Emergence Among the Trees

The forests are still sleeping in Eastern Pennsylvania, but these photos from Ridley Creek State Park last month show the quiet emergence of ferns and other flora. I couldn't resist sharing photos of Snowdrops and Winter Aconite from my own garden taken earlier in March. Coming up at Arboreality: the first signs of swelling tree buds.

The Last of the Autumn Color

These images were taken at the beginning of November, when our autumn color was reaching its peak. We’ve had a long, beautiful color show this season, and Thanksgiving’s cold, wind, and now rain has managed to remove all but the last of the leaves.

Rainbow Sassafras

Last Autumn timing and weather prevented me from capturing the sassafras colors for Arboreality. This year – I was determined! Several little sassafras (Sassafras albidum) trees are tucked in the shadow of the stone silo here at the farm. Their colors did not disappoint.

November Forest

October was kind to Philadelphia this year. We enjoyed late summer heat, which means that I was still harvesting red tomatoes until just a few weeks ago. It also means that many trees are still holding their leaves in swaths of pink and gold – great news for us tree lovers!

And there’s more good news for us tree lovers:

First, the Festival of the Trees came twice this month, courtesy of Salix Tree at WindyWillow. Go forth to enjoy the Trees of Halloween – if you dare! Then take a leisurely stroll through the Trees and Fruit of Autumn. Delicious.

Second, forest biologist Nalini Nadkarni is putting the finishing touches on her most recent book, Between Earth and Sky: Our Intimate Connections to Trees, due out in Spring 2008 from the University of California Press. I have had the honor of working as her assistant in preparing this book, and I am very excited to share more with you in coming months.

For now - enjoy the pictures!

Green Summer Pin Cherries

Anita Marie Moscoso recently commented that pumpkin plants in summer remind her of the autumn that is soon to come. Being a fellow autumnophile (and all-around-pumpkin lover), I know precisely what she means.

These pin cherries (Prunus pensylvanica) are another echo of the future: when the tired summer finally breathes her last, these cherries will sing the autumn into splendor with the first bright colors of the season. Also called the Fire cherry or Bird cherry tree, these small, colorful trees are among my favorite early Pennsylvania discoveries.

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!

Playing in the Pocono Forests

In the Poconos, the trees are at a wonderful point where anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 (or more) of the trees in a given area are turning their leaves. Fiery reds, pinks, oranges, and golds are contrasted against rich greens and browns.

It was the ultimate in eye candy, and while my camera couldn’t possibly do our travels justice, these are just some of the beautiful things we saw in the forest. We visited the Delaware State Forest, Gouldsboro State Park, and Promised Land State Park, where most of these pictures were taken.

If anyone knows the identity of the plant in the eighth picture, please tell us! It looks so familiar, but I'm not quite sure what it is. Perhaps some type of fern?

Tomorrow: the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area

Entrance

Here is one of the first structures that I see upon coming up the long drive to my cottage. This little shed still functions so far as I can tell (although I haven’t ventured to ask what it stores). Adjoining it you see the overgrown remnants of another stone wall; behind it some of the beautiful, old trees surrounding the property. Many of these trees are well over 100 years old.

Although you can see the new development skirting the property, it’s easy to forget that they are there at all, and instead wrap your mind around what this beautiful place must have looked like when all the trees and structures still stood; when the land was still farmed; when the people still cruised around with horse and cart.

Yesterday, after walking my dogs, I locked them in the house (much to their chagrin) and set out on my own among the trees. It was amazing how many more animals I saw around me without the boys trundling through the brush. This place truly possesses its own voice and magic. Apart from knowing that there were dozens of eyes watching me wander through the trees and hedges, I had the distinct feeling that the land around me was breathing, whispering of days long past and memories of a quieter time.

View from a Rest Stop

Greetings Arborealists!

I finally got out my camera from my trip, and big surprise – I totally blew it on pictures across the US. You wouldn’t believe how terrible I am about taking pictures on trips and vacations and the like… I get so swept up in having fun and looking with my own eyes, that I completely forget I even have a camera. (On my first trip to Belize, I went down with four disposable cameras, and only used the first half of two, mostly on the last day before I left!)

So, upon looking this morning, I found this gorgeous picture from a particularly cold morning in Nebraska. We took the I-80 across the US, and I must say that Idaho and Wyoming are simply BEAUTIFUL! They were my favorites... although there was definitely more of that awesome sage scrub than trees to speak of in those two states (at least, from the I-80).

This picture, like virtually all of my few others, was taken from one of countless rest stops (and off-ramps, heeheehee). In the upper-right corner you’ll see the moon who was our constant companion on the road. We watched her rise in the evenings, and set in the day (as she was waning). The best moon rise we saw was a deep, red moon the evening we entered Illinois, hugging the horizon as a great red jewel.

Anyways, no clue what kind of tree you’re looking at here, but I do know that Nebraska was far more beautiful than folks might have otherwise led me to believe… flat as it was, it was a gorgeous landscape.

More to follow… we had a wonderful windstorm last night here in Pennsylvania, and I’m hoping to get a few shots of the snow-dusting we received before it melts away.

Have a great week everyone!