Each year at about this time I start wondering if the ice is forming in the deep cut rail trail that I visit up a ways north of Keene. This place gets very little direct sunlight so usually once the nights get cold enough the ice starts to grow, and our nights have been in the 20s lately. The ice grows steadily through January and February to the size of tree trunks. On this day though the temperature had soared into the 60s so there was little ice to be seen.
I saw that a few icicles had formed on the cliff walls but had quickly melted and fallen. Usually on a hot summer day breezes blow through here and cool it off to about 10 degrees cooler than the temperature at ground level. On this day though, for the first time, I felt a warm breeze blowing. I was dressed for two days before December but before I left I was sweating as if it were tax time in April. I should have paid more attention to the forecast.
Railroad workers used steam drills and black powder to crack this rail bed out of the bedrock about 150 years ago. You can still see many of the holes they drilled.
Signs of the railroad are still seen here and there. Here two railroad ties have been placed against the cliff face. Why I don’t know; possibly as help for climbing these walls. The New Hampshire branch of the Appalachian Mountain Club holds ice climbing clinics here and seeing them climb on winter weekends is common.
They call this place the “ice box” and come here to train and get used to ice climbing before they go out and tackle the really big ice falls. You can see signs that people have been climbing on the higher parts of the wall, which I’d guess must reach 40-50 feet.
On this day the ice climbers would have been disappointed; there was more greenery than ice to be found. In places these walls are completely covered by all kinds of plants, mosses, lichens and liverworts and are very beautiful. It often makes me think of the Shangri-La that James Hilton wrote of in his novel Lost Horizon.
Some of the plants that I see here are ones that I don’t see anywhere else. I’ve been trying to identify this one for close to three years with no luck, so if you know it I’d love to hear from you. I have a feeling it’s a spleenwort (Asplenium) but I don’t know which one. It’s similar to wall rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria) but I don’t know if that’s it. Since there are close to 700 species of Asplenium it might be a while before longer I uncover its name. It grows right out of the cliff faces and is evergreen. It reminds me of flat leaf Italian parsley.
The railroad engineers used the stone from blasting to build massive retaining walls along parts of the rail bed. Drainage ditches run all along the base of the walls on both sides and still keep the rail bed dry after a century and a half.
Coltsfoot plants (Tussilago farfara) still had their leaves and reminded me of spring. Their hoof shapes give this plant its common names. It has been used to treat coughs for centuries.
What I think were a type of winter crane flies (Trichocera) swarmed all over the cut surface of a branch and appeared to be drinking the sap. Others flew back and forth along the trail. Without too much effort I could imagine that it was almost April instead of almost December.
In places small streams pour out of and over the rocks and there is always the sound of splashing and dripping water here. It’s like being near a public fountain.
There was some ice on a rock but it was rotten and probably fell soon after I took this photo.
I’ve seen many amazing things here and some of the most amazing are the large mats of liverworts that grow here in the many thousands. They’ve probably been growing here for the century and a half that these stone cliffs have been here. They grow on the rocks just above the drainage ditches where the humidity must be high, and to get close to them you have to wade through the ditches with high rubber boots on, but it’s worth the effort.
One of my favorite liverworts is the great scented liverwort (Conocephalum conicum.) I like its reptilian appearance and the fresh, clean scent that gives it its common name. It likes water but will die if it is submerged so it needs a place where it can be moist but not touching water. The groundwater that constantly runs down over the stones makes this the perfect spot.
Another liverwort called overleaf pellia (Pellia epiphylla) also grows here but in nowhere near the numbers that the great scented liverworts do. I’ve noticed the overleaf pellia grows on the sunnier side of the cut and the great scented grows on the shaded side. When it gets cold this liverwort starts to turn purple as is seen in the photo. Though not even one tenth the size of a slice of bacon this one always reminds me of fried bacon because of the way its wavy edges curl.
The old lineman’s shack’s walls seem to bulge and its roof sags just a bit more each time I see it. I wonder how many more winters it can stand before it can stand no more. Since there is graffiti dated to 1925 it I know that it has seen a few. What I don’t know is if my father, who was 18 years old in 1925, might have been one of the people who wrote on the walls. He didn’t live too far from here and might have once walked the tracks.
The old 1940s bakelite television rotor controller still sat where it did the last time I was here. It seems so big and cumbersome now but it never did when I had to use one on our antenna years ago. It seemed like a marvel of modern engineering then.
This photo is from February of last year and is for those who might not have seen previous posts I’ve done about this place. The ice grows into massive columns and comes in many colors, including green, blue, black, and orange. I believe the many colors come from minerals, algae, soil and other contaminates, as well as the density of the ice and how it reflects and refracts light. It’s very beautiful and I look forward to seeing it each winter, but with the forecast calling for above average temperatures this winter ice like this might be hard to find.
Nature is shy and noncommittal in a crowd. To learn her secrets, visit her alone or with a single friend, at most. Everything evades you, everything hides, even your thoughts escape you, when you walk in a crowd. ~Edwin Way Teale
Thanks for stopping in.
Another excellent tour of the track path…and another perfect quote to accompany it. Very nice, Allen.
Thanks Scott, but this isn’t a single trail that I show time after time; there are many different hills and mountains that I climb. Though they might seem the same they are really very different, especially when it comes to the amount of huffing and puffing you have to do to make it to the top.
Yes, I know you get all over the place out there, Allen, but this old rail trail is familiar, even with the old shack and bakelite television controller. I’d go there often, too, if I lived there. 🙂
Oops, my mistake. I thought you were commenting on the latest post. As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say: Never mind!
You’ve inspired me to look up the DNR publication on liverworts of Illinois. Turns out great scented liverwort is fairly common here as well. Now I’ll be watching for them in the vicinity of any moist rocks.
I hope you can find some! If you do be sure to smell a piece. It’s an amazing scent.
The weather really has been strange this year. I wonder if there will be ice there later?
There probably will. On one hand I’d like to see it but on the other I won’t feel too badly if I don’t
The well built wall was an excellent photograph. Our temperatures have been been very variable with 0 degrees C one day and 10 or 11C the next. It makes dressing for walking a bit of a gamble. I hope that you don’t get to take your ice pictures for a bit yet.
Thank you. We seem to be having the same up and down temps here, but we haven’t seen anywhere near the rain and wind that you have. I hope they’ve stopped by now.
I also hope I don’t see that much ice for a while yet. The end of February might be nice.
I admire your ability to find beautiful and interesting things now matter what the season! This was a very enjoyable post!
Thanks Montucky! It’s something we can all easily do, just by walking a little slower.
I am probably wrong, but your unidentified plant looks a little like Salad Burnet (Sanguisorba minor) too. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=salad+burnet+leaves&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&site=webhp&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjLudCN_cXJAhVPhhoKHcUSCOsQsAQIKg&dpr=1 Apologies for the large link! Your shot of the Great Scented Liverwort is beautiful. I am glad you have been spared the ice and snow you had this time last year. It is very mild here as well, with high winds and lots of rain.
Thank you Clare. You’re right, it does, but what salad burnet would be doing growing on rock faces in New Hampshire is anyone’s guess! That highlights perfectly the trouble I’m having with this one; it looks like so many other plants.
I love the snakeskin appearance of that liverwort, and it’s scent as well. It’s very surprising.
We saw temperatures in the 50s here today and it’s supposed to be warmer tomorrow, so I’m very happy. Shoveling the roof lost all of its appeal last winter.
I hope your high winds and rain don’t turn into anything too serious.
Thank-you Allen. I think we are faring better here than in the North of England and SW Scotland. Such a lot of serious flooding there. I couldn’t think what Salad Burnet would be doing there either which is why I was doubtful!
Yes, I just read Mr. Tootlepedal’s blog and things are looking a little ominous there. I’m hoping they don’t see any serious flooding and that they can get out safely if they do. I’m glad your area isn’t experiencing the same thing.
There’s probably all of a tablespoon of soil on that rock so I wonder how any plant could grow there.
Mr and Mrs T have been in my thoughts and prayers all day today.
I often wonder how plants get any nutrition in places like that. I suppose some nutrients will get washed into the rock crevices but hardly enough to support a healthy-looking plant as yours seems to be.
It must get enough of what it needs because it and all the other plants are very healthy. There is a lot of groundwater washing through and over the rocks and it must carry a lot of nutrients from out of the surrounding soil. Maybe the plants are almost growing hydroponically.
Could be!
You always have such a variety of cooperative subjects! Enjoyed!
Thanks! I love it when they sit still!
Hello. Love receiving your blog in my email. I posted your picture of the parsley looking plant to the Plant Identification Forum on Facebook. Someone answered: ” Check Cardamine impatiens.” Googled, it looked very similar.
Thank you very much Gata, for taking the trouble to do that. You’re the second person to mention Cardamine impatiens and I agree that it looks like my unknown plant, but I’ve never seen this one flower or seen a flower stalk on it, so I can’t be sure. I’ll have to check on it more frequently next summer.
Thanks again!
Gorgeous photos, not what I would expect, but still gorgeous. Each of the past few winters has brought the unexpected for me.
Thank you Charlie. We’ve also seen the unexpected over the last two years but it came in the form of cold and snow, so I’m hoping this year brings a more mild winter.
Probably not Trichocera. Haven’t met many but, of those few I have, none of them have spines on the legs. First thing I thought of when looking at the picture was Fungus Gnats. Am just a lay person without training or education in any field so I could easily be wrong about the gnats. I’m fairly sure about the Winter Crane Fly though. 😉
I too have stepped outside several times this Fall and thought it felt like Spring in the air. You mentioning “the forecast calling for above average temperatures this winter” is probably a good explanation why on those days I’ve felt a bright anticipation instead of impending gloom. :o)
Thank you. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from doing this blog it’s that lay people often know a lot about their subject of interest. I haven’t had a chance to look up the fungus gnats yet but I will, and I suspect that you’re probably right. I wasn’t sure about the leg spines either.
I heard that we’re going to have a milder winter on a national forecast and I do hope they’re right. I’ve spent a lot of time shoveling my roof over the past two winters and I could sure use a break!
I’m not sad at the lack of ice so far this year, even if the railroad cut has had some beautiful ice formations in your other posts. 😉
It’s still interesting to see what you find there, like the liverworts and the plant that you haven’t been able to ID yet. I can imagine that it is very peaceful there, with the sounds of the water dripping down the rocks, and the sounds of the outside world blocked by the rock. I’d love to find a similar spot.
Me neither Jerry! We saw highs in the 50s today and I’ll take all of that I can get.
There are always interesting things to see there, and many times I see things that I haven’t seen before.
Though I do see an occasional human there it is a very quiet and peaceful place. I hope you will find a place like it one day.
This is one of my favorite spots in your blog. It almost feels like I have been there through your posts. Always fun discoveries and amazing that the controller was still there from the last visit!
Thanks Martha! Maybe this place calls to you like it does me.
I was surprised to see that rotor controller still there too. I thought that someone would have either taken it or thrown it into the woods by now.
Beautiful stonework in that retaining wall. And I love the Teale quote.
Thank you. Yes, the railroad workers did some beautiful and amazing stone work. I’ve read that many of them were Scottish and Italian craftsman.
Love seeing this trail without all the ice. What a great spot for a walk this must be.
Thank you Judy. Yes, this is a very special place with unusual plants. I don’t know of another place like it.
Some stunning photos here, Allen. That plant looks a bit familiar. Hmmm….
Thank you Cynthia. I’ll find the name of that plant eventually!
Your unknown plant looks an awful lot like narrow leaved bittercress, Cardamine impatiens, or perhaps a close relative, to me.
I rarely see liverworts, and will be in Keene at Christmas, I have it in the back of my mind to see if I can find the time to walk here. Is this located at the end of what Google calls the Washington Street Exd.?
Thank you Sara. You’re right, this plant does resemble narrow leaved bittercress but I’ve never seen it bloom or have any trace of a flower stalk. That’s the trouble with it, it resembles many other plants, but doesn’t quite match any of them.
No, this isn’t Washington Street Extension but that’s a great place to visit too. I’ve done a lot of posts on it, so if you want to learn more about it just type “Beaver Brook Falls” in the search box on this blog.
The place highlighted here is off Route 12 north leading towards Westmoreland. Right after the Keene Landfill heading north there is a large gravel pull off area. At its northernmost point near a mini storage place there is a trail out through the woods that takes you to the rail bed. If there is snow on the ground the trail is easy to find but if not it’s a little harder to see. If you go there you’ll want to wear some good knee high waterproof boots to see the liverworts, because you have to wade through the drainage channels. Once you reach the railbed walk south back towards Keene and before too long you’ll start seeing liverworts-millions of them, mostly on the right hand cliff walls. You’ll also see some very interesting green algae (Trentepohlia aurea) which is actually bright orange.
I hope this helps!
Thank you! I think I figured out just where you are talking about (though it will be easier when I am there in person).
I often see narrowleaved bittercress growing out of rock walls. It has a fairly short flowering season. Here in NJ it blooms mid May to the very beginning of June. I saw your photo posted over on the big Facebook plant ID site, and two of the experts (and two I don’t know) agreed; no one’s offered an alternative.
You’re welcome, and thank you Sara. The place is very easy to find, but the start of the path itself can sometimes be a little tricky if you’re the first one there after a snow fall. Wait a bit and others will make the path for you.
Yes, a lady wrote in and said she had put the photo of the unknown plant on the Facebook site. I didn’t even know that there was such a thing but I’m glad there is. I’m going to have to go back in May and see if it’s blooming.
By the way, another reader pointed out that it looked just like salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor), and it does!
A wonderful walk along one of your favorite trails. Always something to see. The mass of liverworts is really quite striking.
Thanks Laura! Those large masses of liverwort are unlike anything else I’ve seen.
Interesting as always but liked the shot from last year to show how different it is this year. Loved the little streams running down the cliff faces.
Thank you Susan. I know you like seeing the ice but it’s hard to find so far this year, and they say we might see 60 degrees again this weekend. I think those streams will be running for a while yet!