The first time I did one of these looking back posts was last year and I thought I remembered it being fun, but I found this one a little harder than fun. Picking one photo from 80-100 of them for each of the 12 months isn’t easy, but in the end I decided on the ones that best spoke about the month they were from. Last winter we didn’t have a lot of snow but we always have cold in winter, and that’s why I chose this photo of a tear shaped icicle for the month of January. It is said that January is our coldest month but I’ve seen February earn that title a few times in recent years.
Along with cold February can sometimes bring enough snow to cover nearly everything, and this is when tree trunks gain a certain appeal. There are almost always lichens and mosses found on them and last February this maple dust lichen answered a question that I had been asking for some time, which was “Do maple dust lichens only grow on maple trees?” This one growing on a beech tree put the question to rest, and I have since seen them on poplars and young oaks as well. This pretty little lichen averages about an inch in diameter I’d guess, and can be identified by the white fringe around its perimeter. Proof that even when there’s six feet of snow on the ground there is still plenty of beauty to be found.
March is when things really begin to stir and one of the first plants I see coming up is skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus.) As this photo shows, we didn’t have much snow last March but even if we had the skunk cabbages would have simply melted their way up through it. Through a process called thermogenesis, skunk cabbages raise their internal temperature so it’s above the surrounding air temperature, and this melts any ice or snow that might hinder its progress. The dark color of their blotchy spathes attracts sunlight and that means they are also heated by the sun. This makes a nice cozy warming room inside the spathe where early insects can come and hang out and warm up. While they’re inside if they happen to bump into the spadix full of flowers and get pollen all over themselves, so much the better.
April is when flowers begin to appear in great numbers. Spring bulbs bloom, trees bloom, and the first of our wildflowers bloom, including wild ginger, purple trillium, trout lily and the beautiful spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) shown in this photo. I’m always so excited when I see their first blooms I drop down to my knees and start taking photos, forgetting that there are often leafless poison ivy vines crawling under last year’s fallen leaves. But itchy knees are worth it when beautiful things like these can be seen. There are few sights as breathtaking as a woodland floor carpeted by thousands of them and I’m very anxious to see them again.
In May the leaf buds on many of our trees start breaking and king among them is the beech, in my opinion. American beech (Fagus grandifolia) bud break begins when the normally straight buds start to curl. The curling is caused by the cells on the sunny side of the bud growing faster than those on the shaded side. This creates a tension that curls the bud and eventually causes the bud scales to pull apart so the leaves can emerge. Once the downy angel wing like leaves begin to show they unfurl quickly, so you have to watch carefully. I check them each day, and it’s always worth the effort to see something so beautiful. It’s too bad that so many people miss such a captivating event.
In June there are many beautiful wildflowers blooming and I had a very hard time choosing which one to include here. In the end I chose the pink lady’s slipper (Cypripedium acaule,) which is New Hampshire’s state wildflower. The wild part of the word is significant, because our official state flower is the lilac, which isn’t native to New Hampshire. In any case the lady’s slipper is a beautiful native orchid and we’re lucky enough to have several different examples of them. Pink are the most common in this area but I’ve heard that there are yellow ones tucked away here and there and I’m always looking out for them.
July is when I finally get to see the swamp milkweeds again. In my opinion they are easily one of our most beautiful wildflowers, and one that I’ve lost myself in more than once. If only there were more of them. I know of only two or three smallish clumps and last year one of those was too sick and insect ridden to even blossom, so they’re something I have to search for here, but their rarity and beauty make them worth every minute of searching.
August is when the silky dogwood berries ripen and the cedar waxwings appear out of nowhere to eat them up, and isn’t it amazing how nature will teach you such things if you just pay a little closer attention? I love seeing the beautiful blue and white berries that always remind me of Chinese porcelain, and I also love seeing the sleek beautiful birds that feast on them.
The fungi and slime molds didn’t do too well this year because of our drought but I saw a few in September, including this bolete with a mycoparasite called Syzygites megalocarpus growing on its cap. A mycoparasite is essentially a fungus that feeds on other fungi. This one has been found on over 65 species of mushroom. It can appear overnight if heat and humidity levels are just right, and that’s exactly what this one did.
No matter how you slice it October has to be about the fall foliage colors because that’s usually when they’re at their peak in this area and that’s when people from all over the world come to see them. This spot at Howe Reservoir in Dublin is always worth a look because it’s a forest of mostly deciduous trees and it is always colorful in the fall. I love the muted, pastel shades that happened on this cloudy day.
We don’t usually get much snow in November but it does get cold enough for ice to form on puddles and small brooks and streams. I found this frozen pool in the woods on a cool walk one November day and I liked the many colors in and around it. The ice was thin enough so one step would have probably shattered it.
There are people who seem to think that once the leaves fall there is nothing left to see outside until spring, but nothing could be further from the truth. I chose this photo of a split gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune) that I took in December to show that there is still a lot of beauty and interest out there. You just have to look a little more carefully, that’s all. The “gills” on the split gill fungus are actually folds on its underside that split lengthwise when it dries out. The splits close over the fertile surfaces as the mushroom shrivels in dry weather. When rehydrated by rain the splits reopen, the spore-producing surfaces are exposed to the air, and spores are released.
I thought I’d make the photo count in this post an even baker’s dozen so I could squeeze in what I thought was an amazing find in July. I walked down an unknown trail through a swamp and found a two foot tall orchid growing right beside it on a mossy hummock. It’s either a purple fringed orchid (Platanthera psycodes) or a greater purple fringed orchid (Platanthera grandiflora.) I’m not sure which but it is definitely one of the most beautiful wildflowers that I’ve seen. The chance of finding something like this is what keeps me wandering through these woods. There are beautiful things around every turn in the trail.
To be able to look back upon one’s life in satisfaction is to live twice. ~Khalil Gibran
Thanks for stopping in. I hope everyone has a safe, happy, nature filled New Year!
A beautiful post. And this time, I particularly like the quote you chose to end with: To be able to look back upon one’s life in satisfaction is to live twice. ~Khalil Gibran
Thank you Cynthia. That quote rang true with me. I’m glad you liked it.
Picking one photo for each month is an almost impossible task. I think my favourite is the fungi growing on the fungi. It shows you really have to look when you’re out walking.
Thank you. Yes, it took a while to choose one for each month!
I’ve found that the faster you walk the more you miss, so I walk slowly when I have a camera.
I have been followed this blog for a long time. It brings so much joy to my life. I learn not only about plants and others, but most importantly I learn to observe the nature in more details. Thanks.
Thanks very much for putting up with this blog for so long Lucy. I think I’m going on 7 years now, which is a bit hard to believe.
I’m so glad you’ve learned some identities here and I hope you experience the pure joy of finding these things for yourself. There’s just nothing else like it.
You did a terrific job with this post. You showed what a beautiful year it was and it makes me look forward to the coming one. Happy New Year!
Thanks Montucky and Happy New Year! I’m sure 2017 will be every bit as beautiful!
Thanks for reminding me what to look out for in 2017. Can’t wait to get out and explore.
You’re welcome. I hope you’ll have great success!
It must have been difficult to sort through your photos for the year and pick out just these for your year end post. I absolutely loved every one of them! There’s no way that I could choose a favorite one.
I hope that 2017 is the best year ever for you, your family, and your pursuit of the interesting things in nature which bring you joy!
Thanks Jerry! Yes, trying to choose just one per month is tough. I’m glad you liked them.
I hope you have a great 2017 as well, and I hope you aren’t getting buried by snow this winter.
With best wishes for a healthy and happy new year Allen. I enjoyed this retrospective of your year and can imagine that it was a difficult task finding *the* photograph for each month when you have so many to chose from. I really enjoy your posts and look forward to each one. Clare
Thank you Clare, I’m glad that you and others enjoy these posts.
This one was a little tough due to too many choices but I finally got here.
I hope 2017 will be a great year for you and the family!
Thank-you Allen!
A great collection which reflects the pleasure that I have got from your blog very well.
Thank you, I’m glad to hear it!
And a Happy New Year to you! A beautiful collection of photos from the year, Allen, including ones I have not seen out here in Oregon but remember from my youth. I have always had a special place in my heart for skunk cabbage, being one of the first plants I learned to recognize as a child. We apparently have a western skunk cabbage here, quite different than the ones back east.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysichiton_americanus
Thank you Lavinia. I like skunk cabbage too. It’s always such a thrill to see it after a long winter because it says that spring is really here.
The western version is very different isn’t it? So diminutive and dainty looking compared to its rough and tumble eastern cousin.
Great collection. My fave has to be the stunning tree bud in May – it’s that special yellowy-green color that only appears in spring. Also love the shapes in January.
Hope you never get tired of writing your blog, because I’ll never tire of reading it.
Happy New Year, Allen.
Thanks very much Judy. I don’t have any plans to stop doing the blog in the near future; I’m still having too much fun finding so many beautiful things. That beech bud is just one example!
Happy New Year to you and your family!
What a nice post, Allen. It would be wonderful to have a calendar with your photos and some of the quotes you have posted.
I took a walk to a pond in Wilton one day last week. It was relatively warm and windy. As I was looking at the frozen pond and the trees, a gust of wind came. Like magic, it blew melted water on top of the ice from one side of the pond to the other. I have never seen this before. I stayed for quite some time, watching it happen again and again. It was so much fun!
My heart is tuned to the quietness that the stillness of nature inspires.
~ Hazrat Inayat Khan
Thank you Paula. I’m afraid I wouldn’t know the first thing about putting together a calendar, but who knows what the future might bring.
I’ve never seen the wind blow water over ice like that either but it sounds like one of those magical happenings that we just have to be at the right place and time to see, and that’s another reason I spend so much time outdoors. I’m glad that you got to see it!
Thanks for the quote. I have that one but I don’t think I’ve used it yet.
A great post and I can only imagine how hard it was to limit yourself to one photo per month. I thought I could pick a favorite from your baker’s dozen and ended up with three! The Cedar Waxwing and swamp milkweed. I see the Waxwings usually during a snowstorm in January or February when a flock will come visit my holly. My absolute favorite is May. I can’t wait to go on my own search for the beautiful angel wings this spring. Thank you!
You’re welcome, and thank you Jocelyn, it was tough! I didn’t know the cedar waxwings stayed around in winter, so thanks for telling me. I’ll have to watch for them because we still have many berries they could eat.
I hope you see the beech buds break this year. It’s a wonderful sight that’s worth watching for!
I share the gratitude of fellow followers of your blog. You are a light in our lives. Thank you. And best wishes for 2017.
Thank you very much for your kind words Robin. I’m always happy to hear that people enjoy this blog. It makes the effort a little more meaningful.
I hope 2017 brings you plenty of natural beauty!
Thanks Alan, this was such a great post. With little information tidbits like the buds breaking because of the uneven growing from the sunny side of the bud. You are so right about what so many people miss! So often it feels like Christmas morning being outdoors seeing nature do it’s thing. Common, yet miracles everywhere.
I want to give a shout out to the new book “Lab Girl”. I think anyone who enjoys your blog would enjoy this memoir.
Thank you Cindy, I can tell you’ve spent some time out doors. It is miraculous and I wish more people could see it in person.
I thought the title of the book was talking about a girl with Labrador Retriever dogs, but I see I was wrong! It sounds like a fascinating book and since Santa brought some gift certificates for my local bookstore, I’m going to go get it. Thanks very much for introducing me to it. I think you’re right about readers of this blog enjoying it.
Looking back is another means to looking forward. Thank you ! Your post is not unlike listening to Bach; helping to sustain me ( and others I’m certain) in the other wise dark wood of 2016.
Best wishes for your continuing journey into Humankind’s’ better Nature.
You’re welcome, and thank you Mitch. I’m happy to hear that you enjoy these posts. I’m sure 2017 will be filled with natural beauty as well, and I look forward to seeing all of it I can.
Allen, from all appearances 2016 was a very good year. Wishing you the very best for 2017!
Thanks Bob. I’d bet 2017 will be even better!
I love all your posts and wait each week in anticipation of your next.
My heart is filled with gratitude for your sharing your loves (and exquisite photos) and enriching our time on this incredible earth.
~Jennifer
Thanks very much Jennifer. I’m always happy to hear that people are getting something from these posts and I appreciate you letting me know. I’m sure 2017 will be filled with many more beautiful things.
Oh my, what a beautiful collection of photos. I’ve been working on a similar project for my web page. Choosing a group of photos for each month. It is simply too hard to choose only one. Have a great New Year and I look forward to your posts in 2017.
Thank you John. I know just what you’re going through, and I wish you luck!
Have a great 2017!
Reblogged this on Poltrack Pix and commented:
A 2016 retrospective from New Hamshire Garden Solutions
Thank you John.
A most interesting post, thanks for making it a Baker’s Dozen, that last photograph was a wonder indeed. Happy New Year to you too with lots of new wonders to photograph.
Thank you Susan. I can’t wait to see what nature has in store for 2017!