Moving Into Autumn On The Farm

The New England Asters which grow beneath some apple trees put on an especially impressive show this year:

And a few dramatically tall and shapely mushrooms sprang up in the unmowed lawn:

I'd thought the Rugosa Roses were finished blooming, but they began to bloom once again in September:

And the old fashioned rose which I saved also began blooming again:

Asiatic Lilies bloom in June - and they always have. Yet one day I was shocked to see bright red lilies blooming in my new little rock garden. They were about three times bigger, taller and more prolific than my other lilies, not to mention their vibrant color:

I'd kept the labels from the bulbs I planted in the spring, so I checked them and learned that these were Dolly Madison hybrid Asiatic Lilies - and they bloom both spring and autumn:

Two more fantail pigeon babies made it past the feathering stage:

The nest was close to the floor and the babies began wandering out of it. I carried them back and their parents immediately began feeding them "pigeon milk:"

They are pretty homely as babies, but their parents love them:

All summer long, as I mowed along the fence line, I'd see miniature pink flowers in the grass near a telephone pole. I'd plan to photograph them after mowing, but then learned that I'd chopped off the flowers. Finally, thinking it might be my last chance for the year, I stopped and took photos so I could identify them:

I almost gave up the search for their identity, but then found an online explanation of how their classification and scientific names were changed in 2004, many decades after my field guide was published. I found a perfect match in photos, then learned that they were a European species. Then I found a website which showed how they'd recently spread to much of the U.S., particularly in the northeast. They are European Centaury, a tiny member of the Gentian family. They bloom prolifically and I read that they are annuals, in spite of their taproot. It seems they'd make a great terrarium plant if only they were perennials:

My neighbor brought over what was probably the last load of grass clippings for the year. Remy was there in a flash, determined to get his fill before the pushy cows arrived. Jasmine, my sweetest cow, got there soon also, and probably for the same reason:

Taylor Creek State Forest, Buck Pond Road Trail

Our first short trail in Taylor Creek State Forest was unexciting, so we drove south to the Buck Pond Road to try the second trail. Once again, it was a short access road instead of a hiking trail, and I drove almost to the end and parked. I could see Buck Pond through the trees, so the dogs and I set off through the forest to get to the water's edge:

When we arrived, I discovered that the shoreline was marshy and not a place where I wanted to slosh through the mud and water. As you can (almost) see, Daphne did not hesitate to dive right in:

 Clover ran off along the edge of the pond, but Daphne and Jack explored the shoreline. It was a truly beautiful location:

Alas, Seamus disappeared and when I looked around for him, he was too far away, heading off in the wrong direction. I called his name until I got him to turn around, but once again took note that his advanced age means I will have to be extra careful with him:

Daphne and Fergus bounced through the ferns:

We returned through the forest to our parked car, though I stopped along the way to photograph this tiny orange mushroom:

And yet another Yellow Finger Coral Mushroom. This one, however, looked as if the dogs may have knocked it over as they ran ahead:

When we got to the road, AKA trail, I noticed a lot of white flowers in bloom and recognized them as White Snakeroot. It is a poisonous plant and was once the source of what was called "Milk Sickness," caused by drinking the milk of cows which had eaten the plant. It is suspected as the cause of death of Abraham Lincoln's mother:

We were quickly back at our car, ending our mini-hike:

But instead of returning the way we'd come, I took Buck Pond Road eastward, where the road several times crosses the waters of Buck Pond. It was a lovely drive, with views far better than we got on foot:

Buck Pond, according to the map, is quite large but we only got glimpses of several bits of it. Nonetheless, it was a beauty, and the drive across it was the best part of this "hike:"

West Parishville State Forest - Part 1

Another fine August day, another trip to a new (for me) local state forest with the dogs, this time to the West Parishville State Forest. I pulled about a hundred feet off the road and parked in the forest, and one of the first things I noticed was this brilliantly colored Bigtooth Aspen leaf. Yes, tree leaves are beginning to turn autumn colors already:

But it was a fine day in a beautiful location, so I let the dogs loose and they exploded with joy - so much so, in fact, that I had to yell at them to keep them from running too far ahead:

We veered off the trail early, in order to explore this stand of Scotch Pines growing in a carpet of moss. Daphne gave me her biggest smile:

Seamus looked almost skinny with his new haircut, and he seemed to feel extra energetic without all that fur he had been carrying:

Fergus, Jack and Daphne smelled something worrisome, for they stopped running and proceeded cautiously into a mossy clearing. Whatever they smelled was long gone, however:

There were yellow mushrooms growing in lots of places:

Seamus wasn't the only one with a new haircut. Just look at how spiffy Fergus looks:

The trail began as an all purpose trail, open to hikers, horses, skiers, snowmobiles, ATVs and cars. But this was pretty remote country and we saw no one all the time we were there:

Black-Eyed Susans bloomed wherever the sun got through the tree canopy to the ground:

And it was a happy excursion for all of us, though I'll admit I did have to yell at the dogs a lot at first:

Most of my wildflower photos were duds, but this one came out alright. I searched my field guide and decided it was Germander, a member of the mint family. The leaves didn't quite match, but then I saw a variety called littorale, which has narrower leaves - just like these plants:

The all purpose trail ended at private property, but a foot trail spurred off into the deep forest. Now this was more like it! I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

High Flats State Forest - Part 3

The dogs and I were exploring a new (to us) trail in High Flats State Forest and were almost back to our car. I stopped to photograph this Common St. Johnswort and the bedraggled Oxeye Daisy behind it:

A better looking Oxeye Daisy and a Heal-All in flower:

The dogs were much slowed down by now and I no longer had to call them back. They stayed close to me now that they were tired:

And the forest was lovely:

Cream colored mushrooms;

Clover got tangled up in a clinging type of Bedstraw. I looked it up when we got home and decided that it was probably Cleavers, a member of the Bedstraw family which sticks like Velcro. I carefully removed it from her hair before it got too entangled:

I saw a flash of yellow off in the woods and started off for a closer look. But before I got there, I saw these tiny (1") golden mushrooms:

And right next to them were these even smaller (3/4") bright red mushroom:

I got photos of the tiny mushrooms and then continued on to this giant (12") yellow mushroom. Luckily, Clover got in the picture to help show just how big it was:

Oh no, it's not autumn yet! This Mountain Maple leaf was, I hope, an anomaly:

As we neared the end of our hike, I contemplated whether we'd return. With nothing marked, I doubt we were on the trail I'd intended, and Close Pond, the destination I was after, turned out (I think) to be right next to the road where there were no visible trails. I think I'll go back to Whiskey Flats before I return here, though there sure were a lot of interesting things to see:

We were almost to the road when I saw these yellow flowers. I remembered that they were a kind of Loosestrife, but didn't remember which one. I looked it up when I got home and decided they were Fringed Loosestrife:

The road we'd taken to get here wasn't much bigger than the trail, though it had fewer rocks and ruts. The dogs were happy to see our car again:

And they were tired. Daphne, Jack and Clover curled up for a nap on the front seat:

Seamus rode in the back, but wanted to see out the windows. Fergus was next to him, already napping: