Quiz Time

After a long winter it's nice to see leaves on trees again. So how did your ID skills fare over the cold and barren months? Can you identify these five trees based on their newly emerged leaves? (That first picture is probably the hardest one - unless you know your buds!)
They are all native to NC and occur naturally in the coastal plain.

Spring Riot

The glory of "weeds,"

the business of bees,

the promise of fruit,

and the greening of trees.

Tidbits from Sunday

Sunday was a beautiful day. We headed out onto the pond (of course!) and then up into the swamp. We were paddling with a friend from Vermont who has been down camping for the past few weeks. He really likes it here - well, except for the ticks ;) He didn't even complain (too much) when Treebeard insisted he look in a couple of hollow trees in order to see the bats within.

Below are a few snippets from our day. I didn't take nearly as many photos as I usually do. It was just so beautiful out I wanted to concentrate on being out and not so much on trying to capture images.

Things have greened up quite a bit since our last paddle into the swamp a few weeks ago. The spatterdock (Nuphar lutea) has emerged, much to the delight of the beaver and nutria who have been nibbling off the leaves. Guess everyone enjoys a fresh salad now and again.

Although we usually see them mostly along the shoreline, the gambusia (aka mosquito fish) seemed quite happy swimming amidst the vegetation out in the middle of the pond. Good for them! Gobble up those wiggle-tails (mosquito larvae) little fishies, gobble 'em up!

A nice fresh tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) enjoying a not-so-nice and fresh scat. Aren't you glad we get our salts and other essentials from more appetizing sources?

The larger tree mid-frame is a bald-cypress (Taxodium distichum). It's one of those odd deciduous needle and cone-bearing trees -- hence the name, "bald". This one is extra special. Up there where it crooks off to the left there is a cavity and that cavity houses a beehive. We have found several bee trees up in the swamp this spring. I hope that's a good sign that there are at least a few healthy wild bees out there and that not all hives are suffering from colony collapse.

Otters don't have discriminating tastes, it seems. The head and skin above belong to a blackfish, Amia calva (aka bowfin, grinnel, mudfish, dogfish, spottail). This was a small one - they can get up to nearly 43 inches and 20 pounds - but I'm sure it filled the tummy of the otter that caught it. Click on it to enlarge it and take a look at its teeth.
Blackfish are capable of breathing air and they are tolerant of high temperatures, both valuable traits for a fish living in a shallow southern coastal plain pond. They offer fishermen a nice fight but are not particularly tasty.

A few of the least trillium (Trillium pusillum var. virginianum) are still blooming. We were surprised by that. They are usually through by the last week in March. This flower has some age on it as evidenced by its pink petals.

Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus, such an impressive name for a lizard. Me, I prefer the common name, Fence Lizard. This one is just a youngster. Hopefully it will grow up to be a fine fat adult. As lizard's go, these are quite personable and even moderately tolerant of being observed. They aren't nearly as jumpy as skinks.

Smacked tight to the trunk of a bald-cypress, this green treefrog (Hyla cinerea) was hiding in plain sight... just a whisper of Spanish moss breaking up its profile.
I can't help myself, I absolutely love these little amphibians and never pass up an opportunity to photograph them.

It was a fine day spent in excellent company in my favorite place.
I am a very fortunate person.

Smile!

Sorta looks like it might say something like, "Feed me, Seymore!"
That is, if flowering dogwoods could talk...

Looking Good

One of the things the young men we took up into the swamp wanted to see was one of the big trees. I have mentioned in earlier posts that there are some virgin cypress in the swamp. They are big trees that have been growing for over 1000 years. Each time we travel up the swamp we get out and touch one -- sort of a ritual for us. This particular tree is a little over 28 feet in circumference and over 120 feet tall. It still produces male flowers and cones and appears to be in good health. Over course, over the years it has been buffeted by storms so it has some shake damage inside. Still, she's looking good for 1000+.

 

Yet Another Dinner Table

Another lump on another bald cypress...with evidence of some critter's dinner leftovers on top. The same tree had some bear claw marks on it and claw marks of something smaller, perhaps raccoon.

 

 

An Enchanted Forest

Mistletoe grows on the tupelo gums (Nyssa aquatica) and causes them to grow into some pretty unusual shapes. In the transition area between the pond and the swamp and then on into the swamp there are quite a few twisted tupelos. The area is known as the enchanted forest and you find yourself looking for faces in the contorted limbs and trunks.

 

Dinner Table

It is a wonderful thing when young people seek out opportunities to learn about their homes. Yesterday we paddled the pond and swamp with two local teenagers who wanted to know more about the natural and cultural history of the pond and swamp. It was a very enjoyable day. They were interested in the things we showed them and very patient with our stories that always began, "One time, when we were paddling up through here..." And after nearly 31 years of paddling the pond, we have lots of stories!

I didn't have a chance to take a lot of pictures thanks to the fairly stiff breeze that blew all day. There are a few images that I'd like to share, though. We'll start with these three.

Out on the pond you run across some pretty unusual tree shapes from time to time. Yesterday we noticed a bald cypress with an interesting lump growing off one side. Some critter, most likely a raccoon, had used it as a dinner table / rest area. The turtle shell is from a little turtle called a stinkpot.

Rainy Day Blahs

While it is true that I got a lot of work done today, it was not necessarily work of my liking. I do so hate to be inside all day. But, as it was raining, dreary and gray out, I guess if I had to be in all day this was a good day for it.

Since I'm sure you aren't interested in seeing or hearing about the paperwork, phone calls, emails, and minor repairs that filled my day, I'll share this photo with you instead.

The sycamore, Plantanus occidentalis, has always been a favorite of mine. I wrote a poem about it when I was 8, as a matter of fact. The leaves are beautiful, the seeds are fun, and the bark is compelling, even when wet ;)

Can't Let Go

Down by the pond a little tree drama unfolds...
Treebeard remembers when the baldcypress was alive, leaning against the laurel oak. That was years ago. Now a remnant of the cypress is held fast by a sleeve of oak.
Guess it's just hard to let go sometimes...