First Snow Winter 2102- 2013

 
Not much to say about today. We had the first snow that collected, although it wasn't much. I have high hopes for a winter with lots of snow play!

I spent the afternoon writing, and then somehow lost it all when I went to backup the file. The quality part is that I did have the time to spend all evening re-creating the chapter.

I'm off to bed with a sore throat.

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Where Should I Put the Mouse Bait?

 
You may remember we had a little mouse problem. Well, it's fall, and all the cousins of that family are coming inside to get out of the cold. So, we've heard the pitter-patter of little feet, and other scatological signs.

I still had several blocks of the poison I bought about a month ago, and I've been contemplating where the best place to put them might be. I discovered that the mice really, really like them, and chewed the blocks to bits making quite a mess, so I didn't want to put them in the pantry or other places where I would need to wipe up crumbs of leftover poison.

Today I opened the drawer where I had put the rest of the package, to count how many blocks were still in the package. I guess I don't need to worry about where to put them.



Can't tell what I'm talking about? Look closer.



The mice have helped themselves, and self-medicated. No wonder Om already found one dead one in the kitchen.

	See A Tale of Six Mice
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Great Lakes Hikes Gathering

 
Almost 20 years ago, a friend began an online forum called Great Lakes Hikes. I was an early member, and soon after that the group began having a weekend outing once a year in the fall. I'm embarrassed to say that I've never made it to any of them, even though they hold it only an hour from where I live.

So today, I finally joined them for the last hike of the weekend. They meet at the North Country Trail Birch Grove School.



This building was the first NCTA headquarters. It was rescued from near ruin by volunteers, and now it serves as a hostel/meeting place. It makes a really nice location for groups with plenty of camping space outside (floor space inside), a small kitchen and bathroom.

For the hike today, they chose a relatively short walk to Diamond Lake. The trail was built by NCT folks through land that was purchased by the Nature Conservancy from a private owner, and then transferred to the Forest Service. This is very near where we hiked in April at Loda Lake



The destination was a county park at Diamond Lake. The day was mild, and occasionally sunny. Couldn't ask for a nicer time in November! I met several people I had only known on line, and some totally new folks too.



I have two favorite images from the day. We passed a particularly nice bog (acid wetland), and walked out on a fallen white pine to get pictures. This photo isn't about the plants (although you might recognize the leatherleaf from a couple of days ago). The "sparkles" are cotton grass. Maybe I'll feature that another day. But the picture is more about the light and the impressionistic image.



The other favorite is completely different. There were three children on the outing, and we came across a lovely little garter snake catching that same late-year sun as we were. You can see the snake was much appreciated by its audience.



I even dried clothes on the line today! Then the wind picked up, blew in a new front and it's raining now. Might be snow tomorrow!

	See Leatherleaf
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Spirit of the Woods Hike

 
Today was the Saturday for the November hike for our trail club. Loren and Ellen were both busy, so I wasn't sure if I'd have company. But three others came, and we had a great time. The weather was mild, although not sunny, but pleasant. (Vicky, Joan, John, Patty)



Along the way, we did a little trail work. Nothing major! There were a few small trees down. This one was still attached and couldn't just be broken, and I had a small folding saw. Here, Vicky takes a turn with the project.



I was amazed at how different the section looked with all the leaves down. Maybe I've never hiked that piece in late fall before. I noticed several valleys, two potential camping spaces, and a cattail wetland behind a hemlock swamp that I hadn't seen before. How could I have missed that?

Well, we also saw a couple of treats. Here's a sweet little clump of mushrooms. I have no idea what they are, other than cute.



We almost missed the prettiest find because we were looking so much at the ground. Two late witch hazel trees were in full bloom. Did you know that "witch" has nothing to do with magical women? It's a corruption of "wych" from Old English "wiche," which means "bendable." The wood is very flexible.

And yes, the astringent Witch Hazel is made from an extract of the bark and leaves.



This is the same piece of trail I walked with Maggie in September, and I've hiked it many times, but today it felt like a completely new place. I hadn't ever been so aware of the topography, and that it really has quite a few small hills. We didn't find any open water among the cattails, but I'll bet it has some in the spring. I'll have to look again.

We did have to tinker with the pump a little more this afternoon, but got the water going again without much trouble.

	See Strolling with Maggie
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Leatherwood

 
Are you paying attention? Did you notice the difference between yesterday's and today's titles. This one is LeatherWOOD, Dirca Palustris.

These pictures are from last April, when it was in bloom, but pairing it with the LeatherLEAF from yesterday is a good set. It can help serve as a reminder that they are very different plants. About the only thing they really have in common is that they are both wetland shrubs.

Here's a view of the whole plant.


Not much to look at, is it? But I really like this plant. It's not very common at all. Most of its relatives live in Africa and Australia. It's a wetland plant, and it has some really interesting features if you look closely. I was pretty happy when I found a place where it grows.

First of all, the flowers of the family Thymelaeaceae, in which it belongs, are very strange. They are oddly tubular with various configurations of sepals and stamens. Don't worry much about this; the flowers are very short-lived. I managed to get one picture by going back to the site three times.



As you might guess, the wood is very difficult to break. It bends easily, and if it eventually breaks, it will just tear in strips.

Here are the seed pods.



But, the really interesting feature, which allows you to identify this shrub at any time of the year, is the odd way the twigs fork. Instead of the new branch growing from the flat surface of the older one, a sort of Y-shaped extension of the old wood forms, and then the new twig grows from that. You can see it in this picture. Even in winter, if you see these Ys, you'll know you are looking at Dirca.



There are few other species in North America, but they are supposed to be extremely rare.

	See Leatherleaf
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