Late Fall

Dogwood November 3, 2018 

 Fall peak foliage here is usually Oct. 20 but not this year and even last year too.  Typically, dogwood trees begin turning maroon color in September.  This year it was late October and as you can see from the photo above, the trees are holding their color into November.

Our driveway on November 3 also was full of color with hickories turning their golden yellow.

On November 6, American Beech trees are yellow with the bright green of the Christmas ferns below.  These trees keep their leaves all winter, only shedding them in early spring.

I love the smooth bark and close up views of the American Beech. 

On November 17, this red oak tree retained the red color.  The red oaks retain their leaves until December although they turn brown. In the foreground is another oak retaining its color well into November. 

Last year, I also noted the late fall.  If this continues, we must consider that our winter is arriving later with spring earlier as well.  It may be because of climate change.  It certainly feels like it here in Rye Hollow. 

Last of Fall

 The days are still warm, 50s and 60s, while night temperatures are dipping below freezing. 

 
The day after the World Series ended where my favorite team St. Louis Cardinals lost, this Northern Cardinal started pecking at my window.  He probably sees his reflection as a rival for his territory.  I enjoy getting a close up look at him and hearing his singing in the nearby tree.  But, it is starting to be annoying after more than a week.



I tried putting images of the barred owl on the doors but that only delayed him for a few hours. He pecked on the other open areas.   This morning, my husband put an outside roller shade up.   That kept him away from the sliding glass doors.  After about an hour, he pecked at the kitchen window.

The only solution is to get outside and walk!   There was still some fall color on November 1 when I photographed these golden American Beech trees in the background with Christmas ferns in front.

 The American Beech leaves on the small trees will turn brown and hang on until spring.

This morning, I put a blaze orange vest on Kookie so she won't get shot during deer hunting season which lasts through Thanksgiving week.    I am not sure she likes it but it makes me feel better. 

Winter Coming?

Today, I saw my first White-Throated Sparrow, a sure sign of winter approaching.  The forecast for tomorrow night is for a hard freeze so the bird seems to know what he is doing.  I read that one comes first as a scout for the others so I expect to see a flock soon.

I thought I would post a few fall photos since it looks like the fall season is over already!

 I rotated this shot of orange butterfly plant but it always comes in the original rotation.  Anyway, I like this plant because it attracts all kinds of butterflies including monarchs and it's beautiful spring through fall.  I planted some of the seeds in another part of the yard but they seem to come up better when they plant themselves.

 On October 7, I photographed one of my favorite fall foliages, the dogwood trees.

 I like the way the veins show up yellow while the rest is a pretty red.

 Dogwoods are the first to turn in September and each tree seems to have its own timing for peak color.

 Another shot from October 7 shows how green the rest of the trees are.

Oak trees retain their leaves for a long time, even through early winter.   I photographed this oak to identify....a blackjack oak?   It isn't quite like the field guide and I can't find a big tree to look at the bark and acorns.  Does anyone have any ideas?

I guess we will fire up the woodstove for the first time this year.  And, I need to get into the garden and get the last of my October beans!

Unknown Shrub, Witch-hazel

Can you identify this shrub for me?

For years, I have admired this nicely formed shrub that grows at the edge of the woods and pastures. It receives only partial sun and typically is 2-3 feet tall.


Photo: November 5, 2008

The leaves turn a pretty red-orange and have an interesting shape.



Photo: November 5, 2008

On another shrub, the leaves were almost gone so the berries were more prominent. The red berries are very similar to spicebush but are in these drooping clusters. Birds will eat these berries before those of the spicebush. When I checked today, the berries and leaves were gone.

Can you identify this shrub?


Photo: November 5, 2008

As I walked back up our road, I noticed that the Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) tree was blooming. The yellow flowers are not very conspicuous as you can see in this photo.




Photo: November 12, 2008


The Witch-hazel is an understory tree that is fairly common in our woods and a favorite of the Wood Thrush bird for their nests. The leaves are aromatic and can be used to make astringent lotions. Some old timers use the forked branch of the Witch-hazel branch to detect underground water.

Walnuts everywhere

We have Black Walnut trees on the front and back of our land. I have never collected the walnuts but am seriously thinking about doing so this year because there are so many.


October 11, 2008

This tree on top of a pasture seemed to have the most walnuts. It gets plenty of sun but is not in a moist area which most experts say it needs.


September 22, 2008

I took this picture of two walnut trees in a foggy pasture last month. Most farmers do not clear walnut trees when they clear land for pasture. The reason may be that the trees are worth a lot for timber. Many people collect the walnuts to sell them so that may be another good reason for keeping the trees.

I have been remiss in posting to this blog but that's because I have been writing feverishly on my political blog (see profile). Hopefully, after the election, I will get back to posting once a week.

Sourwoods, Maples and Milkweed Bugs

Fall finally arrived in late October. Some of the trees show evidence of drought but I still find quite a bit of color.

The foliage of Sourwood trees first turns orange and then maroon--true Hokie colors (I was a professor at Virginia Tech and longtime football fan). Some trees started turning early in September, with their leaves already dropped.


But, those in the forest, tucked under the hickory and oak trees are in full color this past week (photo October 20)


Most sourwood trees have turned maroon by the end of October (photo October 27).

The sourwood trees bloom in late June through the end of July. Last month, I bought sourwood honey from a local beekeeper about 5 miles from where we live. I wondered if some of his bees came to our land to collect nectar this summer.

For a long time, I tried to identify the maple trees on our land. Finally, I collected leaves of two different trees and laid them side by side.


The red maple, on the left, has coarsely toothed edges while the sugar maple, on the right, has smooth edges. Now, I can distinguish them easily and realize we have a lot more sugar maples than red maples.

I have enjoyed watching milkweed bugs which I never noticed until Suzie Leslie, master naturalist, brought them to my attention recently.

First, they're small bright orange spots on the milkweed pods (photo taken September 22).


The bugs molt several times to become large milkweed bugs in late October.


Milkweed bugs eat the seeds which by this time are ready to take flight when a good breeze comes along.




Nature is a great source for inspiration--like this pattern of milkweed seeds which would make a great design for a printed fabric or embroidery.

Almost Fall

A welcome 1/2 inch of rain came last Thursday, but since then, skies have been sunny. So, it's dry again. Yesterday, I took advantage of another cool, sunny day to go on a walk on our many old logging trails.


During this dry spell, I noticed that the Great Lobelia plants have not wilted although they seem to have stayed mostly near the bottom of Rye Valley. Using their their long taproots, the Great Lobelia plants reach an ample supply of water, even in drought conditions.


Some of the leaves of the dogwoods are turning brown rather than maroon this year. Sassafras trees are faring better, with leaves a beautiful orange as you can see in the picture above.

I haven't seen too many caterpillars but butterflies are still in abundance. For several days, I saw a Painted Lady in the yard. Pearl Crescents are everywhere along with Spicebush Swallowtails.


This Great Spangled Fritillary was easy to photograph.

I keep noticing what I thought was a white, fast-flying damsel fly in the old pastures. Finally, I was able to catch up with one on a leaf....



To my surprise, it was a katydid.