Mulberries

At scout camp last week I was pleased to find a mulberry tree right in the midst of our camp.  It helped provide shade, and was filled with berries.

This was a red mulberry tree, which is native.

There are also exotic, white mulberry trees, which were brought into the U.S. in the 1700's, the late 1820's and at other times, in hopes of using them in silk production.  The favorite food of the silk worm, by far, is the white mulberry leaf.  They will also eat red mulberry leaves, and interestingly, Osage orange leaves.  Brigham Young, the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, imported mulberry trees and silkworms to the Utah territory in the 1850's, and members of the church there produced their own silk for about fifty years.

The fruit starts out white, then changes to red, and finally becomes a deep purple, as you can see in the photo, below.  The dark berries will stain your fingers but their sweetness is well worth it.

The ripe fruit drop to the ground, which is where I first noticed them in our camp.  They attracted raccoons and skunks, but these foragers only came around when we were all quietly resting in our cots.

I did not need to go so far afield to get photos of mulberries, as we have a tree growing in our backyard, but somehow I have never taken the time to photograph it.

Cottontail

This Eastern cottontail was out early one morning as I was walking.  I was happy to be able to get so close to it - usually they run away very quickly at the least sign of my approach.

It was a shy little thing, but still brave enough to keep just a few steps ahead of me as it was eating its way along the path.

One interesting fact about rabbits, is that they excrete two kinds of droppings - hard and soft.  The soft pellets contain undigested material, and are immediately eaten again.  In this way they can get more of the nutrients out of the raw plant material they have eaten.

Eastern cottontails do not dig burrows, but make nests in small depressions in the earth or among grasses or brush.  They are, of course, the epitome of the word "prey" and are eaten by foxes, coyotes, bobcats, owls, and hawks, among other predators.

Bunnicula

"I vant to eat your vegetables!  Muahaha!"

(The title of this post is in reference to the humorous children's book of the same name, written by James Howe.)

My First Rose-Breasted Grosbeak!

I had an awesome find today!  I saw my first rose-breasted grosbeak!

I was walking along a narrow trail.  The narrower the trail, the more easily spiders can string their webs across it.  You know how there are days with a high pollen content?  Well, I have something similar.  It's what I call a cobweb factor.  It can go from an occasional cobweb across the trail to something on the order of Shelob's lair.

On this walk, the cobweb factor was pretty high.  I could certainly tell that I was the first bipedal life form to have passed that way that morning.  The cobwebs were clinging to me, and probably trailing behind me.  And there were mosquito.  And there was no waterfowl to be seen on the marsh.  I was kind of bummed.

While swatting at bugs and constantly wiping off webbing, I almost disregarded a chipping noise overhead.  Luckily for me, the bird kept at it.  I finally stopped and looked up, and there it was.  (Cue trumpet fanfare here.)

It was a rose-breasted grosbeak - a bird I had, up until now, only read about in field guides.

I snapped photos as fast as I could but he was off in a flash.  I felt pretty confident what it was, but wasn't 100% sure until I got home and was able to look at the pictures.  Sure enough, it was.  Made my day.

Jailbirds

Mayapple

The Mayapple is a great little woodland plant.  Almost everyone is familiar with it, even if somewhat unconsciously.  When I've taken scouts on nature hikes and name it for them, they say, "Oh yeah!  I've seen that before!"

The plant looks like a big umbrella to me, which is one of its nicknames.  They grow in colonies, just like trillium.

The really exciting part, to me, is the when the blossoms can be found underneath their green canopies - hidden away.  From these blossoms, later in the summer, you will get actual little fruits.  They can be toxic, but I've read that they are edible in moderation.  In fact, one of the plant's nicknames is the wild lemon, due to its flavor.

Cross Country Trail

We have three notable hills on our home cross country course, where I sometimes walk.  They are the...

the...

and the...

I love the fact that these hills have been named.

Imagine a team of runners and coaches challenging these hills day after day, and talking about them afterward as they wipe the sweat off - how hard they were, and how steep!  Someone throws out a name, in jest.  It sticks.  Their collective brain trust comes up with fitting names to reflect their shared experiences in running these hills.

Fiery destruction.  Deadly intention.  Irritating, maddening annoyance.  Signs are put up, naming them.

When they see the signs, runners are reminded that the struggle ahead has been acknowledged, named, and mastered by their fellow teammates.  That's got to be encouraging.

At another cross country meet, out of town, I saw the following on one of the hills of their course:

I loved their sense of pride, and ownership.  Yes, it is a big, steep hill, and it leaves them gasping after they've reached the top, but it's theirs, and they have conquered it day after day.

Life is like that.  A challenge we have to face can seem insurmountable.  "I'll never be able to get up that hill!" So name it.  Own it.  Conquer it step by step.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

It was a bright, beautiful morning when arrived at a local park to take my walk.  I was just getting the lens cap off my camera when I heard a bird close by.  Looking up, I saw this fellow.

He was singing his heart out.  It was such a lovely morning, that I felt my spirits lift with his as we took in the moment.

I was glad to have a chance to photograph a woodpecker against a blue sky. Normally when I see them, it is under the forest canopy, and there are usually branches and leaves impeding a clear view.

This last picture shows the slight reddish tinge on his belly - hence the name.  You might think that this fellow should be called a red-headed woodpecker, as his head is so much more red than his belly, but that name is given to another woodpecker who has much more red on his head.  (If you click on the photo, it will enlarge.)

I was unable to get a photo of his back, which has black and white bars - very pretty.

Endangered Mussels

There are 4 federally endangered mussels on the Mississippi.  They are the Winged Mapleleaf, Higgin's Eye Pearlymussel, Fat Pocketbook, and Scaleshell.

Federally endangered means they are in real danger of going extinct.  A lesser designation would be "threatened".

Why should we care?  Because mussels filter millions of gallons of water each day.  They keep our water clean.

What can we do to help?  For starters, we can learn about an exotic species that has invaded our waterways, and that is the Zebra mussel.  They grow thick and fast, and can carpet the bottom of rivers, choking out the native mussels.  Zebra mussels also attach themselves to the bottom of boats, which is one way they are spread - being transported from lake to lake or river to river.  If you are a boat owner, you can inspect your craft and clean it off every time you come off the water.

Handsome Mussels

It's always exciting to be walking along a shore and find shells - whether it is an ocean beach or a river bank.  Around here, you can find freshwater mussels.  The trick to further enjoyment is learning to identify them.

As I have tried to master this task, I have delighted in their odd and descriptive names:  Washboard, Spike, Elktoe, Ebonyshell, Sheepnose, Wabash Pigtoe, Pistolgrip, and my personal favorite - the Purple Wartyback.

I haven't yet learned to identify them, so I'm just sharing some pictures of mussels here as things of beauty.

And yes, I can't help but add a little etymological nugget.  As you might guess, "mussel" comes from the word "muscle", but THAT word comes from the Latin "musculus" which means "little mouse".  How's that for cute?

Sumac

Here's another little friend of mine - sumac.

I've always liked sumac because it is easy to identify.  There's an absolute jungle of shrubs and trees out there in the world, and they can all look the same, but not sumac.  It's very distinctive, with its red bobs, which are called drupes.

The drupes can be used to make a kind of lemonade.  They have also been used as a spice, and a dye.  However, you'd want to be very sure what kind of sumac you were using.  Consult an expert to avoid ingesting anything toxic.

One common types of sumac is smooth sumac.  Another is staghorn sumac, which has a fuzzy texture to its branches, like velvet on antlers.  You can see that in this photo:

Sumac grows in stands.  You might see cutleaf sumac, a domestic variety, where the leaves are toothed, or jagged.  And then there is poison sumac, which has white drupes.  Avoid that like the plague.

The word "sumac" traces its etymology down through the ages, back through Old French,  Medieval Latin, Arabic and finally back Syriac.  I loved learning this, because I had figured it was a Native American word.  And what do you think that original Syriac word "summaq" meant?  Red.

Central Park's Resident Red-Tail

Speaking of red-tailed hawks, here is a great book I found recently.  It's such an awesome book!

It's the true story of off-color red-tailed hawk, the Pale Male, who adopts Central Park and its environs as his territory.  In an interesting and beautiful way, it covers his mates, their challenges and offspring, and his fame.  

Written by Janet Schulman, this is a wonderful book for children, but adult readers will enjoy it just as much.  (I don't know about you, but I've got a penchant for picture books, even at my age.)  The super illustrations by Meilo So, combined with the real life facts in the text, make a great story.  Look for it at your local library!

A Gift

I went for a walk in one of my favorite wild spots on the river.  It was early morning, and cool out.  I had the whole place to myself, and gloried in all the greenery.  Everything was interesting.  I traveled the entire length of the trail.

On my way back, there on the pathway, was a gift.  It was a red-tailed hawk feather.  Here it is, in situ:

It had not been there when I first came through the other way.  I felt like it had been placed there, just for me to find.  It was right smack in the middle of the trail.  I actually looked around to see if someone had placed it in my way, but of course no one was there.

It was beautifully crafted - a fleeting piece of fine art.

Feeling that it had been deposited there just for me, as a gift to elevate my day, it was hard to leave it there.  But I did.  I know the principles of Leave No Trace.  We should leave what we find.  Also, it's illegal to keep a red-tailed hawk feather without a permit, due to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.  So I left it there on the path for the next passerby, and took these pictures to remember it by.

Crawfish Chimney

"What is that?!" I asked myself, when I came across this little structure out in the woods, a couple hundred yards from a marshy pond.  It stood about 3-4 inches high, and was made up of little chunks of mud piled up on top of each, forming a chimney.  I had never seen anything like it before.

Hyperion knew, of course.  He always does.  When I showed him my photos, he said, "That's a crawfish chimney."  And so it is.

Crawfish carry each individual wad of mud up to the top of their burrow, one by one, as they excavate - thus creating the chimney, and their home, sweet home.

Crawfish are also known as crayfish, crawdads, and colloquially - mud bugs.  Crayfish comes from an old French word - "escrevisse".  The "visse" part sounded similar to fish, and so the word morphed into crayfish.  The "craw" part was a further mutation of the word.  Escrevisse came from an old Frankish word (who knew?!) - "krebitja", meaning crab.  I just love following these sorts of word trails!

Purple Violets

Purple Violets in the spring woods.

Purple was a color associated with royalty, and the wealthy - the only ones who could at first afford to wear it.  The word purple comes from the Latin word "purpura", relating to the shellfish from which this early dye was made.

Early Trails

The halcyon days of my childhood were spent in the woods.

There I explored the Mississippi, shoulder to shoulder with Marquette and Joliet.  In the small, yellow meadows I pulled a travois, moving with my tribe.  Under the green shade of the pines, I was an Elvish princess.

Acorns ran through my fingers like pirate treasure.  Every pebble was a gemstone, and every fallen tree a ship I could sail.  I fashioned spears out of sticks and ranged far afield.  I was a great warrior, a fleeing captive, a pioneer trailblazer.

There was a great peace in the woods for me.  I loved to be there, and think my thoughts.  There was always some new trail to follow or grove to explore – always some new sound to identify.  All this fed my heart and my imagination.  And today, every time I step foot on a new trail, I carry the memories of those early days in my back pocket.

Starry False Solomon's Seal

All spring I was looking for Solomon's Seal.  I would often think I saw its leaves, but I didn't feel I could be sure until there were flowers to look at.  Finally I came across some with blossoms, and felt sure I had found it.

Once I compared my photos to those in field guides, I realized I was mistaken.  Further research led me to False Solomon's Seal, but again, there was not an exact match.  Finally I came across the plant called Starry False Solomon's Seal, and that is what I think I have here.

This is a native plant.  It is also called Starry False Lily of the Valley.  It's scientific name indicates a May flower that is star-like.  As for the Solomon's Seal portion of the name, it is a reference to a legendary signet ring said to have been worn by King Solomon.

Tarsal Glands

I got up one morning determined to photograph some white-tailed deer.  I had seen one last fall, on the river, but had failed to get a clear shot of him.  I headed back to the same spot and walked along very quietly.  I was in luck!

I found three deer, feeding quietly in a marshy spot in the woods.  At first I only saw a big doe, but then I saw two others, further back in the trees.  They were very calm and looked at me as if to say, "Who in the world are you, and what are you doing here?"

When I got home and looked at the photos, I noticed an odd, dark mark on the inner "elbow" of the back leg of one of the deer.  Not being familiar with deer, I wondered if this was an infected wound of some kind.  (See below)

Looking at further pictures, I found that this deer had a matching spot on its other back leg.  I realized that these dark spots must be natural, and  I soon learned that they were tarsal glands.

Tarsal glands are areas of long hair on the back legs of deer, over sebaceous glands.  Deer urinate on them.  This is called rub-urination.  The secretion from the glands and chemicals in the urine combine on the hairs to create what is suspected to be a uniquely identifying scent for each individual animal.  All deer, old and young, male and female do this, but bucks are known to do it much more frequently during the rut.

Robins

Fat

Skinny

Early

Mallards

Had the pleasure of coming across these mallards recently.  Here's a drake.  I like his shiny, iridescent head and yellow bill.  He was swimming in a creek.  I love how his black tail feathers curl so perfectly in the back.

Here's a hen.  She was enjoying a temporary pond, filled with a superfluity of rain water.  I like the patch of blue on her wing, and the orange of her bill and feet.

After looking at my photos of this hen, I wondered if her bill was just muddy, or if it was naturally colored this way.  After some research, I learned that all such hens have a two-toned bill.