After two weeks with only one hike, I was finally out hitting the trail! Yesterday the sun was out in a beautiful, brilliant way, cheering all the mountains and me! Today, mostly clouds blued the atmosphere but not my mood. Hiking two days in a row. So much like things should be!
American Chestnut Trees
I’ve been aware of American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) trees being up here on my mountain for some time now. There was even a very large tree up here just two years ago, but that has since died, as they all do, of an orange colored fungus known commonly as “chestnut blight.”
Another Big One
There is another large one, that is still struggling to survive that we in the American Chestnut Foundation, have been using in our cross-back breeding program. This tree is known as The Rosebrook Tree, and despite the onslaught of periodic cicadas this summer, we were able to get a few seeds from this “mother tree” to use in that program.
Discovery
Yesterday and today — both days — I found American Chestnut trees that I didn’t know were growing up here! Okay, to be truthful, these are small sprouts, which might be called American Chestnut bushes. But still, I am delighted!
Revealed
I don’t know if it is because the leaves of the chestnut trees are changing into their autumn garb – a coloring that allows me to pick them out more easily than when they wear the same green-blue color of summer that so many leaves like to wear all summer long. Or perhaps it is because the walls of leaves are falling from the trees, allowing me to look deep into the forest. A real treat for me, because I now feel I am actually hiking in the mountains — I can see from one ridge to the next. I can see the blue of the Blue Ridge Mountains!
And Another Big One?
If I keep at it, I’m hoping I’ll discover another big American Chestnut tree up here. Not extremely likely. But I will keep trying!
Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, is perhaps at its high point in popularity at this time of year. As I watch out my kitchen window this rainy afternoon, in just a matter of perhaps five minutes, I see three tufted titmice, a pair of cardinals and a sprightly squirrel all gobbling down their mid-day meal.
C
Colorful Times
As the leaves of the Dogwood are turning from many shades of rich green to burgundy, crimson, purplish red, and rusty red orange, its berries have already turned to a Christmas cheery red, inviting birds and all critters of the woods to come, feast.
No Reminder Needed
This is an invitation, to come feast, that creatures of the woods do not need repeated! As far as favorites go, I believe that Dogwood berries are near the top of their list.
Leaf Peepers
While we humans are enjoying the brilliant display of autumn leaves, before they fall to the forest floor, Dogwood berries are quickly being devoured. So quickly that I hardly have time to get photographs of berries covered with an early snow. If I am extremely lucky, a snow will fall before the hungry critters are done with their “shopping trip” to the Dogwood Eatery.
Red And White
Only if I am extremely lucky will a get a shot of crimson red against cloud-soft white.
Sometimes
You can see though, that on rare occasions it does happen.
Who
Some of the critters that I must stay one step ahead of for my early snow shots are cardinal, junco, tufted titmouse, robin, bluebird, bobwhite, wild turkey, tree swallow, crow, woodpeckers, grackle, starling, red fox, chipmunk, squirrel, beaver, skunk, white-footed mouse, and deer. What an amazing list! It’s no wonder the berries disappear so quickly!
What?
And here we have Mr. Squirrel saying, “It wasn’t me eating all those berries!”
Vermont and a telescope making conference, Stellafane, used to draw me to the land of black and white cows, Ben and Jerry’s, Sugar Maples, and maple syrup. I went up there for Stellafane for nearly 20 years straight. It was an education. An education in telescope making and astronomy in general, an education in country living, an education in Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and an education in maple syrup. Before those trips to Vermont I was quite happy to buy any old brand of pancake syrup, no care that it was mainly high fructose corn syrup. Now I know better. Only Vermont maple syrup gets set on my breakfast table or poured onto my ice cream!
Red Maple, Acer rubrum
Sticky Situation
Maple syrup is made from the sap of the Sugar Maple, and also Red Maple and Black Maple trees. The trees in northern latitudes or higher elevations such as here in Virginia, store starch in their trunks before the winter months turn the temperatures cold. In the spring, as the weather warms just a bit, the starch is converted to sugar. The sap is collected by boring a hole into the trunk of the tree and the sap will seep out, into a galvanized bucket or in more modern times into a system of plastic tubes that are connected to one another throughout the maple syrup production farm or “sugarbush.”
Another Red Maple, the yellow leaves and the silvery bark are the Red Maple!
Boil, Boil, Boil
The sap that is collected is boiled down from between 5 and 13 gallons until 1/4 gallon is left. This takes place in a “sugar house.” The trees are usually tapped starting at between 30 and 40 years of age and an average tree will produce about 10 gallons of sap per season at about 3 gallons a day. These maples are sometimes tapped until they reach over 100 years of age.
Nutrition
In comparing calories, maple syrup and sugar come out about equal, but maple syrup is a source of manganese (13 grams contains .44 milligrams) and also contains zinc (13 grams contain .55 milligrams). It beats out honey with 15 times more calcium and has 1/10 the amount of salt. Hmmm, I think I want pancakes for breakfast!
Ever notice lines in the tree bark? Lines of little dots, little holes, made in thoughtfully placed rows?
A Message?
These rows of dots, look to me like someone is trying to tell me something. Or that someone has a brand new drill and has to try it out, decorate something with this new tool, new toy. Haven’t we all had some new something that we just couldn’t put down?
But Who?
Who in the world would be doing something like this? I see these holes often in the woods up here in the mountains, but I’ve also seen these holes in trees on the rolling hills of James Madison’s Montpelier, and so many other places as well.
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
These holes are called “sap wells” of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius. A medium sized woodpecker with a brilliant patterned face of black, red and buff white; a black and white striped back; and red forehead. The male also has a red throat. The white of his striped back is an off white which looks a bit dingy to me.
The Sap Wells
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drills these sapwells and laps up the sap and insects that are attracted to it. They complete their diet by also eating fruits and berries. And they provide me more patterns to be attracted to.
This is a special bend in the road on my hike up the mountain. Here I find fun mushrooms and cool little lichens that could be the center of an elf village. But the real treasure for me, is the sprouts of American Chestnuts that are just up the slope at this bend.
Almost Gone But Not Quite
The American Chestnuts have almost been wiped out by a fungus, commonly known as “the blight.” What is generally now found in some, lucky woods, are sprouts of determined trees, still trying to survive. That is what I have found on this bend in the road. Sprouts. I wouldn’t call, what is occasionally found these days, American Chestnut trees, but American Chestnut bushes.
Ocean Waves
The leaf of the American Chestnut has a distinctive, ocean wave edge, and the leaves that I find in the woods right now are a rich emerald green, as in the first close-up shot. By the end of October those leaves will turn a warm golden brown. I have to smile whenever I see these leaves – so determined to survive.
The days recently have been absolutely yummy. Blue skies, low humidity – perfect for hiking during the day and wonderful for sleeping at night. It’s been a dream, being able to hike up my mountain and watch as the leaves change from their summer blue-greens to their autumn tones of chartreuse, lemon, lime, golds, mango, crimson and every color in between. The colors are changing much more rapidly than I ever expected. Of course, I’ve never in my life observed nature so closely as I have the past many months.
Sassafras, Going From Rich Deep Emerald To Lemon And Lime
Changes
Some things are slowing down. I’m not seeing nearly as many new flowers now. Goldenrod season seems to be coming to an end. Asters in shades of snow white, lavender and grape are still going full speed ahead but I don’t see many buds left on them, to open when I’m not looking. The next big floral display I’m awaiting, is the opening of the Witch Hazel. That will be a delight when it happens, and I’ll photograph the blossoms and share them with you. I expect that won’t happen for another several weeks though.
My Turn-Around Point
Ferns
I’m watching, each trip I take, out the gate and up the road, to see what happens. I’ve spotted many patches of beautiful ferns along my daily route. My turn-around point is marked by Maidenhair Fern on one side, and Sensitive Fern on the other. The Sensitive Fern has been given that name because it quickly withers and dies back when the temperatures get to be too cold. I’m watching to see at what point in the season that will happen. Fortunately the woods are also filled with many evergreen ferns, such as Christmas Fern, so I’ll be seeing that finery as I go about my observing during the winter. Another beautiful season to look forward to!
The White-Tailed Deer Is Thriving In Large Part Because Of Human Activity In Both Suburban And Agricultural Areas
Oh Deer! What To Do?
There is nothing more heart warming than seeing a white-tailed deer in your yard. Unless of course you see too many deer, night after night, eating the vegetables in your garden. For those of us who do not have gardens and enjoy seeing the deer, we must remember that feeding deer puts them at risk of developing disease due to attracting larger numbers to a small area. These diseases include bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis and chronic wasting disease — AND feeding deer is illegal.
Female deer normally have their first fawn when they are just a bit over a year old. Sometimes though, if food is plentiful, they can have a fawn, when they are as young as six-months-old. Young does typically have one fawn, while older does have twins and occasionally triplets. With favorable circumstances, does can produce two or three fawns every year, and populations can increase quickly.
As the human population has increased, so too has the deer population. At the turn of the twentieth century the deer population was low due to over harvesting for food and hides, and loss of habitat. Over time, we have instituted hunting regulations, changed our agricultural practices and have begun to conserve woodland. These changes have allowed the deer population to increase.
Along with an increase in deer population there is a corresponding increase in human/deer conflicts. Those vegetables that are eaten by white-tailed deer in your garden are only a very small part of the problem. Deer can cause large economic losses for farmers. A USDA survey conducted in 1992 sites 40 percent of farmers reporting substantial deer damage.
Our forests suffer with an overabundance of deer. Many of us have seen deer browse lines, where everything is eaten within reach. This can create a forest in which only trees that deer dislike are surviving, with no understory of bushes, herbs, and tree seedlings. The result could be a forest that may not be able to replace itself naturally. Deer over-browsing also makes way for alien invasive plants to be more easily established. Deer prefer native species and will avoid alien plants such as kudzu, oriental bittersweet, Japanese honey suckle, mile-a-minute vine, garlic mustard and Japanese stilt grass, giving them an easy way to establishment.
With a forest understory having no native herbs, bushes and desirable tree seedlings, there is very little for other animals including birds, reptiles and insects to eat, and their ability to find shelter is challenged.
A larger deer population means more deer on area roads. Consequently that means more collisions with vehicles. These collisions can mean costly repairs, human injuries, and at times can even take human life.
As I mentioned earlier, a more dense deer population also threatens the health of the herd. Bovine tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that has the potential to infect other animals including humans, has recently been found in deer. Chronic wasting disease and brucellosis are also a concern. Another health risk for humans, white-tailed deer are a host for the tick that carries the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
Control of deer populations is a difficult social and political question. Aside from other aspects of the issue, they need our help regarding overcrowding, which means more serious, more quickly spreading disease. Overcrowding can also result in a shortage of food, leading to starvation. Of course with control, agriculture will benefit with less crop damage. Roads will be safer.
An already established method of control is hunting. There is great advantage to hunting for states’ economies. The value of license fees, meat, and purchases made by hunters, of equipment, food and transportation brings in hundreds of millions of dollars throughout our country.
This pastime is a highly valued tradition to a large portion of our population. Aside from just being a form of recreation, many of my neighbors use deer hunting as a way to put food on their tables. This is a tradition passed down from generation to generation. Hunting is a part of our heritage and those deer with their burgeoning population need our help.
My day was off to an excellent start. This spring, using pollen that had been collected from trees at the American Chestnut Foundation‘s research farm in Meadowview, Virginia, a tree that we call VA0333, The Rosebrook Tree, was for the third year in the row pollinated. This was at the height of a visit from Periodic Cicadas. The females Cicadas had done their work on The Rosebrook Tree. Slits were visible on some of the ends of branches, high up in the tree’s canopy, even on branches that had flowers. The pollen was applied in hopes that some of the flowers would live and develop burs containing seeds to be used for further research. This morning as the bucket truck went to the top of the tree, it became evident that there were some bursbut only a few. But I was prepared for the worst, so just a few was way better! Hooray!
American Chestnuts Harvested In Virginia
Virginia Harvest
The chestnuts in the photo above were harvested in 2010, the first year that I become involved with the Virginia Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation. Since that time I’ve come to appreciate more than ever the amazing things that are being done in the Foundation. We are making progress!
VA0333, The Rosebrook Tree
Here She Is!
This is The Rosebrook Tree. She’s fighting but won’t be around much longer. She’s got the blight, as all pure American Chestnut trees will get. No getting around that. I have 9 pure American Chestnut trees at the front of my cabin. They will get the blight. But The American Chestnut Foundation is cross-back breeding American Chestnuts with Chinese Chestnuts. The aimed for result is a chestnut tree that is American in its growth habit — a very tall and straight tree, with blight resistance.
An American Chestnut With Clearly Visible Blight
Here Is The Blight
This is a struggling American Chestnut sprout high up on my mountain. Do you see the splits on the bark and the orange fungus? This is the blight. The roots of the American Chestnut do not get the blight because they are not exposed to the air. The roots keep sending up sprouts which usually die back within a couple years. But with the research that’s been done and continues, there will be American Chestnut trees growing in the tree’s native range again — given time and much continued work.
Those of us who just came through the summer, with Brood II of the Periodical Cicadas, are still seeing flagged trees. Tomorrow I will find out the results of pollinating American Chestnuts this spring. A friend and I did the pollination at the height of the Cicada invasion. Slits in some of the branches we worked with were noticed, but the real damage, at that point, was not obvious. We had to pollinate what flowers there were, and keep our fingers crossed.
A Bucket Truck Is Needed To Get To The Top Of These Tall Trees
In The Morning
Keep your fingers crossed for me in the morning too! I’ll be meeting the bucket truck at 10:00 A.M., and I’m hoping that we will be able to come away with at least someseeds from this mother tree to represent this growing season.
American Chestnut, Castanea dentata
Turning Leaves
These are the leaves of an American Chestnut. On my mountan, right now, the leaves are still a bright green, but in a few weeks, they like many other leaves in the forest, will be turning to their autumnal tones. Oh how I love the seasons to change!
Autumn started this afternoon! Yay! I love to experience the seasons — each and every one — all four, to their fullest potential! As always, autumn is starting slowly. Yes, we’ve had cooler weather, but the leaves are slow to respond and are waiting for the days to get shorter and shorter. I have to really look to see any leaves turning. The patch of Red Maple leaves, above, being true to their name are a beautiful scarlet, but I had to hunt for them. Most trees are still green.
Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida
An Exception
Dogwood is an exception to that rule. If you’re really observant, you’ll notice that the Flowering Dogwood begins, ever so subtly, to turn from green to red, in early July. I noticed this a few years ago and it sorta blew my mind, but every year since, I’ve noticed the same thing happening. Not every Flowering Dogwood tree goes by this pattern, but most that I see here on my mountain do.
Clasping Aster or Late Purple Aster, Symphyotrichum patens
Asters, Asters Everywhere!
On my daily hikes Asters are the most abundant flower. Snowy white asters with sunshine yellow centers that turn to warm burgundy as they mature. Lavender asters – small and even smaller ones. And my favorite – grape purple asters with the name Clasping Asters or Late Purple Asters. The flower of this species is a tiny bit larger than most of the Asters I’m seeing. It’s the smashing grape color that really gets my attention though. I’m really a sucker for a yummy, rich color.
Goldenrod, Species to be determined later!
Brilliant Yellow
I cannot leave out the Goldenrod that greets me each time I hike up the mountain. Beautiful yellow Goldenrod that is such a cheery sight. Oh dear! So many different species (over 50 in North America) that I have not begun to try to figure out which I’ve been running into. I think I’ll leave that to those long winter days when there are no flowers to identify as I hike!
Locust Borer, Megacyllene robiniae, Blending Right In With Goldenrod
Brilliant Yellow In Insects Too
A frequent sight on the Goldenrod — the adult Locust Borer enjoys the pollen of the Goldenrod. The species gets its name from the larvae that bore into Black Locust Trees.
Silverrod, Solidago bicolor
Bold Identification
One plant in the Solidago (Goldenrod) genus that I feel confident identifying is Silverrod. I just saw it for the first time a few days ago and it fascinates me, looking like a Goldenrod but it is white with just the smallest hint of yellow. Nice to have something with no question of what it is!
Colors To Come!
As the days get shorter, the leaves will respond, shutting down their production of chlorophyll, which will bring about the change in colors that I’m waiting for. I’ll keep you posted!
