great delight to me though, when I find a large American Chestnut tree growing in the woods. They are truly rare but they are out there.
The American Chestnut Foundation is working diligently to develop a tree that will survive. I have great hope that they will see success and again American Chestnuts will survive in great numbers in our woods.
A Little Yellow Mushroom
Yellow Unicorn Entoloma (Entoloma murrayi). A cute little mushroom that looks as if it ought to be right next to the Pixie Cup Lichens for the pixies’ and fairies’ enjoyment.
A cap that is cone-shaped, or bell-shaped, that is pointed at the top. This pointy top is referred to as an umbo in the fungus world. The width of the cap is generally between .5 to 1.25 inches. A nice bright yellow or yellow-orange that fades as it ages.
The stalk, also yellow, is 1.5 to 3 inches.
These mushrooms grow in eastern North America, Central and South America, and also southeast Asia, in wet areas of deciduous and coniferous forests.
This blog gives no information about the edibility or toxicity of any of the mushrooms that are written about.
Scarlet Berries
July finds them emerald green, blending in with other greens. Not to be noticed by the dedicated hiker. I find them though. The dedicated nature photographer. Understated berries of Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum).
But come October, contending for attention, in competition with the colorful leaves, the berries have become a brilliant shade of scarlet. Maybe even the dedicated hiker won’t miss them. What say you, Gary?
Slowly Slowly
Slowly, slowly, autumn’s full blown color palette is creeping in. Right now it is: “Oh! Look at that tree!” Not a hillside of color but just a few leaves here and there turning with all their might to a spectacle of hues.
Changes in a leaf’s world, encourages slowing and stopping of photosynthesis which makes the leaf lose its chlorophyll and its green coloring. Depending on what compounds are most prominent in the leaf, determines its autumn color.
Carotenoids, and flavonoids both contribute yellows, while carotenoids also include oranges and reds in their repertoire. Both these compounds deminish, like the chlorophylls, but more slowly, allowing their colors to shine through autumn.
Another set of compounds, anthocyanins, a member of the flavonoids family, plays a part in some autumn leaf color. While carotenoids and flavonoids are present in the leaves during the growing season, anthocyanins are not. Autumn is the time for some leaves to manufacture this compound through increased sugar concentrations exposed to sunlight. This gives way to rich red, purple and magenta coloring in the those leaves.
Soon we’ll be at peak leaf season. I can’t wait.
Oh The Things One Can See
Oh, the things one can see, as one walks along a barely used dirt/gravel road!
Keep your eyes open for the little things. Or in this case the big things. This is an Imperial Moth Caterpillar (Eacles imperialis), which can reach a length of 4 inches. As it grows it eats the leaves (or needles) of a variety of trees, including pines.
As with some caterpillars, the Imperial Moth Caterpillar is one that has irritating hairs, that cause an itching stinging rash.
The adult of this species, the Imperial Moth, is an elegant yellow, and brownish purple, with an incredible wingspan of 7 inches.
As an adult the moth’s only purpose is to reproduce, and lives a very short life of just one week, eating nothing during that week.
Keep in mind, if you don’t really know what caterpillar it is that you have encountered, it could be one that will irritate your skin. Leave it be. Don’t pick it up.
Wreath Goldenrod
Wreath Goldenrod (Solidago caesia). More than 50 species of Goldenrods are native to Virginia. So many, looking similar, it is quite daunting for a person that needs to know the exact name of each one.
However this one has a tiny bit of a unique look. Enough for me to feel confident to identify it as I pass by plants along trails up here. Only seldom reaching a height of 3 feet, mostly unbranched stems lean over with small clusters of flowers along the stems growing with the alternating leaves.
On their way to their winter home in Mexico, Monarch Butterflies enjoy stopping along the way to dine on the nectar of all the Goldenrods. All sorts of bees nectar at the Goldenrods too. Bumble Bees, Digger Bees, and Sweat Bees are among those that are found there with the Monarchs. A treasure to have in the woods.
Pixie Cup Lichen
For one with a wild imagination, this lichen is aptly named, Pixie Cup Lichen (Cladonia asahinae). I can just imagine pixies making a collection of these lichens to toast in the Pixie New Year.
Pixie Cup Lichen grows on just a few species of mosses, in Europe, North America, South America, and hard to believe, even in the Antarctic.
I’m sure happy that it grows here on my mountain, to benefit the pixies.
Painted Lady
A delight to see a Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) on Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans). A butterfly with a wingspan of 2 to 3 inches, that like many butterflies, lives only for 2 to 4 weeks as an adult. During their short life the butterfly consumes the nectar of plants that are 3 to 6 feet high, such as Asters, Cosmos, Ironweed, Joe Pye Weed, Sunflowers, and of course, Pineapple Sage.
The Painted Lady can be found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. Their long distance migration makes them the most widely distributed butterfly species. Those migrations are irruptive. Not necessarily depending upon weather or geography, but some think depending in part on such things as changing climate patterns and also perhaps triggered by population issues.
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