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Showing posts with label Wildcat Den State Park. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wildcat Den State Park. Show all posts
January 29, 2013
January 24, 2013
January 22, 2013
Oak Leaf Galls
Now showing: Oak Leaf Galls. Visually, they take these leaves from ordinary to eye-catching.
These are red oak leaves. They have pointed bristles on the end of each lobe. (White oak leaves, on the other hand, have blunt lobes and no bristles.)
The galls are created by gall wasps.
I've discussed galls before in my former post, "Pretty Galling". You can find that here:
http://foundonthetrail.blogspot.com/2012/07/it-takes-lot-of-gall.html
Generally such leaf galls are harmless to the tree. They represent an interaction between the leaf and the gall wasp - a part of life that left its mark. Perhaps we could say that galls give the leaves a little more character. I know that they sure caught my eye, and I was interested in the story behind the appearance.
These are red oak leaves. They have pointed bristles on the end of each lobe. (White oak leaves, on the other hand, have blunt lobes and no bristles.)
The galls are created by gall wasps.
I've discussed galls before in my former post, "Pretty Galling". You can find that here:
http://foundonthetrail.blogspot.com/2012/07/it-takes-lot-of-gall.html
Generally such leaf galls are harmless to the tree. They represent an interaction between the leaf and the gall wasp - a part of life that left its mark. Perhaps we could say that galls give the leaves a little more character. I know that they sure caught my eye, and I was interested in the story behind the appearance.
January 21, 2013
Pileated Woodpecker
While hiking at Wildcat Den, my friends and I were treated to the sight of a pileated woodpecker.
This thing was big, and it was loud. We first noticed it from the sound of its pecking on a tree, but then it swooped over us and flew up the trail a little ways, making a loud set of calls. I don't remember ever hearing a call quite like it. Up to that point we had only seen small birds, like nuthatches and black-capped chickadees, all of which this woodpecker could have eaten for lunch! The pileated is about a foot-and-a-half long, while those littler birds are only about six inches long. It made quite an impression!
The bird takes its name from the red, hairy-looking feathers on its head. Pileated means "crested" and comes from the Latin "pileatus" meaning "wearing a felt cap". (Thank you, dictionary.com !) This word is also related to the Latin "pilus", meaning "hair".
This particular pileated woodpecker happened to be a female. How do I know? According to my research, the males have a red line running from their bill to their throat, and on the females, this line is black. You can see in this picture that ours has a black line.
The moral of the story? Get out on the trail. You never know what you might find!
This thing was big, and it was loud. We first noticed it from the sound of its pecking on a tree, but then it swooped over us and flew up the trail a little ways, making a loud set of calls. I don't remember ever hearing a call quite like it. Up to that point we had only seen small birds, like nuthatches and black-capped chickadees, all of which this woodpecker could have eaten for lunch! The pileated is about a foot-and-a-half long, while those littler birds are only about six inches long. It made quite an impression!
The bird takes its name from the red, hairy-looking feathers on its head. Pileated means "crested" and comes from the Latin "pileatus" meaning "wearing a felt cap". (Thank you, dictionary.com !) This word is also related to the Latin "pilus", meaning "hair".
This particular pileated woodpecker happened to be a female. How do I know? According to my research, the males have a red line running from their bill to their throat, and on the females, this line is black. You can see in this picture that ours has a black line.
The moral of the story? Get out on the trail. You never know what you might find!
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