Last Saturday was the hottest day of the year so far, with plenty of tropical humidity as well. Puffy white clouds floated slowly through the sky and if you hadn’t known it was May you’d have sworn it was August. When I was a boy I used to love such days, when you could see the shadows of the clouds moving across the distant hills, so I decided to climb one of those hills to see those shadows again. Since it was so hot I decided on an easy climb and chose Hewe’s Hill in Swanzey. You start by crossing the meadow in the above photo. I saw that someone had been there before me; maybe another cloud lover.
Grasses were flowering. It’s too bad that so many miss them, because they can be very beautiful when they blossom.
Blue eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) wasn’t a surprise; meadows like this one is where it loves to grow. Despite its name this little beauty isn’t a grass at all; it’s in the iris family. Wild turkeys love its seeds.
I knew if I didn’t stop dawdling among the meadow flowers I’d never get to the top of the hill, so I set off up the trail.
But there were more flowers there to dawdle over. Pink lady’s slippers (Cypripedium acaule,) one of our most beautiful native orchids, bloomed alongside the trail. Native Americans called it moccasin flower, for obvious reasons. They used the plant medicinally as a nerve tonic and a pain reliever.
Further up the trail I found a woolly oak gall, created by the wool sower gall wasp (Callirhytis seminator.) It was a small example about the size of an acorn, but I’ve seen them as big as ping pong balls. The gall is caused by secretions from the grubs of the gall wasp, which will only build it on white oak and only in spring. There are small seed like structures inside the gall which contain the wasp larva, and that’s why these galls are also called oak seed galls.
Oak apple galls fall from the trees regularly at this time of year. Theses galls are caused by a gall wasp known as Biorhiza pallida laying an egg inside a leaf bud. Tissue swells around the egg and a gall is formed.
The gall wasp larva lives in the very center of the gall. Once they develop into an adult wasp they make a hole through the side of the gall and fly (or crawl) off to begin the cycle again. A web of spokes keeps the hollow sphere from deflating by connecting the inner hub to the outer shell.
When you see the 40 ton glacial erratic called Tippin rock you know the climb is just about done. This rock gets its name from the way it can be rocked or tipped when pushed in the right spot, but I’ve never found the spot. Anyhow, this wasn’t what I had come to see so I took a quick photo and moved on. The climbing might be over but the hiking to the scenic overlook isn’t.
I came hoping to see puffy white clouds casting shadows on the hills, and though I saw plenty of puffy white clouds I didn’t see any shadows. That’s because the clouds were off to the left and the sun was on the right. I find that usually when I go into the woods expecting to see a certain thing I don’t usually see it. Focusing on just one thing can make you miss a lot of what nature has to offer, so that’s why when I go into the woods I try to strip myself of all expectations and just enjoy whatever happens to be in my path. I saw many other interesting things so a lack of cloud shadows wasn’t disappointing. There will be other days with puffy white clouds.
Some of the puffy white clouds were becoming puffy dark gray clouds, and I wondered if we might see a thunderstorm. I hoped not since I was carrying three cameras (2 in pockets) with no way to protect them.
This view probably comes closest to what I was trying for, but it’s still not it.
This shot, taken earlier on the same day at a different location, is what started it all, and shows what I was hoping to see on the hilltop. I might have done better just staying in the low lands.
But if I hadn’t climbed I wouldn’t have gotten to see my old friends the toadskin lichens (Lasallia papulosa,) because they only grow on hilltops. Their warty projections are called pustules and if you look at the back of this lichen there will be a corresponding pit for every pustule. When wet the greenish color of the algae that is present comes through but when dry they can be very ashy gray. They are also very brittle when dry, like a potato chip.
Growing right alongside the toadskin lichens is rock tripe (Umbilicaria mammulata) which is kind of like a toadskin without the warts. It attaches to the rock in the same way and also gets brittle when dry. Though I imagine they must taste like old rubber, these lichens were a source of emergency food for Native Americans and saved the lives of many an early settler. Even George Washington’s troops are said to have eaten rock tripe to survive the brutal winter at Valley Forge in 1777.
In this photo the green rock tripe lichens are smaller than the gray toadskin lichens and that’s unusual, but it’s because the rock tripe lichens in this photo are babies. I’ve seen rock tripe lichens as big as my hand but have only seen toad skins about 2 inches across, which is what I’d say the biggest examples in this photo were.
Each lichen, both rock tripe and toad skin, is attached to the rock at a single point that looks much like a belly button, and that makes them umbilicate lichens. I hope everyone reading this will make lichens one of the things they look for when outdoors. They’re fascinating, beautiful things that grow virtually everywhere; even in cities if the air is clean. Cemeteries are a good place to look for those that grow on stone.
Mr. Smiley face was happy as always because that’s what happens when you spend all of your free time outside. You become filled with more joy than you ever thought possible.
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. ~John Lubbock
Thanks for coming by.
That woolly oak gall is really something and it was good to get a look inside one of the galls I see all the time here. Funnily, I never seem to spot them when they’re green.
I’ve only seen wooly oak galls twice, so they aren’t common.
The apple galls fall out of the trees pretty regularly and I see them everywhere. It’s odd that they don’t do the same there.
A great climb! the galls are really neat looking. I’ve seen oak apple galls but not wool sower galls, love the colors in it.
Thanks Laura!
I agree that focusing on one thing can make us miss another interesting things on the way, it happened to me many times. Beautiful lady’s slipper orchid.
Yes, I’ve missed a lot by doing that too, so know I just empty myself of expectations and take what I find as being what nature wants me to see on that particular day. It works much better!
I couldn’t believe how many lady’s slippers I saw this year. They seem to be making a strong comeback. Now if only the yellow ones would grow here.
Two new items for me to keep and eye out for on my walks: the woolly oak gall is lovely and reminds me of a powder puff, the lichen are fascinating and I have never taken the time to give them a second glance. I wonder what the rock tripe tastes like and if it was the origin of “stone soup”?
The gall does look like a powder puff and feels like a tennis ball.
I’m not sure I could ever eat rock tripe to find that out, especially since it’s covered with algae, but people have. I’m guessing it tastes like old shoe leather.
That pink Lady’s Slipper is gorgeous! I also like seeing the forests of deciduous trees: so different from the evergreen forests here.
Thanks Montucky! I’m finding a lot of very dark colored lady’s slippers this year and I’m not sure why. They’re usually a paler pink. Natural selection, I guess.
I’ve grown up with both kinds of forests but hemlock / pine forests are much more common than pure hardwood forests are here. I like deciduous forests because they’re much more open and cathedral like.
The lady’s slipper, one of my faves, especially the pink one which seems rarer! Glad to see your photo of it. And to see the ole Tippin Rock again, albeit briefly. I’m hoping you’ll find out how to tip it one of these days — unless it’s a legless legend.
Thank you Cynthia. Pink lady’s slippers are common here and the yellows are rare. In fact they’re so rare I’ve never seen one.
I’ve no doubt that Tippin rock tips, but I haven’t figured out its secret yet.
I am sorry about the recalcitrant clouds but glad that you sensibly used your time to bring us many other treats.
Thank you. There will be plenty of other cloudy days and I’ll be out there to see them.
Nature is never disappointing. I like the lady slipper photo, another reminder of my native New England. I used to see mainly pink ones, the moccasin flowers, but on rare occasions saw yellow ones. I have not found any in my part of Oregon yet, although I read there are varieties of them here.
I’ve never seen a yellow one but I’d love to.
It would be great if you could see the native lady’s slippers on both coasts!
You may not have found the cloud shadows that you were looking for, but you did find plenty of other beautiful and interesting things to see!
This post is a great reminder not to set your expectations as to what you will see get in the way of enjoying what nature has to offer during the times when we’re able to be outside to take a look around. That’s something that hit home during my vacation earlier this month.
I do go looking for some of the things that you find, like the lichens that you featured in this post, but I think that I’m doomed to failure. We have very few hills, very few rocks, and I’m beginning to think that the history of Michigan makes this state somewhat unique. Not only were almost all the forests cut down here, but then there were a series of tremendous fires that raged across the state, leaving barren charred ground. Because of that, very few things are less than 100 years old here, just a few patches of forest here and there. When I was in one of those patches of older forest on my vacation, I saw mosses and lichens in great quantities like nowhere else that I’ve been in lower Michigan. While 100 years seems like a long time to us, it’s hardly a drop in the bucket of time for nature, it may take several more centuries for nature to fully recover here.
Thanks Jerry! Yes, nature never lets me down. There are always more new and interesting things to see.
But I think when we go into the woods expecting to see a certain thing we put a lot of unnecessary pressure on ourselves. I try to just tell myself that I’ll see what I see.
I didn’t know you didn’t have many rocks there. Since many lichens like to grow on stone it’s doubtful you’d find them but there are others that love to grow on concrete, many that grow on trees and more that grow on soil, so there’s always a chance to find lichens.
I didn’t know about the fires you had either. I think you’re right about nature taking more time to recover-100 years is nothing. But at least you got to see some old growth forest. If we leave it alone, that’s how Michigan will look again sometime in the future.
Wonderful post with such wonderful photographs!
Thanks!
I don’t like humidity but I do like warmth. We had 90 per cent humidity but only 11 degrees C yesterday. I love to see cloud shadows chasing each other over the hills and I also like to see them riding over the large fields of wheat or barley. The oak galls are fascinating.
Thank you Clare. I don’t mind the heat either but the humidity really slows me down, especially when I’m climbing. I think at 90 percent I’d just stay inside!
I don’t know of any barley or wheat fields but we do grow a lot of corn here, so on the next puffy white cloud day I’ll have to see what their shows look like moving over the corn.
i don’t check in often enough, but your posts continue to bless and delight my soul! thank you!!!
You’re welcome Shana, and thank you. I hope you’ll find time to stop in more often. You’ll always find something beautiful here, thanks to nature.
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays and commented:
Lovely trails and nice photos. Thank you for sharing. Allen. Btw – I’ve just passed my driving test this morning …. yay … hubby was happy that he didn’t have to take me out to the driving lessons anymore. Took a toll on us in all aspects of this particular journey but it was worth it. Once again, thanks for sharing your part of the world with us. Namaste
You’re welcome, and thank you. Congratulations on passing the driving test! I’m not surprised though – I knew you would!
Have a great week!
Loved the smiley face and the splendid cloud picture.
Thank you Susan, I’m glad you did.
I enjoyed the virtual hike with you, Allen. The humidity had risen here too and was reaching the oppressive level yesterday. I especially liked your shot of the Lady’s Slipper–I’ve never seen an orchid growing in the wild.
Thank you Mike. Our humidity has dropped a bit but it’s still quite warm.
I’m guessing that you have lady’s slippers there and probably many other orchids as well. A little research might lead you to them.