Frozen

Last Wednesday I watched the sun rise and the moon set over the frozen fields. Our ground froze completely for the first time last Tuesday night after several nights of semi-frozen earth. The world was so frosted that it looked as though it had snowed (and I certainly hope that it will in coming days).

Most of the trees have finally released the last of their leaves, with a few exceptions, and the evergreens are taking center stage. Tomorrow I’ll show you how great those evergreens look in morning sunlight!

Wandering the Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve was founded in 1934, the brainchild of two active community members and nature lovers. BHWP’s mission is as follows:

“The mission of Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve is to lead people to a greater appreciation of native plants, to an understanding of their importance to all life, and to a commitment to the preservation of a healthy and diverse natural world.”

As a lover of all plants, and with a personal interest in learning about native plants, I have taken advantage of two opportunities to pay brief visits to the preserve. Needless to say, I have plans of many happy returns. The preserve is gorgeous – 134 acres of trees, plants, and trails – with ample resources on native species identification and cultivation.

With so much to see, it was hard to take it all in at once. When I returned home to review my pictures, I found that probably 90% of them were taken looking up – apparently, I was more interested in what was going on with the tree-color-change than was what occurring on the ground!

A spring visit will undoubtedly garner the onset of what puts the “wildflower” in the BHWP. Until then, I’m looking forward to seeing these trees laden with snow!
Next up, the view from the Bowman's Hill Tower.

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve

Today I visited the Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in New Hope, PA for an opportunity to enjoy more of the autumn’s colors. I learned a lot during my visit, and of course, I took a load of pictures… more to follow this week!

Autumn Afternoon

The autumn is getting ahead of me. So many beautiful trees turning their leaves combined with my recent excursions have left me with a serious arboreal backlog (no pun intended). I am not want for material in our tree blogging!

For now, how about a little peek at things in my neck of the woods from this afternoon?

The top image is our Yellow Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) of the family Magnoliaceae. Also called the Tulip Poplar and the Tuliptree, this tree calls out during any season, and demands to be noticed. It grows big, fast, and beautiful.

Our second image is the sassafras, of course! Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) of the family Lauraceae, is among my favorites here on the East Coast. I love how the colors are as variable as the leaf-lobes.

I just can’t decide what I want to share next! Any requests?

Yellow Poplar Tree in Bloom

Last month we explored the Yellow Poplar tree, also known as the tulip tree. Laura tipped us off to the flowers, which are this tree’s namesake! While I eagerly awaited the blossoms on the local trees, they managed to open and wither before I could take a picture to show their true elegance. The title of my blossom image should be “spent.”

On a more fruitful note, I now can identify several other yellow poplars in the forest around the swamps and springs, where a few enormous trees have had me wondering at their identity ever since last winter. Which reminds me: I should get back in there some time soon so you can see an update of the woods in leaf!

If you want to see some really nice images of the yellow poplar flowers in full-glory, you can check out the gorgeous tulip tree images posted at Turning Toward the Light. The artist got super lucky with some shots of a local tree, and offers you some great information too!

Yellow Poplar

Our first glimpse of the yellow poplar at Arboreality came on Arbor Day, April 28, 2006. The yellow poplar seen today is one of many unique tree species growing around the farm which I have been eager to share with you.

Something about those big, buttery green leaves brings a smile to my face! While this is the only yellow poplar that I have found on the farm thus far, there are many others in the surrounding area.

According to my reading, the yellow poplar is also called the “tulip tree” owing to the shape of those gorgeous leaves. [However, "tulip tree" is also a common name given to the saucer magnolias.]

Trees of the Main House

I love the Star Magnolia Tree post so much that I almost resisted posting today. But onward we must go!

These images were taken up by the main house: the largest structure still standing on the farm, and home to our landlords. Around the main house are numerous beautiful trees and plenty of diverse shrubbery sprouting beneath them.

The tree and hedge in the first image stand facing what I have learned was our landlady’s father’s playhouse – complete with fireplace and chimney! You can see the playhouse in one of my first images showing the early-blooming winter aconite. The playhouse's door and much of the surrounding area looks like a page out of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden (incidentally one of my all-time favorite books).

Currently this former playhouse is used for storage, but it has so much potential! Like everything else around here, the playhouse and the main house each have their own mystery, their own history, and their own abundance of trees and plants for us to explore.

By the by, recognize the cone of the Norway Spruce?