July 24th

Eastern Coyote scat, strategically placed on a boulder at a trail juncture. The Wintergreen is in flower. The bright red berries will form by fall, and will be highly sought after by many birds and mammals. Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) is also called Checkerberry or Teaberry, and tastes exactly like the chewing gum of that name. The leaves and berries are edible as a trail snack or brewed as tea at any time of year, but in my opinion the berries are best after the first freeze, which seems to intensify the flavor, and they are a wonderful treat if you can find them during the winter. The leaves are eaten year-round by Whitetail Deer, apparently less so in summer.

August 1st

"American Lady," Vanessa virginiensis. Populations of this butterfly seem to fluctuate from year to year in our area, and sometimes it seems absent, but this year we have seen several. It is a little smaller than the Painted Lady, and has two large (blue) spots on each hindwing, a good identifying feature.

August 2nd

The den of a porcupine in an ancient Black Birch (Betula lenta, or Sweet Birch) tree. Birches often sprout in the cracks of rocks and boulders, as they need disturbed mineral soil to germinate. This one sprouted long ago in the crack of this glacial erratic boulder. The rock was brought here from the north and left when the last wave of glaciers retreated between 11,000 and 10,000 years ago. This Porcupine den has been used for many years and on several occasions I have visited this Porcupine den and heard their vocalizations within the den in the hollow of the tree.

August 3rd

Nuts from Shagbark Hickory, Carya ovata. These are immature, and appear to have fallen early due to insect maggots within. When ripe, the husk is dark reddish-brown and splits at the base to release the nut, which is sweet with a thin shell.

The tree is also called Shellbark or Scalybark Hickory in different parts of the country. The nuts were heavily utilized by native American Indians, and the tree was much more prevalent prior to the arrival of white men on the continent. Euell Gibbons has many references to the Hickory nut in his legendary work, Stalking the Wild Asparagus.

August 4th

Being aware of the transition from one gait to another, especially when taking the landscape and surrounding environment into consideration, can help in understanding an animal's behavior, and can help give us more insight into its life. This photo shows tracks of an Eastern Coyote, a front foot (near the bottom of the photo) with the hind foot above it. This is what would be called an “over-step;” that is, the hind foot travels farther than the front foot, and rather than “direct-registering,” lands farther forward. In other words, the front foot has landed and picked up, and the hind foot has then landed a moment later, a bit farther forward. (Keep in mind that the hind foot is actually moving in near-synchronicity with the front foot on the opposite side of the body). Generally, this indicates a faster gait than the direct-register trot (which is the Coyote’s most common gait), and often manifests itself in what trackers call a “side-trot,” the most common form of over-step trot. In the case of this photo, the Coyote was transitioning out of a direct-register trot into a side-trot. Once in a side-trot, an Eastern Coyote can cover considerable distances with apparent ease. Keep in mind that the Coyote can also do an “over-step walk,” although it would not be very common for the animal to maintain that as a gait for any length of time, and would most often be encountered as a transition between gaits; it is important to look at the steps that led up to a footprint, and those that came afterwards, before interpreting the gait.

As the Coyote settles into the side-trot, there will be greater separation between the front foot and the hind foot, with a greater distance indicating greater speed. There is much folklore about which direction the head is turned during a side-trot, but the reality is that the Coyote can be looking in any direction (although subtle clues are available in the foot prints); that is, a left-slanting side trot (as in the photo) does not necessarily indicate that the head was turned to look toward the left, even though structurally a head turn to the left may at first glance appear to be easier than a head turn to the right. The point is that when looking at tracks and sign we should avoid the temptation of making tendencies into rules.

This is one of the lessons of tracking that may be applied to our lives as humans - learning the limitations of our thought process and realizing that we will never be able to understand everything using our thoughts. Our thoughts are only part of our mind. They are tools. Once we accept thought as a tool, it starts getting us into trouble less often, but we have to work constantly at putting it into its place, for thought is insidious and is always striving to be in control. Through the relentless quest for control, thought creates division. Through division comes conflict. Through conflict, destruction and ultimately, chaos. Paradoxically, chaos is the opposite of what thought “thought” it would achieve as it tried to make sense out of things and imposed its new structure or framework. And then thought thinks, “hmmm, that must have been the wrong thought. Let me modify this a bit. Yes, this must be right.” And so it goes, as the new thought replaces the old. Thought does not see its own inability to see its own inability. Mindfulness, or at least a part of it, is paying attention and becoming aware of these limitations.

August 5th

"Cardinal Flower," Lobelia cardinalis, also called “Scarlet Lobelia.” The only red Lobelia (the others are blue or white), this unmistakable flower grows 2 to 4 feet high (occasionally to 6 feet) along the edge of streams. While sitting and enjoying its beauty, you may be treated to the added joy of a Ruby-throated Hummingbird drinking the nectar.

August 6th

An insect gall. Galls are extremely common and not well understood. What is known is that the plant reacts to the presence of insect eggs or larvae, resulting in an abnormal growth around the insect; the growth then becomes shelter, and sometimes food, for the developing insect until it emerges. Many galls, including the familiar “Oak apple gall,” (see photo on the right) are caused by wasp-like insects, while others are caused by moths, flies, and other insects. There are over one hundred different types of oak apple galls, caused by different insects, and over eight hundred different types of galls on oaks. There are many hundreds of different types of galls commonly found on different plants in our area, including not only oaks, but also roses, blueberries, and goldenrods.

August 7th

"Spotted Touch-me-not," Impatiens capensis. This plant is also called “Jewelweed,” for if covered with raindrops it sparkles (try submerging a leaf under water to see the effect). It is visited by Bees and Butterflies and Hummingbirds, and is a delight to children of all ages in the fall when the seedpod is touched and explodes to release the seeds within (hence the common name). If you become familiar with it you can harvest the young shoots in the spring to cook as a kettle green. In its mature form the crushed leaves and stems release a chemical that is useful to treat (and prevent) poison ivy and stinging nettles reactions (interestingly, it grows in the same environment, often alongside). The sap from crushed leaves and stems is also a proven fungicide for treating athlete’s foot and other fungal maladies. The leaves and stems are eaten by our Whitetail Deer.

August 8th

Scat from a Black Bear cub, one inch in diameter, comprised of vegetation, acorns, and insects. Bear scats are extremely variable in content and testify to the fact that Black Bears are true omnivores. Cub scat will generally measure between three quarters of an inch to an inch and a quarter in diameter.

August 9th

An Eastern Coyote track. The "buddy toes," as Paul Rezendes calls them, are diagnostic for Eastern Coyote. Even though we are missing the heel pad and other features of the track, the buddy toes tell us we have a coyote here.

August 10th

An Eastern Coyote track. This a front foot, and the heel pad registered well, showing the lobes, and the "x" pointed out by Paul Rezendes shows up clearly, as well as the pyramid between the toes and heel pad. Compare how splayed this track is compared to that of the previous day. Notice all four of the nail marks, dug in. Although splayed in order to get traction, there is still control evident here.

August 11th

Trails of frogs through pollen and algae on the surface of a vernal pool. Newer trails are dark black, while older trails are lighter in color as they fill in with the pond "scum."

August 12th

Yellow Bladderwort (Utricularia radiata). This is an aquatic carnivorous plant found in our area. The bladders capture tiny prey, such as crustaceans, which are then consumed by the plant's digestive juices. If you look closely where the index finger points, you will see clear bladders and dark bladders. The dark ones have prey trapped within.

August 13th

A whitetail deer. Note the attention directed at me: eyes, ears, and certainly nose. Although extremely alert to my actions, he felt relatively safe bedded down on this island in a swamp, as chest-deep water seperated me from his resting place. Eventually he bounded a few feet into the taller grass and laid back down, invisible.

August 14th

Early hint of autumn, a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) leaf. Red maples in swamps are among the first species to show fall color. Two keys to identifying Red Maple leaves are first, it tends to have two deep notches at the top (not merely rounded indentations), and second, the two basal lobes (at the base, near the stem) are not very well-developed and sometimes don't show at all (as in this picture –note where the two lowest of the five main veins lead – in other maples, such as Sugar Maple, these veins would lead to more developed lobes or points, so the leaf would have five well-developed lobes, one for each vein).

August 15th

Baby toads, Bufo americanus.

August 16th

White Pine (Pinus strobus) cut by American Beaver (Castor canadensis). Beavers do this both as a food source, and for building material for lodges and dams. We often find pole-sized (and smaller)white pines cut and fed on, the bark and cambian layer stripped away.

August 17th

“Lobster mushroom,” Hypomyces lactifluorum. One of the first rules of mushroom collecting is that you should never assume that a mushroom is safe to eat because a wild animal ate it (as here, where a small rodent, probably a Chipmunk or Red Squirrel, nibbled at it). Animals may have tolerance to things that are toxic to us, and of course, you have no idea what happened to the animal after it ate the mushroom – it may have crawled off to die!

Hypomyces are a genus of fungus that are parasitic on other fungus. H. lactifluorum, pictured here, is parasitic on some species of Russula and Lactarius which are themselves edible, and it transforms the host mushroom into a bright orange to reddish color as seen here, with the gills reduced to blunt ridges, and also allegedly improves the flavor of the host mushroom. Some people consider this an edible choice find, but I have always stayed away from it, as I just can’t bring myself to eat a mushroom without being 100 per cent sure about the species. There are Hypomyces that are parastic on Boletes, themselves edible choice mushrooms. There are also Hypomyces that are parastic on Amanitas, and although they turn the host pinkish or flesh-colored, the host may be deadly poisonous!!! In my mind, it is better to avoid all Hypomyces, as there are many other splendid mushrooms in the wild that are safe and unmistakable. Why “push the envelope?”

August 18th

“Swamp Loosestrife,” Decodon verticillatus, also called “Water Willow.” Even though the leaves look like those of willow, they are not related. This plant has a vague resemblance to Purple Loosestrife, which is a non-native invasive plant; a quick way to tell the difference is that in the native Swamp Loosestrife the flowers are in clusters at the axils of the whorls of leaves, while in the non-native Purple Loosestrife the flowers are in a spike at the top of the plant. The plant is found in swamps.

August 19th

A “False Truffle” dig. Many animals dig in the forest, and False Truffles are often the goal. False Truffles are hypogeous fungi, which means that the fruiting body is borne underground, as opposed to epigeous fungi, where the fruiting body is borne above ground. They are very common, and there are different species, occurring on the roots of different species of trees, including oaks and beeches. Pictured here was a successful animal dig for a false truffle that grows in a mycorrhizal relationship with Eastern Hemlock. These are a significant food source for many mammals, including mice, voles, flying squirrels, red squirrels, whitetail deer, porcupine, and (surprisingly) fisher! Paul Rezendes first discovered porcupines digging mysteriously under hemlock, and finally unlocked the secret goal of their digging – false truffles. Be careful when analyzing these dig sites, and keep in mind that more than one animal may have dug at the same place.

August 20th

An “Otter haul-out.” This is where a River Otter (Lutra Canadensis) has rolled on the ground, depositing scent from its body, and has defecated and/or urinated on top of the debris that has been scuffed up. These areas are usually a short distance from the water where they live.

August 21st

“Hemlock Varnish Shelf,” Ganoderma tsugae. As the species name (tsugae) indicates, this member of the genus Ganoderma grows on Hemlock trees. The common name refers to the shiny look of this mushroom.

August 22nd

The web of an orb spider.

August 23rd

A Beaver scent mound.

August 24th

"Bunchberry," Cornus Canadensis, also called “Dwarf Cornell.” The flowers have gone by and the bright red berries have formed. When in flower, there are 4 large white bracts that are actually modified leaves, not the petals of a flower. The flowers are numerous, small and greenish, in a cluster in the center. The scarlet berries are edible, either raw or cooked, but are very bland tasting. When cooked, it is easier to separate the pulp from the seeds. I was surprised when I learned that this very small herb is in the Dogwood family, Cornaceae.

August 25th

A Beetle on my finger. 700,000 species of insects have been scientifically described worldwide, 90,000 species described in North America, and 10,000 species recorded in Massachusetts, and some authorities believe this may only represent 10 to 20 per cent of insects yet to be classified. It would require several lifetimes to fully explore these animals, yet they continue to fascinate and amaze me with their beauty and diversity. One way to begin is perhaps to learn to differentiate the Orders of insects. Insects are one of eight Classes in the Phylum Arthropoda, and can be divided into 15 Orders. These include Coleoptera, the Beetles, which are the largest order of insects. In Massachusetts, there are 20 species of Beetles for every species of insect found.

August 26th

Moose scat or Deer scat? This is “summer scat” of an Herbivore, with a high percentage of green vegetative material rather than woody material as found in “winter scat.” Whitetail deer scat can reach ½ inch in diameter, while Moose scat usually starts at larger than that, but with soft scat like this, it will be hard to get an accurate diameter. The combination of approximate diameter and total volume suggests either a large Deer or a juvenile Moose, and we’ll have to leave it at that.

August 27th

A "Snapping Turtle," Chelydra serpentina. These are extremely long-lived animals. They can grow very large, with shells 8 to 14 inches long, and a student of ours found one with a shell 16 inches long in New Salem at the north end of the Quabbin. The world record snapping turtle was caught in our home town of Orange, also near the north end of Quabbin, in Lake Rohunta. It was a male weighing 76.5 pounds with a shell 20 inches long! With a large head and a tail as long as the carapace, this was an awesome creature! Like many other wild animals, their reputation as “aggressive” is unfounded and they are under-appreciated and misunderstood.

August 28th

A female “Monarch” butterfly, Danaus plexippus. Between mid-September to mid-October, the adults will migrate and gather in huge numbers in the Sierra Madre mountains in central Mexico.

August 29th

A “Deer Mouse,” Peromyscus maniculatus, or perhaps a “White-footed Mouse,” Peromyscus leucopus. Peromyscus is from two words; the first part is either from “pera” meaning “pouch,” perhaps a reference to its cheeks, or “pero” meaning “pointed,” perhaps a reference to its pointed skull. The second part of the Genus name, “myscus,” comes from “miskos,” meaning little mouse. “Maniculatus” comes from the Latin for “small handed, and “leucopus” comes from the Greek words “leukon,” “white,” and “pous,” “foot.” The two species are almost identical in size and coloration, and the best way to tell the difference is that the Deer Mouse has a distinctly bi-colored tail, dark on the top and white on the sides, while the White-footed mouse has a tail that is not distinctly bi-colored. Both species are known to be excellent climbers, so it is not that unusual to see them high in trees, although it is startling when you first encounter it. Deer Mice tend to prefer more open terrain than White-footed Mice, but their habitat requirements have a great deal of overlap and local variation.

August 30th

The remains of a young "American Robin," Turdus migratorius. Soon all bones and flesh will be reabsorbed into the biota, and even the feathers will return to the Earth.

August 31st

Red pine cones, opened by Red Squirrels while in the tree limbs. Note the close cropping on the cone shaft. Note also the tiny pine nuts, edible by us as well.

September 1st

A tree stump, excavated by a Black Bear foraging for insects. They are generally after the larva.

September 2nd

Dewberry, pictured here, is a type of Rubus. Rubus is a Genus of the Family Rosaceae (Roses). The Rubus Genus has over 200 species in it, and it can be divided into three main groups, the Raspberries, the Blackberries, and the Dewberries. Dewberries are flattened shrubs with trailing stems and fruits that are similar to Blackberries. They are edible by humans and sought after by many animals. The first ones ripened here about August 20th this year.

September 3rd

A Beaver trail on the shores of Quabbin, near Gate 26.

September 4th

Leaves and nuts from Shagbark hickory, Carya ovata, the most common hickory in our local area around and in the Quabbin. It is found primarily on dry ridges, but in its range it occupies a wide variety of sites including deep moist soils of alluvial origin. The Genus Carya also includes C. glabra (Pignut hickory) and C. cordiformis (Bitternut hickory), both also found in our area. Pignut tends to be more of a dry site tree and Bitternut, the most widespread and probably the most abundant hickory in its range across the east and Midwest of the U.S., tends to be more a damp site tree. Much less common in the Quabbin area is Carya tomentosa (Mockernut), mostly occurring in a narrow band along the Connecticut River valley, doing best on dry sites.

When white men came to this continent, they mistakenly thought Hickories were Walnuts and began calling them that name. Indeed, the place where we live, Walnut Hill, was named for the prevalence of these trees, and retains the trees and the name today. Folks searching our hillsides for Walnuts might be disappointed, until they began to appreciate the Hickory, both for its own unique rugged beauty and the importance of its mast crop to wildlife. The nuts of Hickories are oily, edible, and delicious (except for the Bitternut which has a nut distasteful even to wildlife). Hickory nuts of Shagbark and Pignut are a locally significant food source for Red squirrels, Gray squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, and turkeys. Whitetail deer, to a lesser extent, will eat the nuts, and tender growth (browse) is a minor component of their diet as well. I have not had personal experience with Lagamorphs (rabbits and hares) browsing the seedlings and young trees, but I suspect they may, and there are references to this in the literature. Likewise, I have seen no evidence of Porcupines browsing on Hickory, so I am keeping an eye out for this. I have come across oblique references to opossum eating Hickory nuts, but I have not yet found evidence for that, as the densities of Hickory and Oppossum are relatively low and they most often do not share the same habitat near where we live.

Hickories are relatively slow-growing trees, but are long-lived and can reach substantial heights. Shagbark hickory has the capability to grow to heights of 130 to 140 feet, but it is unusual to find a tree of 70 feet anywhere in its range in the U.S. In Massachusetts, the record individual alive today is 60 feet high, in Groton (source: Native & Naturalized Trees of Massachusetts, UMASS Extension and United States Department of Agriculture). Pignut hickory may grow to 120 feet tall, but even 90- foot trees are exceptional and they do not approach that size in Massachusetts. Bitternut may potentially reach over 100 feet, and Mockernut is a much smaller tree, with 100 feet the potential limit, but these numbers are also theoretical limits and individuals found today do not approach that size, even in areas where growing conditions are ideal. The great forest denizens of the past are gone.

The wood of Hickories was used extensively in the past, for tool handles, door hinges, dowels, barrel hoops, fences, boxes, rustic furniture, adding flavor to smoked hams, and even for rifle ramrods. It was also burned extensively for firewood, as it is a dense, hot-burning fuel, second only to Locust in BTU’s. Untold amounts of Hickory fueled fireplaces in drafty Colonial cabins and houses. Locally in the Quabbin, hickory was harvested for the manufacture of charcoal during the 1800’s into the turn of the century, and vintage photos show huge charcoal kilns used in their production.

Shagbark begins producing good nut crops at about age forty, and can continue bearing nuts to about age 200, possibly 300. It produces good nut crops at 1 to 3 year intervals, with lighter amounts in intervening years. Pignut starts producing sizeable nut crops at about age thirty, and can also continue producing until about age 200, possibly 300. It produces good mast every 1 to 2 years, with lighter amounts in intervening years. Bitternut also starts producing at about age thirty, but can only produce until about age 125, possibly 200. Its heavy mast years are every 3 to 5 years, with lighter amounts in intervening years. Mockernut can start producing a bit earlier, at about age twenty-five, and bears nuts a shorter length of time, only up to about age 125, possibly age 200. Its heavy mast years are every 2 to 3 years, with lighter amounts in intervening years. (Source: Silvics of Forest Trees of the United StatesU.S. Forest Service).

Gram Parsons wrote a song called “Hickory Wind.” Gillian Welch recorded a version of it. Track it down if you can.