I visited the otter pond recently, trying to figure out how he would come and go. This small stream feeds into the pond but it’s too shallow and narrow for an otter to swim in. It had some beautiful patterns in its ice though.
The reason I wondered about the otter is because its pond is completely frozen over with no holes like there were the last time I saw it in December. Where do otters go when this happens, I wonder?
All of the thawing and re-freezing has left the ice as smooth as glass, but the warm weather has made it too thin to skate on. The two dark spots show little to no thickness and there were thin ice signs where people skate. I’m sure there are a few dozen frustrated skaters it town because of it.
I saw some burdocks and remembered how Swiss engineer George de Mestral got the idea for Velcro from the sticky burrs lodged in his dog’s coat. I wondered why I didn’t think of such things.
This is where the hook part of the “hook and loop” Velcro fasteners came from. I’ve never seen it happen but I’ve heard that small birds can get caught in burdocks and then can’t escape. That could be why there were no seeds missing from these examples; maybe the birds have learned to stay away. According to John Josselyn, a visitor from England in 1672, the burdock came to this country as burrs tangled in cow’s tails, but if that is true then how did Native Americans know the plant so well? They used the entire plant as food or medicine and made a candy-like treat from burdock roots by slicing them and boiling them in maple syrup. They stored much of it for winter.
Birds aren’t staying away from coneflower seeds. I always let coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) go to seed. Goldfinches, cardinal, blue jays and other birds love to eat them. I’ve never seen a bird on them but the seeds disappear and there is often a pair of blue jays in the yard. Many butterflies and bees also love its flowers, so if you’re looking to attract the birds and bees, this is one plant that will do it. The Echinacea part of the scientific name comes from the Greek word echinos, which means hedgehog, and refers to the spiny seed head.
An old pine stump was red with British soldier lichens (Cladonia cristatella.) This lichen also grows on bark or soil and is often seen where people live because it is extremely tolerant of pollution. Because of that and its bright red color it is said to be the best known lichen in the eastern United States. I’ve even seen it growing on buildings.
The spore bearing apothecia of the British Soldier is very red with a matte rather than shiny surface. The biggest among this grouping could have easily hidden under a pea.
If you spend time walking along stone walls eventually you’ll see a stone with a splash of bright orange on it. This is the sidewalk firedot lichen (Caloplaca feracissima,) so called because it is a lime lover and grows on concrete sidewalks, which have lime in them. When you see it in a stone wall it’s a fair bet that the stone it grows on has limestone in it.
A closer look at this example of the sidewalk firedot lichen showed it was made up of mostly irregularly shaped fruiting bodies, so it was making plenty of spores. I think this is the first time I’ve seen it do so.
I had to visit my old friend the scattered rock posy lichen (Rhizoplaca subdiscrepans) that I’ve been watching grow for several years now. It has gone from penny to quarter size (0.75-0.95 in) and is both beautiful and unusual with its brain like body (Thallus) and orange fruiting discs (Apothecia.) I always find them growing on stone in full sun. This is a lichen that never seems to stop producing spores; its orange pad like apothecia are always there.
If you’re stuck in the winter doldrums and feel the need for some color, just find a blueberry bush; everything about them is red, except the berries. Part of the reason the earliest English settlers survived New England winters in Plymouth was because the Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe showed them how to dry blueberries for winter use. Natives used the dried berries in soups and stews and as a rub for meat. They also made tea from the dried leaves. More than 35 species of blueberries are native to the U.S.
Amber jelly fungi (Exidia recisa) have started to appear on downed trees and limbs. You can’t tell from this photo because these examples were frozen solid but this fungus has a shiny side and a matte finish side. The spores are produced on the shiny side and if I understand what I’ve read correctly, this is true of most jelly fungi. This one has the color of jellied cranberry sauce. Jelly fungi can absorb up to 60 times their weight in water, so if a weakened branch is covered with them as this oak limb was, it doesn’t take much of a wind to bring the heavily weighted branch and the jelly fungi to the ground. Jelly fungi are a signal that the tree’s health isn’t good.
Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) seed pods look like beautiful carved wooden flowers that have been stuck into the snow. Most have split open by now into 5 separate parts to release tens of thousands of seeds to the wind. Each individual seed is only ten cells thick. Indian pipes are parasitic on certain fungi, which in turn are often parasitic on the roots of trees so in a roundabout way they get their food from trees.
Tinder polypores (Fomes fomentarius), also called horse hoof fungus, grew on a fallen log, but didn’t grow on the tree while it was standing. I know this because their spore bearing surfaces pointed towards the ground. If they had grown before the tree fell then their spore bearing surfaces would appear perpendicular rather than parallel to the ground. This bracket fungus produces spores at all times of year but through spring and summer studies have shown that as many as 800 million can be produced in a single hour. The fungus is also known for its ability to stop bleeding and was recommended for that purpose by none other than the father of medicine himself, Hippocrates (460 – 370 BCE).
I’ve searched and searched for the answer to why some trees twist when they grow and the short answer seems to be; nobody really knows. What is known is that the wood is often weaker and boards cut from spiral grained trees often twist as they dry, yet while the tree is standing it is more limber than a straight grained tree and is better able to withstand high winds. Scientists have also found that spiral growth can be left or right handed and both can sometimes appear on the same tree. Though spiral growth appears in the trunk, limbs and roots of some trees you often can’t see it until the bark comes off.
It’s easy to believe that a fallen tree is just an old dead thing that is slowly rotting away but as the icicles on this example show, there is life in it yet.
It’s always a pleasure to see the beautiful blue of first year black raspberry canes in winter. The color is caused by a powdery wax which can protect the plant from sunburn, prevent moisture loss, or help shed excess water. In botanical terms, a plant part that looks like this is said to be glaucous, which describes the whitish blue color.
The blue of this blue jay feather rivaled that of the black raspberry cane. I don’t see many blue feathers so I was happy to see this one.
I was even happier when I looked a little closer. Seeing it up close revealed many things about blue jay feathers that I didn’t know. Chief among them was how very beautiful they are.
To look at a thing is very different from seeing a thing. One does not see anything until one sees its beauty. ~ Oscar Wilde
Thanks for stopping in.
I just love your macro shots. Stunning.
Thank you. It’s mostly the camera; I just choose what to point it at.
I wish I’d thought of Velcro too. What a fabulous invention inspired by nature. That blue jay feather was a beautiful find.
Coming up with the idea for Velcro would have given me more time to spend in the woods!
Blue jay feathers are a beautiful shade of blue but I hardly ever see them.
British Soldiers are the first lichen I learned to identify as a child. Always loved them.
I like the velcro story!
The dried Indian Pipe seed pod looks like it has a little owl face coming up in the center.
Thank you. That does look like an owl, but I didn’t notice it until you said so. I’ll have to see if others show the same.
Another treat of a post….thank you, Allen. 🙂
You’re welcome Scott!
I don’t know how long it took you to gather the things for this post, but it’s a great one! I loved the various lichens, as well as the patterns in the ice. Also, the blue jay feather, I see them regularly but never think to photograph one. I’m not sure how otters get air when the water in a pond is frozen over, but they do. They don’t require a very large opening.
Thanks Jerry! I didn’t pay attention to how long but it’s usually 2 or 3 weeks.
I hardly ever see blue jay feathers so I was surprised to finally see one.
The ice was melting back from shore a little bit here and there, so maybe the otter was able to get out or get air that way. It’s a clever animal, that’s for sure!
Another rich treat from first to last. The raspberry cane was new to me and I wouldn’t have known what it was without your helpful text.
Thank you. The blue on the canes is a wax that will actually melt in hot sun and can also wear off, so I think that’s why it only appears on first year canes.
The burdock is really interesting, but also so annoying when it gets on your clothes.
I had to pull about 12 of them off my camera strap when I was done taking their photo!
I always relish seeing the things that you’ve seen and reading your descriptions!
Thanks Montucky! As I just said to Clare, these posts are really just a way to use up photos that didn’t fit in other posts, but they always seem to take a lot more research and take longer to put together, so that’s why you don’t see more of them. I’m glad you like them!
I always enjoy these ‘Things I’ve Seen’ posts of yours, Allen.
I think it is easier for an otter in this country to survive in icy conditions than where you are. They are able to travel fairly long distances to find food and here they are sure to get to a river that isn’t covered in ice quite quickly – or the sea! It is a rare occurrence for everywhere in the UK to be totally covered in snow and ice. The last time was in January 2010.
I am surprised at all the beautiful colours you have discovered in mid-winter!
Thank you Clare. These things I’ve seen posts are really just a dumping ground for photos that didn’t fit in other posts, but people seem to like them. They often take a lot more research than other posts do.
This otter would have to travel over land for quite a few miles to find a stream big enough to swim in, and then it would most likely be frozen over, so I’m not sure what it does. To get to the river would be even further.
There are a lot of colorful things to be seen in winter but you have to look closely to see many of them. It can be hard on the eyes at times!
I can imagine it must be difficult to keep focussing on the tiny details. You have to walk slowly to do that as well and that isn’t easy when it’s freezing!
That’s true. It was relatively warm today so I left my gloves at home. It didn’t take long to find that I had a mistake. Cold hands make you fumble around with the camera.
Lovely visiting with you again, Allen. The spareness of winter sharpens one’s focus, making these minute discoveries all the more meaningful. Have a good day!
Thank you Rich, I agree. Any bit of color at this time of year is very welcome.
I hope you have a great day as well!
Great post, thanks for the beautiful lesson. I learned a lot and enjoyed your fine descrieptions and comments. You should write a book, or two, to compile your notes and pictures. Have a wonderful day!
You’re welcome Jaime, and thank you. I do have a book in mind that I think would be a real help to people who are trying to find things in nature but unfortunately I don’t have enough free time available to write it. It’ll happen eventually, but probably not until I retire.
I hope you have a wonderful day as well!
The opener here is stunning, and those that follow are no disappointments either.
Thank you Ben, I’m glad you liked them.
I did. 🙂
Thanks, needed this on this Inauguration Day as an antidote to the “American Carnage” on TV
Thank you John, I know exactly what you mean. Glad I could help.
Reblogged this on Poltrack Pix and commented:
Winter Life
Thank you John.
I loved the ice patterns in your first picture, what a lot of interesting things you saw as well. That was a thoughtful quote too.
Thank you Susan. It isn’t often I get to use an Oscar Wilde quote but I think that one is very true.