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Autumn Color Change
During the summer months the trees around us are covered with green leaves. The green color in those leaves is thanks to a green pigment, chlorophyll, that the leaves use to capture the sun’s energy. That energy is used to change water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen, in a process called photosynthesis. Glucose…
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Frost
It was the coldest morning so far this autumn. At 32° not extremely cold but cold enough to please this lover of winter. Driving down the mountain on my way to yoga the changing leaves delighted me with their warm colors. Water running through the gravel and dirt of the road hadn’t gotten an opportunity…
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Red Maples
Red Maple (Acer rubrum). Up here in the mountains I’m seeing the peak of autumnal color. If you haven’t noticed, come on up. It’s ubiquitous. Even down below, in the lowlands, the colors are changing to knockout warmth and brilliance. Come, take a deep breath, slow down, let go of all that is making you…
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Turkey Tail Mushroom
Turkey Tail Mushroom (Trametes versicolor). A mushroom that’s commonly found throughout North America, also in Asia and Europe. It lives on standing dead trees, fallen trees or their stumps. And sometimes they’re found on wounds of living trees as well. Turkey Tail Mushroom is saprophytic, which means that it creates enzymes which break down the…
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Jack-O-Lantern Mushroom Revisited
Today is Halloween. Time for Trick or Treat. But don’t get tricked into thinking that this mushroom is a treat. Visually, *DEFINITELY*. But not a treat to eat. Eat the Jack-O-Lantern Mushrooms and you will get treated to headache, stomach cramps, vomiting, and or diarrhrea. Sounds to me like a wicked trick. Jack-O-Lantern Mushrooms are…
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A Drop of Rain
A glimpse of the whole world in a drop of rain. Rain on the needles of Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana). Three days of rain. One would think I’d be ready for it to stop. For the sun to come out and wipe the moisture away with a gentle brush. No I won’t wish the rain…
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More Hickory
Continuing on a thread that I started yesterday. These nuts are Bitternut Hickory. All Hickory nuts are edible but with this one, as the name implies, is one that you might want to skip. There are much better nuts in the woods. Some moths have the Hickory tree as their host plant. One that is…
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Hickory Trees
There are eighteen species of Hickory in the genus Carya (from Ancient Greek for “nut”). Those eighteen, in turn, are in the Walnut or Juglandaceae family. Twelve of these Hickory Trees are native to North America. Right now on my mountain they are literally shining bright. The photograph above has Red Maple leaves in the foreground and…
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Wheel Bug
The Wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus) is a true bug that uses its enlarged front legs to grab and hold its prey, then punctures it with a robust, curved beak which it uses to suck the body fluids from its victims. It is part of a group of bugs called assassin bugs (family eduviidae). Measuring in at…
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Solomon’s Plume
Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum), an herbaceous perennial in the lily family (Liliaceae). The berries are a brilliant crimson right now at the end of October, and easy to spot along trails in the mountains. Just as easy to spot, in the spring, are the flowers which bloom for about 3 weeks, late April into May.…