I’ve been wanting to show you something so last Sunday I decided to climb Hewe’s Hill in Swanzey to see if I could see what I had in mind. Usually when I think of climbing a hill to show you something it doesn’t work, but I’ll keep trying. We start by crossing this hay field / meadow.
There were violets in the grass. There were also buttercups but my photos of them aren’t good enough to be shown here. I think this is a dog violet (Viola conspera) but I usually avoid trying to identify violets because there are so many and they all seem to look alike.
The grasses are starting to flower. Many grasses are beautiful and interesting when they flower, but it’s an event that I fear most of us miss.
Once we’re through the meadow and into the woods everything becomes very green, including the light through the new spring leaves.
There were thousands of starflowers (Trientalis borealis) along both sides of the trail. They are a woodland plant that doesn’t mind shade, so the leaves overhead don’t bother them.
I saw my first mushroom of the year but I don’t know its name. Someone wrote in once with a positive identification of this one but I can’t remember the name they told me or the date of the post it appeared in. There are an awful lot of mushrooms on this blog but finding a specific one can be tedious if you don’t have a name to search for.
Indian cucumber root plants (Medeola virginiana) were growing here and there. The plant gets its common name from its small white, carrot shaped edible root, which tastes like cucumber. Native Americans used it for food and also used it medicinally. The Medeola part of the plant’s scientific name is from Medea, a magical enchantress from Greek Mythology. It refers to the plant’s magical curative powers. These should be flowering in early July.
Botanically speaking a whorl is an “arrangement of sepals, petals, leaves, stipules or branches that radiate from a single point and surround or wrap around the stem,” and nothing illustrates this better than Indian cucumber root. Its leaves wrap around the stem arranged in a single flat plane, so if you saw them from the side theoretically you would see an edge, much like looking at the edge of a dinner plate. If any leaf or leaves in the arrangement are above or below others it’s not a true whorl.
I saw a few pink lady’s slippers budded but they usually won’t bloom until June. Some think they’ve found a pale yellow lady’s slipper when they see the buds are at this stage. This native orchid is our state wildflower.
As we get deeper into the forest it gets darker because of the canopy, and there is much less undergrowth.
There is a surprising openness in a dark forest overshadowed by evergreen hemlock and pine branches. I’ve heard that the same is true of jungles, because very little sunlight reaches the forest floor.
I saw a hemlock tree (Tsuga canadensis) with some young hemlock varnish shelf fungi (Ganoderma tsugae) growing on it. This mushroom’s common name comes from its shiny cap which will come later, and which looks like it has been varnished. You can tell that they’re young because of the white / tan color on their outer edges. As they age they will lose the whitish color and become deep, shiny red. This mushroom has been used medicinally in China for thousands of years. It is considered the most important of all the herbs and substances used in Chinese Herbal Medicine, including ginseng. In China it is called the Reishi mushroom and scientists around the world are researching its anti-cancer potential.
This hemlock didn’t have any fungi on it but it must have had insects inside it because the woodpeckers were having their way with it. A while ago I split a log that had thousands of big black carpenter ants in it and for a woodpecker they’re a delicacy.
The bedrock forms ledges here that appear to have risen from the surrounding terrain, creating caves under the overhangs. They aren’t big enough for bears but a porcupine, raccoon or even a bobcat might call them home.
When the trail reaches its steepest you know you’re very near the summit.
I gave a nod and a click of the shutter to Tippin Rock as I passed. The 40 ton erratic gets its name from the way it will “tip” if shoved in the right spot. It actually rocks back and forth very slowly, like a pendulum. I didn’t have time to wrestle it on this day but if you’re interested you can just type “Tippin Rock” in the search box over on the top right and you’ll be taken right to all the posts I’ve done about it.
This is what I wanted to show you; the forest canopy awash in spring greens. With the oaks and hickories finally chiming in all of the trees now have their new leaves. This is why the spring ephemeral wildflowers are done blooming in the forests. From now on it will be mostly meadow and roadside flowers.
We aren’t in the clouds up here but we are in the tree tops. How many shades of green can there be?
The forest seems to go on forever. Sitting alone up here with the breeze and birdsong I often find myself wondering what the early settlers might have thought when they looked out over something so vast and unbroken. I also wonder if I would have had the courage to face it. There were no houses out there, no stores, and no roads. Only what you carried; that and your own ability were all you could really rely on.
I sit with my back against the little toadskin lichen’s (Lasallia papulosa) boulder when I take photos of the views, so of course I have to spend some time with them. Most were surprisingly dry in spite of all the rain but still beautiful nonetheless.
Some plants seem to shine with the light of creation and some lichens are no different. Sometimes you can see entire solar systems on the face of a toadskin lichen.
It looks like Mister Smiley Face is growing a mossy beard. I hope it doesn’t get too out of control. We always smile at each other on my way down.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the spring forest from above.
To see what others cannot…
You must climb the mountain.
~Ron Akers
Thanks for stopping in.
I’m here thanks to Dennis/Balsamean’s post. Thanks for allowing us to tag along on this trek, and I enjoyed every image and the trivia provided. Yes, our natural world has many shades of green. always finest when emerging from the period of rest.
You’re welcome, and thank you. Welcome to the blog!
[…] In To See What Others Cannot, the author takes us to the top of a high hill overlooking the forest, but presents an educational and entertaining review of many things along the way to get there, most of them looking exactly like what I have at Balsamea and locally … and demonstrating “seeing” as a naturalist sees, with observations of plants, trees, woodpecker evidence, a meadow, grasses, trails meandering through the woods, mushrooms, rocks (including a very special erratic that you can push!), lichens, moss, and broad forest overlooks. […]
I enjoyed the walk up the mountain and your narrative as we progressed. The finale was well worth the climb. I love all these fresh greens and the expanse of the forest is breathtaking!
Thank you Clare. We have 4.8 million acres of forest in New Hampshire so it really is vast. Also easy to get lost in if you aren’t careful!
I am sure of that!
Another beautiful hike with a rich reward at the end…very nice, Allen.
Thanks Scott!
A beautiful tour of your woods, Allen! Tippin Rock is always fun to see too. I have not found any violets on our farm, yet, although I know they do grow in the area. It may be too dry in summer.
Thank you Lavinia. I saw some violets today that were in a very wet spot so you could be right.
You know, I have never seen a lady slipper in the wild. Thanks for sharing the view of the spring forest canopy and all the fresh shades of green.
You’re welcome. I usually see them by the hundreds but this year there are fewer for some reason.
A little madness in the Spring
is wholesome even for the King
But God be with the Clown –
Who ponders this tremendous scene –
The whole Experiment of Green –
As if it were his own!
Emily Dickinson
Thought you might enjoy this.
Peggy
Thanks very much Peggy.
Emily Dickinson’s mother was a cousin of this branch of our family. I thought I had seen all of her poems but I get surprised now and then. This one seems to hit the nail right on the head!
I certainly did enjoy your views of the forest. Thank you for taking the time to show them to us.
You’re welcome. I was afraid all the spring greens would be over before I got up there, but it was worth the climb.
Well worth the effort. Thank you. Meanwhile … Let’s go.
You’re welcome Ben. I agree, the city is too hot and I hope I never have to live in one again!
I have always avoided them as places to live especially as they have continue to descend in my estimation for a number of reasons.
6 months was about all I could take.
I found out recently that it is not known why woodpeckers do that, and that it is very likely not because of insects. And it makes sense, you don’t need these deep holes to collect some ants or worms.
Thank you. The carpenter ants that I found in the log I split were in the heart of the log. The log was about 2 feet in diameter, so to get at them a woodpecker would have to excavate a hole about a foot deep. That’s pretty much what I’ve seen many pileated woodpeckers do.
It wouldn’t make sense for a bird to work so hard and expend all of that energy for nothing, so there must be something that makes pecking at trees from sunup to sundown worthwhile. If I had to guess, I’d say it was some type of food. It’s really no different than a sapsucker making holes to get sap; it’s just a bigger, deeper hole.
Thanks for the lovely tour, and the amazing view upon getting to our destination. Spring certainly is a wonderful time for greens.
You’re welcome Lee. Yes, it’s really something to see!
What a sight that forest canopy is! That’s something we don’t see here since our forests are predominately pines and firs and their canopies don’t change. Well worth the hike! I would also enjoy walking under that canopy.
Thanks Montucky! We have to go further north to find strictly conifer forests. Here they are almost always mixed hard and softwoods or mostly deciduous with oak, hickory, maple and beech the dominant species.
Walking through the forest at this time of year I’m always amazed by all the different shades of green!
The blast of greens in the spring tree canopy is always a special sight to observe. It’s a beautiful time if year for a walk to a high spot.
I need to visit this area so I can try my hand at Tippin’ Rock!
Nice post. Thanks.
Thank you Judy. It’s kind of eerie seeing that huge boulder rocking back and forth like it does, but fun too! I wish I’d known about it when I was 10!
I enjoy all your posts but found today’s really fun… like reading a novel and waiting for the finale. It was a great ride and what beauty along the way and breathtaking view of the spring green. Nothing like it and I appreciate you sharing it with all of us. Love all your quotes too. I copied the one the other day from Marcus Aurelius about dwelling on the beauty of life and have it before me. Thank you for all the beauty you share and the lessons you teach. I don’t comment often, but read and follow faithfully. Thank you.
You’re welcome and thank you very much Maude, I’m glad you’re enjoying these posts. I like showing people what they might be missing out there in the hope that they’ll go and see for themselves.
I use the quotes from others because quite often they speak what I’m feeling far better than I could. And also because they’re often beautifully spoken. I’m glad you enjoy them as well. Sometimes it’s very hard to find that one that is just right!
That is a great view of the forest canopy. And glad you said hello to Tippin Rock on your way. Do you have many lady slippers in that area?
Thank you Cynthia. Yes, we have a lot of lady’s slippers but for some reason many of them aren’t blooming this year. I wonder if the dryness last year affected them somehow.
I always enjoy your posts and I can feel the enthusiasm and joy you get from our natural world. Many thanks.
You’re welcome Ann, and thank you. I’ve been in these woods for over 50 years now and that really is where I find the most joy. It’s hard to hide it, I guess.
When out in nature this time of year I find the fresh translucent green leaves intoxicating. The beautiful spring green is gone to soon.
Thank you, I know what you mean. I’d guess that the next time I’m up there the entire forest will pretty much be a single shade of green.
Those early pioneers, how brave they were looking over that vast expanse of woodland and thinking how to live among all those trees. I loved the views dressed in all that Spring green.
Thank you Susan. I agree, they were very brave to face what they did. There was a lot more to worry about in the woods back then.