American Beech And Its Marcescent Leaves

An American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) showing off its marcescent leaves. These Beech trees create patches through the woods of pale brown areas of leaves hanging on, waiting for spring to fall to the ground.

Marcescence occurs when deciduous trees, mainly Beech or Oak trees, let their leaves wither in the late fall but they fail to let them drop to the ground until spring.

I love to see Beech trees in winter, just after a snow. Their leaves create little pockets of what look to me like little shave ice cones.

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The Big Mushroom Is Still There

Back in October I did a post about a Giant Puffball (Calvatia gigantea). Today while out roaming about I came upon that same Puffball. Very old, looking like a ball broken open and filled with powdered cocoa. I had wondered what happened to it. Apparently not much. Just a great change in its color. From a lovely white to cocoa.

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Raindrops On Rosehips

Welcome rain. The U.S. Drought Monitor map shows a good portion of Virginia still in an abnormally dry condition. Here at my cabin for the past couple days I’ve gotten a bit more than a half inch of rain each day. I’m pleased to see the rain come down.

Raindrops on rosehips of Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora), an exotic invasive native to eastern Asia, in China, Japan, and Korea.

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A Few Days Ago, Sunrise

Nearly a week ago. The first morning of winter, as the sun was coming up painting a glow of warm coloring across the landscape. Captured by Yucca Filmentosa (Yucca filamentosa).

Welcome winter. I love having you here.

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Not A Red Fox But A Gray Fox

Two Gray Foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) that have stopped by to get some of the sunflower seeds I put out. The seeds are usually for the birds but I love to see the foxes too, so it’s okay.

Slightly smaller than the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). The Gray Fox measures about 31 to 44 inches in length, including that beautiful long tail, and 12 to 16 inches in height at the shoulder. And they average about 10 to 12 pounds.

Yep, I’m going to put out more sunflower seeds. I want to see these beautiful creatures more often.

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An Eastern White Pine Cone

The cone of an Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus), which usually grows to between 6 and 8 inches. The seeds from the cone are eaten by nuthatches, chickadees, grosbeaks, blue jays, juncos, woodpeckers, brown thrashers as well as black bears, rabbits, and squirrels.

The needles of the Eastern White Pine grow in bundles (fascicles) of 5. They reach a length of 3 to 5 inches and are very soft, with a pretty blue-green color.

The tree can grow to between 80 and 150 feet in height with some growing to over 180 feet. It has a pretty impressive life span of perhaps 200 years, but also has the possibility of living for 450 years if all goes well.

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Happy Christmas Merry New Year

My road coming up the mountain, in marvelous shape. This during the winter of 2009 – 2010. My very favorite winter. Why? Because 72 inches of snow fell on my cabin during that winter. Pure bliss!

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Tree Bark

Tree bark fascinates me. Each tree has its own way of letting me know which species it is. That’s particularly important now that nearly all the leaves are gone. The only hints left of its identity are the bark and branches.

This bark is of the Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). A medium sized tree, with a bark that makes me think of a topographic map.

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A Distinctive Bark

A distinctive bark. One that easily gets my attention. Of trees that love to follow streams, lining the woods with white trunks meandering as the stream does, here and there.

This is the bark of American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis).

A gorgeous bark that sometimes gives the appearance of being pure white. Like a tree trunk sculpted of marble.

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