Autumn Color - Part 1

I dropped Seamus and Fergus off at the groomer for their autumn haircuts. On the way home, I noticed what beautiful autumn scenery surrounded me, so I took a few detours in order to get some photos:

We were only at 40% color at the time according to the weather report, but it was glorious color:

I'd say that the woods bordering farm fields were more than 40% along:

These old hay bales appeared to have been there beside the road for years, but they framed the picture nicely:

One of the roads I took was called Pleasant Valley Road, which was fitting:

I've become adept at recognizing Roughleaf Dogwood in spring bloom and autumn color, even from a distance. That's it in the bottom right hand corner:

I took a detour though a tiny settlement called West Stockbridge and passed by this lovely lake:

The trees on the far side were beginning to take on color, and the lake itself was filled with Canada Geese and waterlilies:

The shoreline of the lake was home to New England Asters, dried Queen Anne's Lace and Cattails:

And the trees beside the lake were displaying lovely colors:

I took one last photo of the lake and then continued on my way:

Passing through farm country, I kept my eyes open for trees abutting hay fields and corn fields. But I knew there were even more colorful trees to be seen as I got closer to home, so I kept going. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

A Walk At Clear Pond - Part 2

I was walking the trail along Clear Pond, in the White Hill Wild Forest, with my friend, Evelyn, and all our dogs (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). The pooches were having a grand time as we explored the shoreline:

After each trip to the pond, we'd return to the main trail and walk farther into the forest to find the next water access point:

 Steeplebush was blooming, and this one was next to a lovely White Pine:

Little Clover and Daphne ran along the water at the next shoreline site we visited:

And Seamus waded right in:

Peekaboo:

Seamus, Daphne and Jack kept cool:

And Clover tiptoed through the wildflowers (mostly Spotted Knapweed and Queen Anne's Lace):

Clover and Daphne checked out the waterlilies:

And I snapped a photo of this lovely scene with Bullhead Lilies, Pickerlweed and Steeplebush:

We headed back to our car and drove the short distance to a camping area:

There, we again headed for the shoreline of Clear Pond, where Meadowsweet and Common St. Johnswort were blooming prolifically:

We explored a lovely clearing beside the water, the dogs again got wet, and then Evelyn called them back toward the car. We had six happy dogs and two happy people:

Rutland Trail East - Part 2

The dogs and I were walking the Rutland trail, a former railroad bed for the Rutland Railroad which traverses extensive wetlands (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

There was more beaver sign than I'd ever seen before, so I imagined that the beaver population was increasing:

Shelf fungi:

Jack kept running far ahead, but he always came running back when I called:

We came to a section where White Pines grew. Someone had cut down some of the biggest pines, dropping them in the water and leaving them there. I have no idea why:

My happy little troop trotted along the trail, delighted with being outdoors and moving:

The biggest body of water on the trail was just up ahead, but the dogs were busy sniffing along the trail and didn't notice it:

I stopped to photograph these dried Queen Anne's Lace flower heads:

And then these yellow leaves, which I couldn't identify. Looking them up when I got home, I decided they might be Gray Birch, native to the northeast United States:

We came to the bridge, beneath which the big pond on the right slowly drained into the marsh on the left:

We didn't go much farther, though, because the hard packed stone dust was causing my ankles to be painful, almost as if I was walking on concrete. Soon we turned back toward where we began:

It was chilly, but I'd come prepared. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

In Search Of The Folklore Of St. Johnswort

St. Johnswort of course is known as an antidepressant and has many other medicinal uses. It has also been believed to hold magical powers through the centuries such as foretelling one's longevity, conjuring up evil spirits or protecting one from evil spirits.

But the legend I wanted to pursue was that of the plant's sap on the day of St. John's beheading. The way I originally heard it, the sap of St. Johnswort would turn red on that day, which is usually observed on August 29. Many years ago I checked and found that the sap was actually sort of red, which fueled my curiosity. This year I promised myself I'd try again as we got close to August 29.

I went out to the ditch along the county road to check for myself and was amazed at the abundance of colorful wildflowers. In this photo alone, I see Goldenrod, Butter-and-Eggs, Orpine (our wild Sedum) and Deptford Pinks. Of course there are many other plants without flowers too:

 Another angle, showing Queen Anne's Lace, Opine, Goldenrod, Deptford Pink and Butter-and-Eggs:

 It was all fascinating and photogenic, but I was after St. Johnswort, and I knew there was some nearby:

 I found a plant and broke off a stem. Alas, I couldn't find any sap at all. Perhaps our drought had left the interior of the plants low on sap this summer. I read one account saying that St. Johnswort sap turns red when it contacts air, which would explain my earlier experience, but of course that would only work when the plant has enough sap to ooze out:

 I went out again later, this time to the far south field fence line. It was filled with Joe-Pye-Weed and Jewelweed, another wildflower rich in folklore:

.
 There is an orange flowered species and a yellow flowered species. Mine appeared to be a hybrid. I know that's possible, but I wonder if it's likely:

 The fence line was also abloom with Blue Vervain;

 But again, I was there to check the sap of St. Johnswort. I found another plant and broke the stem in search of sap. Again I couldn't find any, not even a micro-drop. Perhaps the next time I check, it will have to be in June, when St. John's birth is celebrated. Maybe they'll have more sap then. So I never got proof or disproof of the legend, but I did enjoy being outdoors on a beautiful August afternoon:

Wildflower Fence Walks

I took two walks one day along the fence line, once for enjoyment and once to repair the fence. I was amazed both times at the spectacular displays of wildflowers I saw. This wild collection for instance was Queen Anne's Lace, Red Clover, Black-Eyed Susan and Goldenrod:

 Just a few steps farther and I saw Common Boneset (more on this later in this post), Purple Loosestrife and Goldenrod:

 But what on earth were these tiny, daisy-like flowers? I took a number of photos to look them up back in the house:

 I looked them up and decided that they were probably Tradescant's Aster, a new plant for me. I later found a picture of Prairie Fleabane and thought that it might be that also. Whatever it was, it was interesting:

 This single Common Mullein stood five feet high and right next to the fence wire (I'd turned off the electricity):

 A close-up of Common Mullein's flowers:

 This was a familiar old favorite which, for most of my life, I called Coffee Grounds. The real name is Curly (or Curled) Dock, but when we were kids, we'd strip the seeds from the stalk and pretend they were coffee grounds, which they did resemble:

 I don't remember Common Boneset ever growing in my fields before, but there is a lot of it this year:

 Boneset got its name because its leaves are joined at the stalk, prompting pioneers to think it could heal broken bones. Native Americans knew better and used it for fevers and as an antibiotic/anti-viral. Some people still use it today:

 My photo of these minuscule flowers wasn't very good. They were exceedingly small and looked a lot like Lobelia flowers. I looked them up when I got back to the house and decided that they were indeed a form of Lobelia, named Indian Tobacco. They were mostly lavender color although they look white in this photo:

 Queen Anne's Lace and St. Johnswort. The day honoring St. John's Day beheading is coming up and I must remember to test the sap to see if it is red: