Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Ambush in the Goldenrods

Late July brings the first of summer's goldenrod flowers into bloom here in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts. It's triple-H weather time: hazy, hot, and humid. Not all that welcome by humans, but goldenrod seems to thrive in it.
Goldenrod- beauty, danger, and excitement lurk here.

A few days ago, while on a short walk, we came upon a patch of goldenrod, brilliant yellow and shining like the sun.

Despite broiling in the searing sun of this miserably humid Sunday, I couldn't resist spending some time examining the few newly popped flowers of goldenrod waving in a very gentle breeze. It became clear that the sun played an important role in the plant's life... the only spots where any goldenrod was already flowering were in full sun. I tried to find some in shadier sites where I could be a bit (no, a lot) cooler, but no luck.

The reason I wanted to check the flowers was that I recalled past times when there were Ambush bugs to be found in them.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Massachusetts Old Growth Forest


What? Old growth forest in Massachusetts?

Yes, there is a bit of it still intact, believe it or not. And some of it is stunning. What saved it from the axe is its location... on steep, difficult-to-log mountainsides. These places often grow boulders as efficiently as they do trees. But the combination of the terrain, the boulder fields and ledges, the soaring trees, and the lush green carpet of ferns and mosses make these relic forests irresistible to me.

Late afternoon in a western Massachusetts old growth forest

Saturday, July 18, 2015

The Unknown Squirrel


All of us in New England are thoroughly familiar with the ubiquitous grey squirrel, the notoriously clever and persistent raider of bird feeders. They thrive virtually everywhere among us. (By the way, those greys that make their homes in the deeper forests are much more wary of humans than their backyard and suburban park counterparts; try to get close to one in the more remote woods (if you even see one!) and you'll discover a different animal. Photographing a truly wild grey squirrel is more of a challenge than you'd guess.)

Gaining (or regaining) ground in many areas, including the northeast, is the black squirrel, which is really just a melanistic grey squirrel. It is said that black squirrels were much more abundant, in fact predominant, in our old growth forests before European colonization occurred. Their dark color afforded them protection in the dense shade of ancient forests.

And raise your hand if you've never seen a chipmunk... I don't see any going up. 


Eastern Chipmunk


Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The Spring Awakening

This past winter I began a project to create a video that will be a sampling of the many forms of life to be found in a certain Massachusetts forested state reservation. It will include animals, of course, but also wildflowers and other plants. The original plan was to showcase the trees, supplementing with some wildlife. But when spring broke through the heavy snow cover, it started to become clear that the profusion of wild critters declaring their presence was the dominant theme.

It began in early March. A lot of snow was dumped on western Mass this winter. I had been trudging through it for weeks in February, in search of anything that moved under its own power, since video is mainly about "motion" pictures. There wasn't much of that to be found, at least not by me, not in this place. There was plenty of deer sign, too much in fact. Tracks everywhere. You literally would have a difficult time moving through this forest without treading on deer scat (droppings). Every kind of plant life within their reach had been a survival meal. So I practiced taking video clips of still subjects, such as deer beds in the snow, their tracks, their browse damage; frozen streams, geologic formations, etc. It was getting a bit boring.

Then one cold day (March 9th, to be specific), I hoofed my way to a frozen beaver pond. As I stood there gazing across the still waterscape, a movement on the pond's snowy surface caught my eye. A small critter was clumsily scooting across the pond. Running looked terribly inappropriate for this animal somehow. It had a squat, chubby body with very short legs, a pointed snout, and a rat-like tail. It clearly was not designed to be a runner, yet it was hastily treading across the snow. What rodent sized critter could this be (although it technically is not a rodent)? I quickly got the camera running, which was in slow-motion mode. Here is a frame from the video.




Saturday, July 11, 2015

Introduction

Topics related to the forests of New England, particularly those of western Massachusetts, will be the theme of this blog.

Having spent many years exploring, photographing, and appreciating the varied forests of this region, I'm still as enthusiastic about spending my time in them today as I was decades ago.
Old Growth Yellow Birch

If you're like me, you feel a sense of mystery and excitement when you explore a forest, expecting to see, at any moment, something intriguing and delightful. After these many years, I still can't help but wonder what's over that next ridge; what awaits my senses in that deep, shady hemlock forest; where that stream originates.

Black Birch reaching to the sky
The trees and other plants that we call a forest are completely worthy of my time; however, a forest is more than plants. Its denizens are as much an integral component as are the plants. A woodland devoid of animal life (if there is such a place) is a sad place indeed. Animals are the life blood of a forest, the element that puts the motion and spirit in it, the very things that give a deep dark wooded glade its mystery and excitement. They are why I have a reverence for the woods. They live there, night and day, through the seasons, in all manner of weather. Their hidden movements and habits, as mundane as they may be to the critter, are all the romance to me. After all, the trees I appreciate so much are destined to live out their lives rooted in the spot where they began life; they don't and can't move about every day in search of food. They, and the smaller plants, provide most of the structure, habitat, and environment of a forest. But animals constantly move about, and you cannot rely on seeing one in the same spot you saw it yesterday.

Eastern Coyote



The unpredictability of what wild and free animal I might encounter is what drives me to explore deep forests. How will my path intersect with its path? What secret activity of its daily life might I discover? Will it sense my presence and flee, or will I be stealthy enough to observe it undetected? Will I be able to capture it in a photo or video to share with you?







There are many topics to discuss, we're just getting started. Old growth forests. Elusive predators. Colorful birds. Big trees. Wetlands. The seasons. Wildflowers. Bugs. And much more.
Otter with fish







You're invited to comment and relate your experiences in our New England woodlands. Do stay tuned, lots to come!