Just like spring, fall starts on the forest floor and nothing illustrates that better than maple leaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium.) I’ve never seen another native shrub turn as many colors as this one does. Its leaves can be purple, pink, orange, red, or combinations of them all, but they usually end by turning to just a whisper of light pastel orange or pink before they fall.
Native little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) catches the light and glows in luminous ribbons along our roadsides. It’s a beautiful little 2-3 foot tall grass that lends a golden richness to life outdoors and I always look forward to seeing it. After a frost it takes on a reddish purple hue, making it even more beautiful. It’s another of those things that help make walking through life a little more pleasant.
It is the seed heads on little bluestem that catch the light as they ripen. This grass is a native prairie grass which grows in every U.S. state except Nevada and Washington. According to the USDA its appearance can vary in height, color, length of leaves, flowering, and clump diameter from location to location.
We have countless miles of unpaved gravel roads here in this part of New Hampshire and they usually get dry and dusty at this time of year, but this year is a banner year for dust and each time a car travels the road a big cloud of it kicks up. These native wild ginger (Asarum canadense) plants were covered by a thick layer which won’t be washed off until it rains.
Native virgin’s bower (Clematis virginiana) needs full sun and it will climb over shrubs and trees to get it. Its seed heads are often times more visible than its small white flowers were. As they age the seed heads become more and more feathery and are very noticeable after the leaves fall.
The tail on a virgin’s bower seed is what is left of the flower’s style. In a flower the style is the slender stalk that connects the sticky pollen accepting stigma to the ovary. As it ages the seed becomes dryer and lighter and the tail becomes feathery so it can be carried away by the wind.
River grapes (Vitis riparia,) so called because they grow on the banks of rivers and streams, are ripening, and you can let your nose lead you to them. Each year at this time many of our forests smell like grape jelly because of them. They are also called frost grapes because of their extreme cold hardiness; river grapes have been known to survive temperatures of -57 degrees F. (-49 C.) Many birds eat these small grapes including cardinals, mockingbirds, catbirds, robins, wood ducks, several species of woodpecker, cedar waxwings, blue jays, and turkeys. Many animals also love river grapes, including foxes, rabbits, raccoons, skunks and opossums. Deer will eat the leaves and new shoots and many birds use the bark for nest building; especially crows.
Native hobblebush berries (Viburnum lantanoides) are turning from red to deep, purple black as they always do. The berries are said to taste like spicy raisins or dates and are eaten by cardinals, turkeys, cedar waxwings and even pileated woodpeckers. Bears, foxes, skunks and squirrels are among the animals that eat them. They go fast; I rarely find them fully ripe.
Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana) is another understory plant with black berries. Little is known about what animals eat the berries but it is said that the Native American Iroquois tribe used the crushed dried berries and leaves to treat convulsions in infants. Native Americans also ate the roots of the plant, which taste and smell like a cucumber.
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is another plant with purple-black berries. I love seeing the little purple “flowers” on the back of pokeweed berries. They are actually what’s left of the flowers’ five lobed calyx, but mimic the flower perfectly. People do eat its new shoots in the spring but all parts of this plant are considered toxic, so it’s wise to know exactly what you’re doing if you choose to try it. Native Americans used the plant medicinally and also used the red juice from its berries to decorate their horses. Recently scientists found that the red dye made from the berries can be used to coat solar cells, increasing their efficiency.
I saw this large tolype moth (Tolype velleda) clinging to the siding of a building recently. It’s a pretty moth that’s very easy to identify because of its hairiness and coloration. It looks like it’s dressed for winter. The caterpillar stage feeds on the leaves of apple, ash, birch, elm, oak, plum, and other trees.
Days like this have been so rare I felt compelled to get a photo of one we had recently at Half Moon Pond in Hancock. Though it didn’t bring rain a low mist hung over the landscape and occasionally brought drizzle with it. Fog is very common here in the fall when the air temperature is cooler than the temperature of the water. The same thing happens in spring, but in reverse. Then the air is warmer than the water.
I think this was a solitary bee (Hymenoptera) sleeping in an aster blossom when it was so cool and misty that day. Solitary bees get their name from the way they don’t form colonies like honey and bumblebees.
Last year I misidentified a erythristic red-back salamander (Plethodon cinereus) as a red spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens,) but this time I think I’ve got it right. New Hampshire has eight native salamanders including the red-spotted newt seen here. The larva are aquatic and so are the adults, but the juveniles are called red efts and live on land. Since it has been so dry this summer I was surprised to find this one out in the open. This salamander eats just about anything that is small enough, including earthworms and insects.
The eastern yellow jacket (Vespula maculifrons) is a wasp that usually build its nest underground but will occasionally build them above ground, as this large example I recently found hanging in a tree shows. It was about as big as a basketball, or about 9.5 inches across, and was built of paper made from wood fiber. Except for a small entrance at the bottom the nests are fully enclosed. Yellow jackets are very aggressive and will protect their nest by stinging multiple times. Their sting is very painful; I was pruning a rhododendron once that had a nest in it that I didn’t see until it was too late. A swarm chased me across the lawn and stung me 5 or 6 times on the back. This time they gave me time for one shot of their nest before getting agitated. When they started flying I backed off.
I’ve seen some very strange thigs happen in the world of fungi but I didn’t think this was one of them until I looked closely. Mushrooms often appear to be growing on stones but they’re actually growing on accumulated leaf litter that has fallen onto the stone. But not always; as this photo shows these examples of Russel’s bolete (Boletellus russellii) are growing directly out of the stone. I have to assume that the boulder had soil filled holes in it that the wind carried the mushroom’s spores to. But how did the holes get there?
One of the things I’ve learned by studying nature is that every single living thing eventually gets eaten, and nothing illustrates that better that this. I thought the gray veil hanging from this mushroom cap was mold but a little research shows that it is most likely Syzygites megalocarpus, which is a mycoparasite; a fungus that feeds on other fungi. It starts out white and then changes to yellow before finally becoming gray. It is a very fast grower and can appear overnight as this example on a bolete did. I’ve read that it has been found on over 65 species of mushroom so it isn’t choosy about its diet, but it is somewhat picky about the weather. Heat and humidity levels have to be to its liking for it to appear.
This black false tinder fungus (Phellinus igniarius) was covered by what appeared to be a white slime mold. Slime molds feed on bacteria, yeasts, and fungi so I assume that this one was feeding on the false tinder fungus, though it’s the only time I’ve seen this happen. Slime molds are not classified as fungi, plants, or animals but display the characteristics of all three. Nobody really seems to know for sure what they are.
The orange yellow underside of the false tinder fungus looked like it was slowly becoming engulfed by the slime mold. More proof that all things get eaten, in one way or another.
Native Virginia creeper is a large climbing vine with leaves that often turn red in late summer, but these examples wanted to be purple. Many grow Virginia creeper in their gardens because of its pleasing fall colors. My mother grew it so I’ve known it for about as long as I can remember. I like to see it growing up tree trunks; in the fall it’s as if the entire trunk has turned a brilliant scarlet color.
Summer is leaving silently. Much like a traveler approaching the end of an amazing journey. ~Darnell Lamont Walker
Thanks for coming by.
Half a dozen of these are outstanding!
Thanks very much Ben.
I remember maple leaf viburnum, and the smell of grape jelly all through the woods! I was thinking about that today. Vitis riparia is one of several native species used for rootstock for Vitis vinifera cuttings, tolerating damp conditions and has strong phylloxera resistance.
http://iv.ucdavis.edu/Viticultural_Information/?uid=168&ds=351
http://www.wineskills.co.uk/vinegrowing/vinegrowing-knowledge-base/how-select-correct-rootstock
Thank you Lavinia. The smell of grape jelly is strong in the woods this year, so the vines are doing well. Thanks for the links. I knew Vitis riparia was very cold tolerant but I didn’t know about its other properties. It grows quite big here, often as big around as your arm and all the way into the treetops.
What splendid discoveries for late summer! I was particularly taken by that moth. What a gorgeous little creature it is!
Thanks Montucky, I thought so too. I’ve never seen another like it!
The Pokeweed is such a wonderful colour! Lots of interesting things to look at in this post – mouldy fungus and fungus being eaten by a slime mould especially. There haven’t been as many wasps as usual here this year though we at home have had two wasp nests – one in a disused mole tunnel and the other under our roof tiles – and one hornet nest – also under the roof tiles. They have been no real trouble to us and as you said to Beautywhizz, they are so useful especially earlier in the year.
Thank You Clare. Pokeweed is an interesting and very colorful plant up close, but from a distance it isn’t that remarkable. I’m glad that I stopped years ago and took a closer look.
Your wasps sound much like ours, at least in their choice of where to live. I’ve had a hornet nest near my front door all year long, and I’ve proven to myself by walking by it each day that if you leave them alone they’ll leave you alone. Everything has a purpose in this world!
Thank-you Allen. I was about to ask how noticeable pokeweed is; I would think most people are unaware of it’s beauty. Hornets are much more docile than wasps but I wouldn’t want to provoke them! The only thing we do differently is to make sure that if we turn on a light after dark we close the house windows or we run the risk of having a house full of hornets!
Yes, I think many ignore it as just another weed.
That’s odd. I never knew hornets were attracted to light. They come in here occasionally even though I have window screens. I usually just ignore them and they seem to find their way out again.
I sure wouldn’t want a house full of them!
Ours must be not as clever as yours as they never find their way out on their own! A few years ago we had an enormous nest in an old shed in the garden and each night we saw many of them crawling up the walls of the house towards the upstairs windows.
That would have done it for me!
😀
Some very colorful fruits there – I like the Hobblebush berries.
Not very good to eat I’ve heard, but they are colorful!
What a cool looking moth! I love the contrast of colors on the pokeweed. I planted some virginia creeper bu my woodshed, hoping it would cover it but it has been really slow to take off.
I like that moth too. I’ve never seen it before.
I like the hot pink on the pokeweed. It really pops next to the black berries.
I’ve never tried to Grow Virginia creeper but the vines I see in the woods do seem to be slow growers. They don’t ever change much.
I’m glad that the yellow jackets didn’t find you this time, what nasty critters they are. I didn’t know that they ever built their nests above ground, I’ll have to be more careful about wasp nests from now on.
I have seen things similar to the Syzygies megalocarpus that you photographed so well, but I had no idea what it was. Also, I usually don’t see it when it and the mushroom are still in good shape, I typically see the end result when it’s all a dried glob and not very photogenic.
I nature, nothing is wasted, everything is recycled in one way or another as this post shows.
Thanks Jerry! Actually yellow jackets do a lot of good by preying on insects that destroy crops, but they won’t put up with anyone getting too close to their nest. They were flying in under a minute when I found this nest and tried to get shots of it. According to what I’ve read they usually build nests underground but for some reason every now and then they decide to build it above ground.
I know what you mean about moldy mushrooms! I saw this one every day and was able to watch it grow, and then overnight it grew a beard.
Yes, recycled is a good word for what even we will go through.
Ever heard of hornets getting roadkilled? After that big windstorm last weekend, I came upon a huge nest of bald-faced hornets whose nest had apparently fallen out of the tree above the road and was run over flat. There were hundreds of adults and pupae. Fascinating for me, tragic for them.
I haven’t ever heard of that but I have been stung by a bald faced hornet and it hurt a lot more than a yellow jacket sting. I’m glad they didn’t turn on you. Several stings from them could mean a doctor visit.
I’ve been stung a couple times in my life. The first time was when I was 5 – wow, did I howl! I give them a wide berth when I see them. I wasn’t too sad to see that smooshed nest. 😉
I don’t remember my first time but as a full time gardener I was stung just about every summer. You never get used to it.
No, you don’t!
It’s a fungus eat fungus world out there. Great pictures all round but I enjoyed the Pokeweed best of all.
Thank you. Yes, it makes me wonder where the eating ends. Microbes, I suppose.
Pokeweed is an interesting plant but also very large. It isn’t uncommon to find them 6-8 feet tall, looking more like a shrub than a perennial. It would take up a lot of space in a garden.
Fall is definitely on it’s way, if it has not arrived in some places…Wonderful photo series.
Thank you Charlie. Yes, it’s happening slowly here but it’s coming!
I loved your photograph of that maple leaf, what a wonder.
Thank you Susan. Maple leaf viburnums are really beautiful at this time of year. Fall is on the way!
Wonderful post about changing seasons. I like the quote a lot and also the Virginia bower’s seed heads. We found a wasp nest this summer in my parents garden.
Thank you. I’ve read that many wasps are good for a garden because they prey on many insects that damage crops. This one that I saw was very close to a vegetable garden.
Wow, you’ve got all kinds of crazy stuff in New Hampshire this time of year. Would love to spot one of those toltype moths – an oddity for sure. And that plump little salamander is a charmer.
Every now and then, I’ll spot a brightly colored leaf in my wanderings, but it seems like summer still has a pretty firm grip on this area. This has been one of the most humid summers I can remember here – cooler, drier fall air will be a welcome relief.
Love the variety of subjects in your posts. I’m amazed that you are always able to keep them fresh and interesting. Thanks.
You’re welcome and thank you Judy. The salamander I usually see each year but I’ve never seen the moth before. I thought it was a beauty.
We’re about the same as far as fall color goes and our summers were alike as well. It was very hot and humid here with something like 27 days over 90 degrees. We usually average 3. I’m ready for some cooler temps too!
Nature always has something new to show us, it seems. Usually if I start thinking I’ve seen it all I find that I’ve barely scratched the surface.
What a beautiful moth!
I thought so too! I’ve never seen it before.
Thoreau described the hobblebush berries as “seedy and insipid.” I haven’t been brave enough to try
I’ve never tried them either, but I’ve heard that they’re on the dry side and have a large seed. I think Thoreau was probably right.
Yes, they are a bit dry, and the seed makes up a significant portion of the berry. But I find them pretty tasty in spite of that!
I’ll have to try them!
Aha, Native Virgin’s Bower, I wondered if this was a type of Clematis. I see a large swathe of it on my morning walk.
Yes, this is the time of year when it becomes more easily seen. A lot of us miss its flowers but the seed heads really stand out.
Reblogged this on Poltrack Pix.
Thank you John.
Wow! That *Syzygites megalocarpus* is really something! Never heard of or seen such a thing (so far as I can recall).
On Wed, Sep 14, 2016 at 4:14 AM, New Hampshire Garden Solutions wrote:
> New Hampshire Garden Solutions posted: ” Just like spring, fall starts on > the forest floor and nothing illustrates that better than maple leaf > viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium.) I’ve never seen another native shrub turn > as many colors as this one does. Its leaves can be purple, pink, orange, > red” >
Thank you Pat. This was the first time I’ve ever really paid attention to mold on a mushroom!