Snowy Chester County

The farm where we rent our cottage is nestled in Chester County, just outside of Philadelphia. For the last few days we’ve had a beautiful little snow dusting and crispy, cold temperatures. Our snowfall accumulated roughly two inches, and officially brought winter to our neck of Pennsylvania.

Yesterday’s sunrise illuminated the many oak trees which have not yet released their leaves. This phenomenon, called “leaf marcescence,” is common among oaks (Quercus), beeches (Fagus), and a few other deciduous trees. (Remember you can click on pictures to enlarge). I hope to take a drive up toward Phoenixville some time this winter so I can bring you pictures at Arboreality – there are beautiful swaths of forests (and lovely planted sycamores in town), and the blush of the young beech trees is always a warming sight in the cold of winter.

Of course, I can’t resist an excuse to share another picture of the stone silo. As an artist, I am perpetually inspired by the intermixing of farm, forest, and fauna here at my Pennsylvania home. This stone silo is one of a handful of remnants of the original farming days which once defined Chester County and the greater Brandywine Valley region. The third image is one of my favorite romantic staples in these parts: the elegant, imposing Black walnut (Juglans nigra).

Today, much of this land is being converted to suburban housing. Fortunately, the local culture allows room for a genuine interest in conservation, as demonstrated by the Open Space Preservation Department of Chester County. Last winter I had the pleasure of interviewing the Director, Mr. Bill Gladden. Check out the interview here at Arboreality, and stop by the Open Space Preservation Department website to learn more about local efforts to retain forest and farmland in the area.

Coming up at Arboreality: Christmas trees, winter planting, and green holidays.

Looking to bring a few more trees to your blog? The Festival of the Trees is a monthly blog carnival featuring trees and forests from around the blogosphere. Stop by the Festival of the Trees coordinating blog to learn how you can contribute your tree posts, or volunteer to host the festival right at your own blogging home! (An April volunteer is needed! April means Arbor Day for many in the US... what better time to host the Festival of the Trees?)

Festival of the Trees 6, Last Day for Submissions

Good morning! Today is the last day available for you to submit your entries for the Festival of the Trees 6.

To learn more, check out the Festival of the Trees coordinating blog, or write me with any questions.

Send submissions to me at: jadeblackwater [at] brainripples [dot] com

Have a good one!

PS - Sorry I've been so slow in responding to comments the last few days! It's a busy time of year (for everyone I'm sure), but I just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to everyone who visits, comments, and enjoys Arboreality!!!

The Forests of Chateau Mumu

Each of our two vacation resting places had their own unique forest character. If you think there are a lot of pictures in today's post, you can imagine how many I had to leave out!

Chateau Mumu, our first stop, was nestled in among a stand of young deciduous trees, dominated by what I believe to be either Chestnut trees, Chestnut oak trees, or possibly Chinkapin oaks – or perhaps both, or something else entirely! They stood out to me because I had not previously seen trees with these big, wonderful, toothed leaves. Further investigation will be needed for certain identification, especially since I'm still stumped by many oaks. File the tooth-leaved trees under mystery.

Other oaks, Sugar maples (Acer saccharum), Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) and the odd evergreen also grew in the woods. I was particularly surprised by what appeared to be three young Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii), the likes of which I have not seen in almost a year (where once they dominated my landscape in Washington). I can’t imagine what Douglas fir might be doing in the Poconos, and I didn't see any of their cones around, so I’ll leave these up as mystery evergreens, to be identified at a later date.

The forest floor at Chateau Mumu may have been even more exciting than the rest of the woods. Great piles of fallen leaves scattered amid rain-soaked mosses and Pennsylvania stones made for fun investigations by the puppies, and plenty of fodder for my camera.

As always, suggestions for identification of the mystery trees is welcomed and encouraged. Next week I’ll give you a full review of the places we stayed, and of course, many more pictures from our adventures in the surrounding forests and parks!

Backlog in the Tree Blog... let’s start with oak

With my favorite season well underway, I now have far too many pictures to share, and I promise I'm just going to take more.

Today, let’s start with oak. Earlier this month Salix requested some Red oaks. While many of the oaks are only just turning, some (as those shown here) are in color.

The first two images I am almost certain belong to a Pin oak (Quercus palustris), also called a Swamp oak or a Spanish oak (but be careful, there are different kinds of “Swamp oak”).

The last image I’m not sure of… it could be another Pin oak, or it could be any of several other varieties of oak. I’m still learning to tell them all apart, and leaves can be tricky! More investigation is clearly in order.

I am also still trying to find some pictures of the ash trees for Jenn, but so far I haven’t located any (I haven’t given up!). According to the PA DCNR, there are white ash and black ash growing Pennsylvania; where is the question.

However, if you’re looking for a quick fix of lovely Mountain ash (still green), check out these pictures from Chavala. She's got some great stuff.

Big Sky

This photo (also taken at the Renton PO) made me think "big sky."

Years ago I worked with a gentleman who told me that he loved to travel to the coast. The reason, he explained, was because he was at his most creative by the coast. He went on to say that he wasn’t sure why that was, but he suspected that it had something to do with the "big sky."

It hadn’t ever occurred to me to think of a treeless space in terms of the "big sky."

That phrase stuck with me, and I remember thinking about the term "big sky" for days afterward. Also, as often happens to me, I learned that same week that Montana is the "big sky" state. Then I remembered something else: Eastgate.

Oh yeah, for anyone in Western Washington who is familiar with the I-90-hugging Eastgate, you know it’s not the most scenic of townships. However, I’ve seen some incredible and beautiful things in Eastgate, not the least of which are the trees located on my first college campus, the "University of Eastgate" (Bellevue Community College).

I remember on more than one occasion staring up at the "big sky" in Eastgate. I’ve seen outrageous sunrises, sunsets, moonrises, and moonsets. I have also seen some amazing cloud formations, including a cloud-woman kneeling while exhaling smoke, and a perfectly cubic cloud! No fooling! It was an ENORMOUS cube-shaped cloud, with NO other clouds in the sky.

Now I’m thinking that perhaps I should take a "field trip" to my ol’ stompin’ grounds, and take pictures of my favorite trees at BCC. I sure hope they’re all still there!

Red Doves

[Click on the picture to enlarge for ultimate viewing pleasure!]

Here's another from the Renton PO. This picture really impressed me when I took a look at it. I swear I can see those leaves and clouds moving! I mentioned that the leaves looked like birds in flight, and PAL called them "red doves," which I thought was most appropriate.

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood...

This honey is located in the parking lot of a post office in Renton, Washington. I just had to get your October Monday morning started off right!!

[Remember to click on photos for a larger image!]