In 2003 bulldozers and dump trucks moved onto a local wetland and began tearing it up. After two years had passed what was left was a sprawling 70 acre suburban eyesore, and any trace of what was once a natural wetland was gone. Or so I thought. I’ve been keeping an eye on this place since it was built just to see what kind of an impact it would have on the natural surroundings and I’ve been surprised again and again.
When they built the shopping center they also built a retention basin to manage runoff and hopefully improve the quality of the water that makes it into the Ashuelot River and from there ultimately to the Atlantic Ocean. Retention basins are described as “artificial lakes with vegetation around the perimeter which include a permanent pool of water in their design.” This is more of a pond than a lake but it is able to hold the runoff from drainage ditches that were dug around the entire perimeter. The pond did come very close to flooding one summer but that was because beavers moved in and immediately dammed the outflow channel. The beavers also began cutting down and feeding on the very expensive ornamental trees that the landscape architects ordered, but they didn’t get far. After they dropped the first thousand dollar Bradford pear they “disappeared” and I haven’t seen a beaver here since.
For some unknown reason, possibly to keep people from driving into it, they built long mounds of earth called berms all along the edges of the parking lots and roadways near the retention pond. The berms are about 5-6 feet high but apparently that wasn’t enough so they planted evergreens on top of them. They used spruce, balsam fir, white pine and juniper and they do a great job of completely hiding any hint of of water. The junipers here fruit heavier than any I’ve seen and I wanted to get a photo of the beautiful blue berries (actually modified cones). So there I was with my Panasonic Lumix point and shoot that I use for macro photos all warmed up and ready to go when a blackish colored head popped up out of the snow not three feet from where I stood. It saw me and immediately dropped back down into the snow, but just a few seconds later popped up again and stared at me. I felt like I was playing one of those Whack a Mole games. “Well hello there,” I said, “what are you doing here?” A stupid question if there ever was one I know, but it was all I could think of with such short notice.
And then after a few seconds of trying to figure out what I was off it went, bounding over the snow, so I just pointed the Panasonic in its general direction and without even looking through the view finder clicked the shutter as fast as my finger could go. The very poor photo above is the result, but it along with a lot of detective work tells me that this sleek blackish brown animal with white under his chin and a tail that tapers to a point is very probably an American Mink. He was about 2 feet long and his round hairy tail made up about a third of his length.
This explained how he could pop up out of the snow without having snow all over his face and head. Minks are burrowing animals but they usually take over the burrows of muskrats and other animals in embankments along rivers and ponds instead of digging them themselves. They are carnivores and eat just about anything including frogs, mice and voles, fish, and birds. They also kill and eat muskrats and will go right into their burrows to do so. I haven’t been able to find any information on whether or not they bother beavers but I wondered if minks could be responsible for the mysterious disappearance of the beavers from this pond.
If I understand what I’ve read correctly, one way to tell a mink from other members of the weasel family is by its bounding gait. This one was a real bounder and moved surprisingly fast. Rough measurements with my monopod tell me that there are about 14 inches between these prints. Minks can also climb trees and this one headed right for the evergreens along the top of the berm.
I went back the next day to see if I could get photos of the mink’s tracks but because of the powdery snow he bounded through the tracks were barely visible. The ones in this photo were the best and they aren’t great, but one of them does show claw marks. I’ve read that minks have paws that are slightly webbed, but nothing like the webbing that otters have. The State Fish and Game website says that minks and other members of the weasel family are very rarely seen, so I feel lucky to have gotten these photos even if they aren’t great.
After the excitement of seeing the mink died down I decided to visit one of my favorite lichens, the poplar sunburst (Xanthoria hasseana.) These lichens grow on the Bradford pear trees that grow alongside the pond and this is the only place that I’ve ever seen them. I’ve been visiting them for several years and each year they get more beautiful. The parts that look like suction cups are their fruiting bodies (apothecia) where their spores are produced.
For the most part the landscaping here seems uninspired and unimaginative, but there are bright spots like the two or three hawthorn (Crataegus) trees planted off in a corner where few ever see them. They usually fruit quite heavily and the birds snap up the berry-like haws quickly. The haws, botanically speaking, are pomes, like apples and pears. One odd fact about hawthorns is how their young leaves and flower buds are edible and can be used in salads.
If the haws and the roundish, bright red buds don’t convince you that you’re looking at a hawthorn then the sharp, inch long thorns probably will.
I thought I’d use some of the evergreens that they planted on the berms to show you an easy way to tell a spruce from a fir. One way is by their cones. Spruce cones hang down from the branches.
And fir cones stand up on the branches like candles. This isn’t a great example but it’s the best I could find. Fir cones break apart as they ripen and the thing that looks like a skinny mushroom over on the upper right is what is left behind. Just a stalk and a few scales at the top. Since cones usually appear high up in the tree and are often only produced in 3-5 year cycles it’s wise to learn how to tell conifers apart by other means. Needle shape, length and color, bark appearance, overall growth habits and fragrance can all be used to identify conifers. Since spruce needles are sharp, stiff and square and fir needles are soft, flexible and flat I would have known these trees even if they hadn’t had cones, but the differences would have been much harder to illustrate here.
The strip of unbroken snow in the foreground of the above photo is one of the drainage ditches and I come here in summer to take photos of arrowhead, nodding burr marigold and other wetland wildflowers that grow in great abundance here. This is a good spot to photograph them because I can get closer to them than I can when they grow in pond water. In the mini meadow in the background goldenrod, Joe Pye weed, boneset, purple loosestrife and other taller wildflowers create scenes worthy of a Monet painting in late summer.
Native shrubs in the area include various willows, sumacs, and common alder (Alnus glutinosa). The long strap shaped growths coming out of the female alder cones (strobiles) in the above photo are tongue galls caused by a fungus called Taphrina alni. The fungus causes a chemical reaction that deforms the alder strobiles and produces the tongue like galls. Early in the season when the galls are fresh they’re green but as they age they can become yellow, pink, red, purple or orange. Once they mature they turn brown or black and often stay on the strobiles until the next season. I always seem to miss their younger, more colorful stages.
Note: Julie has correctly pointed out that common Alder is a native of Europe. It also goes by the name of black or European alder and was introduced by the earliest settlers. It has taken well to its new home and is seen everywhere here in New Hampshire along with our native gray or speckled alder (Alnus incana.) It is so common that I think of it as a native, even though I know better. Thanks Julie!
I happened to glance up and saw this hawk sitting on a light pole. I think it’s the same red tailed hawk that I’ve seen in the general area several times before, but I’m not positive about that identification. It’s a big bird; bigger than a crow-and always sits on the highest point available, watching open fields. I’m sorry again about the poor quality of these photos but I’m pretty sure if I could get a look into this bird’s nest I’d find a Canon Powershot SX40 manual that it reads when it isn’t out hunting, because every time I see him / her it makes sure that it is just beyond what the zoom on my camera can comfortably handle. These shots were taken at what would be the equivalent of about 840mm with a DSLR and I still had to crop them.
When I’m around this bird never sits still long enough to even think about getting the camera on a monopod or tripod. As soon as it sees me with a camera it flies off. I wonder what the mink’s chances are now that it has moved into the neighborhood. If I were him I think I’d be just a bit worried.
Surprisingly, as this walk around this strip mall shows, nature seems to be thriving here. In fact if you include the mink and the hawk, I’ve actually seen a greater cross section of nature here than I usually do in the woods. While I was taking these photos and thinking about what I was seeing I had a strong feeling that nature couldn’t wait to reclaim this land.
Nature is what you see plus what you think about it. ~John Sloan
Thanks for stopping in.
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays and commented:
Thank you, Allen. Very good outlook on the ‘newly developed’ environment for Nature. Happy Weekend to You and Yours. Namaste
You’re welcome Agnes. I hope you have a great weekend too!
It’s surprising how quickly nature takes over, even in places like your shopping mall. There are lots of places like that here where nature has crept back in after the builders have left. The demolished TV studios by the river here were just concrete and rubble but they were taken over by shrubs and small trees. Sadly they’re clearing it again now to build houses but I’m pretty sure nature will have the last laugh before long.
I think you’re right. There’s no holding nature back without constantly working at it. I’ve seen enough abandoned roads to know that!
Glad to see a good news story! I got to see a mink this summer too, deep in the Cabinet Mountains wilderness. They seem able to exist in a wide variety of habitat!
Thanks Montucky. I was thinking that since they can eat just about anything they could probably live just about anywhere. It sounds like that might be true.
It is good to see that care is being taken to landscape the ground round new buildings these days. It is happening here too, as in the case of the Olympic Stadium in London and all new roads have grass banks with native trees, shrubs and flowers planted there instead of having concrete and/or well mowed grass. In these cases, people here have discovered what you have, that nature takes advantage of anything offered. I loved all the photographs – congratulations on getting the mink and the hawk! I have never seen that gall on alder cones before – I must look more carefully. I haven’t seen the cones before they turn brown either!
Thank you Clare. Yes, I agree. We have a couple more places like this in town and they weren’t really landscaped at all. They are just big, flat pieces of pavement.
You have to look for the green alder cones in spring, and then the tongue galls form not long after the cones do. I’m hoping that I can find the more colorful galls this spring. There are some shrubs near here and I’ll be watching them closely!
The lichens are sensational.
I think so too. It’s one of my favorites.
It’s gratifying that nature is resilient and maintains its presence around this development. Anytime water collects in a place it draws life. Still, it is a net loss of habitat. And thanks for the spruce v. fir ID lesson!
You really get the feeling that nature is just waiting to pounce on this place as soon as man is out of the way. I’m sure the pound helps attract all kinds of animals and birds. You’re welcome-spruce and fir are easy once you know what to look for.
I agree that the bird is a Red-tailed Hawk. The tail appears brown and banded, as opposed to red (but the angle makes this tough to say for sure), suggesting this is an immature bird. The Firefly Forest has a post with an annotated photo that is similar to your flight shot.
Thanks Josh. I wondered if it might be an immature bird. I had another poor photo of what I think was the same bird in a previous post and you could see that he definitely had red tail feathers in that one. Unfortunately you couldn’t see much of anything else!
Thanks for the link, it was a help. And I was happy to hear that these birds are notorious for flying away when they see us. Next time I’ll try to be a little more stealthy.
It is good to see that when the shopping centre has tried to make amends after its destruction and that it has been successful to some extent and better than leaving a sterile concrete jungle. Interesting thought about the beavers and mink. Amelia
Thank you Amelia for pointing that out. They do seem to have tried a little harder than the others in the area, and it seems to have worked.
Holy cow! You had quite an eventful few days in that retention area! Getting the mink shot so quickly is pretty amazing! Great info in this entire post…thanks for sharing it!!
You’re welcome. It has really turned out to be a great place to see nature up close, but if you had told me that when they started building it I never would have believed it.
Thanks for your illustration of spruce vs for cones. I think I can remember “fir candle” as a reminder. Love the fact that you visit your favorite lichens. Your blog is a treasure.
Thank you Judy, it’s nice of you to say so. I have many plants that I visit quite often, just to see how they’re doing. They are usually single specimens or small colonies of rare plants that I never find anywhere else.
Congratulations on the mink and the hawk! The hawk may try to make a meal of the mink if it’s hungry enough, but pound for pound, mink are one of the most vicious critters there are in the wild. The hawks must do a lot of reading, as they know the effective range of every camera/lens combination made, and do quite well at staying out of range.
Here’s a tip, the next time you see the hawk, don’t stare at it or try to approach it directly, just glance in its direction now and then. All wildlife knows when you are focused on it, and they’ll move off every time. Just wander around in the general direction of the hawk to see how close you can get that way, then shoot a photo. It works for me.
I doubt that the mink drove off or killed the beavers, either the beavers moved on of their own accord because they didn’t like the area, or they were trapped and relocated by humans. That’s happening quite often in Michigan where beavers are becoming a problem.
Overall though, I also find the edges of these retention ponds great places to find wildlife. The berms and the trees keep them as sheltered spots away from humans except for people like us. While I don’t like to see developments like this, at least due to local zoning laws, wildlife isn’t being effected as much as in the old days when there were no buffer zones like the retention ponds.
Thanks Jerry, I’ll remember those tips the next time I go hawk stalking! Interesting that I grew up in this general area and never saw a hawk, but now they seem to be everywhere I look. I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only one who has trouble getting photos of them.
I was a little surprised to read just how vicious minks are. I’m glad that I didn’t accidentally get this one cornered because they come out fighting and it doesn’t sound like they have a problem fighting humans.
I think you’re probably right about the beavers being relocated because they left in a real hurry. It’s too bad because I liked seeing them along with all of the other wildlife that visits this place. As you say it’s a great place to spot all kinds of things!
Even when man tries to take control, nature maintains her gentle grip…
Yes, and nature doesn’t take no for an answer.
Interesting post as always, your native Hawthorn has fiercer thorns than the UK hawthorns. I had always thought Alnus glutinosa – black alder was a native to here, which has made me wonder how many shared natives we have, something I had not considered before. I love to see nature return to developments, where there is a will there is a way!
Thanks Julie. I’ve read that the earliest colonists brought alders here not realizing that they were already here and you’re right that Alnus glutinosa is the European or black alder and is not native but is probably one of those that was brought over. They are everywhere here and I think of them as natives, but I should know better.
The hawthorn could be any one of 200+ varieties. I haven’t looked them over closely enough to be able to tell but I’m sure they were nursery specimens at one time.
nature sure does have a strong will and I think if we stepped out of the way this shopping center would be taken over quickly.
Interesting that you were able to find so much of nature at a strip mall. I guess it is all about what we are looking for and at when we step outside. 🙂
Thanks Judy. Yes, I don’t hardly ever go there to shop in the traditional way, mostly just to see what nature has been up to!
Pretty exciting seeing a mink. I’m not a fan of most development although within Columbus there have been some excellent examples of redevelopment. However, having seen minks along the reservoir within the city limits animals seem to have an amazing ability to adapt apparently less concerned about the natural aesthetic then we are.
Yes, that was an exciting day. I agree, animals don’t care much how a place looks as long as they find plenty of food there, and apparently the hawks and minks are finding it. It sure was a surprise to discover that though!
Thanks for sharing the mink encounter – so cool! (You also gave me my first morning chuckle with the manual-reading hawk comment.) Have a great day!
You’re welcome Karen. I’m glad that I was able to start off your day with a smile.
American mink have become a bit of a problem here in the UK as they have spread widely following escapes from fur farms several decades ago and several native species, particularly water voles, are suffering heavily because of their predation. I say “escapes” but most of it was deliberate with animal rights activists breaking into the farms and setting the mink free. I’m sure upsetting nature’s balance was not their aim but perhaps a little more thought and a little less emotion may have been called for.
It has always puzzled me why American Mink are not a problem in their native land when they are so troublesome here.
Thanks Jim. I read about American minks causing trouble over there when I was researching this post. It certainly wasn’t a good idea for anyone to release them into the wild but they never should have been imported to begin with. Plants should have taught us a lesson. When we import them we don’t import the insects and diseases that keep them in check so they run rampant.
Mink can do a lot of damage, especially if they get into someplace like a poultry farm. They do that occasionally here but you don’t hear much about it.
The reason they don’t cause that much trouble here is because the predators that have evolved along with them keep them in check and they eat the natural prey they’ve always eaten. Actually they help keep us from being over run by mice, rabbits, rats and voles.
Reblogged this on Writing Out Loud and commented:
One of my favorite walking spots, but not in winter. Interesting to read about and see in my off season
Thanks Bob, I knew that you’d recognize it.
Thank you for this post. And a mink!!!
You’re welcome Ben. Of all places to see a mink. I didn’t think I’d even see a pigeon there.
Any connection? 🙂
I think there are probably many human pigeons that visit the place, if that’s what you mean. Since I rarely shop there I wouldn’t know.
I was – half jokingly – suggesting that possibly the pigeons stay away to avoid being eaten by the mink. 🙂
Oh. Yes, that’s probably true, but I thought you meant all the pigeons who were shopping for a bunch of things that they didn’t really need.
Very interesting to see how nature makes a comeback and glad you are there to record it with such excellent pictures.
Thank you Susan. It was one of the most interesting outings I’ve had in a while.
Nature is amazing in its ability to adapt to what man introduces. It must have lifted your heart to see the mink and the hawk.
Yes, that was good day!