Seasons – Page 2

Pink Fog

Perhaps spring is here. Though the forecast for this coming Tuesday (the day this will be published) is for more snow.

My Redbuds, Cercis canadensis, here in the mountains of central Virginia are just now showing the slightest signs, of thoughts of blooms. This picture, above, was taken 5 days ago, while our newest, 8 inches of snow, were still festooning tree branches. Buds with just a hint of swelling.

In what will seem like, less time than the blink of an eye, my Redbuds will be sprouting their pinkish-purple blossoms. Sprouting blossoms that will be pollinated by long-tongued bees. Sprouting from buds along its zigzag branches, and sometimes even from the trunk of the tree itself.

The trunk, with its sprouting buds, is often twisted, looking as if it is participating in a yoga class.

To my eyes, which are even now, just awakening from a black and white, monotoned winter, the color will be dazzling! Along with tiny bits of apple green, there will be a flooding of the softest of magenta, in the just coming alive forest. It will appear to be a pink watercolor wash, over nearly everything.

At this point in the emergence of spring, on rare occasions, an event might happen if I am lucky. Pink Fog. The right temperatures, the right humidity and the sun doing its best to filter through all the Redbud blooms and PRESTO! Pink Fog! Beautiful!

For about one week, during this unfurling of spring, there will be an overlapping of blooms. Redbuds on the decline, and another native tree, the Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, just coming into bloom, contrasting their pink, and bright, snow white petals.

While the forests are having their pink and white dance, the Redbud flowers will be aging. Redbud leaves will be pushing their way out into the world. Leaves blushed with red that are perhaps the inspiration for the name Redbud. Leaves that have filled my photo collection, of Mother Nature’s hearts. Leaves that will provide food for caterpillars, of butterflies and moths of the forest, such as the striking Io Moth, Automeris io.

The seasons march on. The distinctive fruit of the Redbud will develop into flat, pea-like pods that contain 10 to 12 seeds.

As those seed pods develop, the Redbud leaves will be turning a brilliant yellow, preparing the trees for winter.

But back to the present and maybe spring. No Redbud blooms yet. Here’s to spring really happening. Here’s to at least one Pink Fog event!

Poison Ivy Good?

I am highly allergic to Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). As a youngster, I never got a Poison Ivy rash, though I loved to romp in the unending woods directly behind my house. Vines to swing over the creek, forts my friends and I were out there constantly. In 1985 I had a wakeup call, with an extremely painful rash on my arm. My luck had run out. A trip to the doctor’s office got me temporary relief with steroids. I have a quilt to show for the time I was on those steroids and bouncing off the walls. I resorted to creating a quilt to help my addled brain. I quickly learned to avoid at all costs the beautiful plant.

Beautiful Plant?

Yes, I think Poison Ivy is quite a beautiful plant. Just look at its scarlet leaves in the first photograph. This is the scarlet of spring, with leaves that are often very shiny, whether scarlet in spring, or green in summer. As spring turns to summer, the plant puts out flowers. Large clusters of soft, pale green, with brilliant school bus yellow centers.

More Color In Autumn

As trees are putting on their autumnal show, Poison Ivy whether in its vine form, climbing way up into trees, or trailing along the ground, or taking on the form of a small bush, puts on its own show with bright color. Either sunshine yellow, crimson red, or pumpkin orange.

Sculpture

The vines, creeping up tall trees, only know sky as the limit. They climb as high as a tree will grow, with their thread-like hairs. The vines make me think of sculptures, wrapped up and around lovely textured bark. Those thread-like hairs of the Poison Ivy vine, can sometimes be found in the nests of cardinals and goldfinches. A helpful building material.

Berries

As the autumn leaves fall, they leave behind berries. Off white berries, speckled with a bit of bitter chocolate brown. These berries attract many birds. Bluebirds, crows, turkeys and all manner of woodpeckers.

The wonderful winter of 2009–10 which covered the ground here on my mountain with 72 inches of snow, created a Poison Ivy fruit cafeteria of berries for a remarkable number of woodpeckers. Many pileateds, and yellow-shafted flickers descended upon a large oak tree covered with Poison Ivy in front of my cabin. They returned day after day, until the many vines were stripped of their berries. That winter gave me new respect for what Poison Ivy can do for birds in my area.

Red Maple Common Beauty

Ubiquitous

This fall, as I hike the steep and not so steep slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I see many, many Red Maples. Reading various websites and books to get information on the tree, I am not surprised to learn that this is the most common deciduous tree in eastern North America. Yes, it is everywhere. Red Maples do well, for the most part, no matter what conditions they are asked to deal with. They will live in swamps and can easily be found on dry ridges. Soil type is not something that the tree quibbles about either.

Early Bloomer

Red Maple is the earliest flower you’ll see here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Even beating out the first of the Bloodroot.

Deep, Rich Red In The Snow

They bloom so early that often you will find their wine colored flowers covered in snow.

Leafless

Before the leaves appear, the flowers of the Red Maple turn to samaras, or as I called them as a child, helicopters. The seeds that will sprout new trees. Notice, that like the flowers of this tree, the samaras are also reflecting the name of this maple, Red.

Still More Red

Soon after the samaras show up on the branches of the Red Maples, leaves start to emerge, and being true to its name the emerging leaves are red.

Not True

Of course not all the young Red Maple leaves are a true red, but are subtle shades of red.

Silvery

The bark of young Red Maple trees is a distinctive, smooth silver gray.

Charcoal

As the tree ages the bark develops cracks and becomes a darker, charcoal gray.

Autumn

As the seasons roll on, Red Maples are an independent sort and don’t rely on their name for the color that their leaves turn in the fall. You will find Red Maple leaves in pumpkin oranges, lemon yellows, crimson reds and every color and shade in between. This fall the Red Maples have been beautiful and have provided me with loads of joy, and much new knowledge. I hope your autumn is unfolding before you in a totally pleasing way!

Swirls Of Color, Yellow to Red, All Red Maple

More Beauty Ferns

A Huge Boulder

I’ve gotten to know my mountain here where I live, quite well since I’ve been hiking everyday that weather allows. One of many favorite spots is up where wild columbine grows in profusion, in scarlet dress, and cinnabar chanterelles pop up like tiny gum drops, all over the hill side. Just past that spot of red treats, both for the eye and the tummy, is a very large boulder that is surrounded by feathery fern fronds. Pale apple green, nodding with the wind. So many ferns. These are Northern Lady Fern, Athyrium filix-femina.

Fiddleheads

I’ve been watching this swath of ferns, growing in circular clusters, since they had baby fiddleheads way back in the spring. Funny to think that back then I could actually see the ground.

The Sea

The ground is now totally covered with ferns. Ferns with their fronds no longer pale apple green, but turning gold, like so many things do in the autumn. A sea of golden fronds.

Resting For The Winter

Those golden fronds are preparing to fade away for the winter. Letting their roots rest.

Evergreen

There is a fern in my woods that is evergreen though, that doesn’t fade away as autumn gives way to winter. That fern is the Christmas Fern, Polystichum acrostichoides. Perhaps this is a fern that is familiar to you. It is commonly found in garden centers, and I’m pleased to find this native in my woods, in every imaginable place. It is happy to settle nearly anywhere. I have always heard that it got its name because of the little toe on the leaflet (that leaflet is called a pinna) which looks much like a Christmas stocking.

More Fiddleheads

In the spring the Christmas Fern really turns on its charm for me. I love to watch the young fiddleheads emerge from the still cool soil, unfurling as if doing an exotic dance. To dance the whole year, until new young fiddleheads emerge and do a new dance.