I started doing these “looking back” posts for two reasons; I thought it would be fun to see the different seasons pass all in one post and I also thought they would be easy, because I wouldn’t have to take any photos. I was right and wrong, because they are fun but they aren’t easy. Picking a few photos out of a choice of hundreds of them can be tough, so I decided to choose the best examples of the what the month at hand brings. January for instance is a month most people in New Hampshire expect to be cold, and that’s what the above photo shows. It was a cold month; I wrote that record breaking, dangerous cold had settled in and lasted for a week. It was -16 °F the morning I wrote that post, too cold to even go out and take photos.
But even cold weather has its beauty, as this January photo of ice shows.
There was no thaw in February, as this beech leaf frozen in ice shows.
But February had its moments and it did warm up enough to snow. This storm dropped about 7 inches of powder that blew around on the wind.
March is when the earth awakens here in New England and it is the month when you can find the first flowers blooming, if you’re willing to look for them. Sometimes it’s too cold for all but the hardiest blooms like skunk cabbage, but last March the vernal witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) was blossoming.
Crocus also bloomed in March. This strange one looked as if it had been cut in half lengthwise.
April is when nature really comes alive and flowers in bloom get easier to find. I saw these female American hazelnut flowers (Corylus americanus) blooming on the 18th.
By the end of April there are so many flowers in the woods you really have to watch where you step. I found these spring beauties (Claytonia virginica,) part of a huge colony, on April 25th. Trout lilies, coltsfoot, violets, dandelions, and many other flowers first show themselves in April. I’m very anxious to see them all again.
Though we see flowers in March and April it doesn’t usually truly warm up until May, and that’s when some of the more fragile flowers like these beautiful little fringed polygalas (Polygala paucifolia) appear. Bluets, lily of the valley, honeysuckles, blue eyed grass, starflowers, wild azaleas, lilacs, trilliums, wild columbine and many other flowers also often appear in May.
Flowers aren’t the only things that appear in spring; some of the most beautiful things in the forest go completely unnoticed, like breaking tree buds. As this just opened bud of shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) shows, opening buds can be every bit as beautiful as flowers. Many other buds like beech, oak, maple, and elm also open in May and are just as beautiful. I hope you’ll look for them this spring.
One of our most beautiful aquatic flowers, the fragrant white waterlily (Nymphaea odorata,) comes along in June. These plants bloom in still, shallow waters of ponds and along rivers. Each blossom lasts only three days but the plants will bloom well into September. Some say the blossoms smell like ripe honeydew melons and others say more spicy, like anise. It’s their beauty rather than their fragrance that attracts me and that’s probably a good thing because they’re a hard flower to get close to.
June is also when a lot of trees like oak, ash, willow, hickory, and others release their pollen to the wind and it ends up coating just about everything, including the surface of ponds, which is what this photo shows. The white petals are from a nearby black locust tree which had finished blossoming.
In July I saw a fly that was willing to pose. By the time the heat of July arrives insects like black flies and mosquitoes aren’t as bothersome as they were in the cooler months, but ticks are still a problem. Other insects of interest are monarch butterflies which often start to appear in July. I’ve seen more of them each year for the last two or three.
One of the things I most look forward to in July is the blooming of the greater purple fringed bog orchids (Platanthera grandifolia) I found growing in a swamp a few years ago. It is easily one of the most beautiful flowering plants I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a few. At one time there were so many of these plants Native Americans made tea from their roots, but I’ve only seen two plants in my lifetime and those grow almost beside each other, so I’d say they are very rare in this area.
Many mushrooms usually appear in spring and then there is a bit of a lull before they start in again in late summer, but spring of 2018 brought a moderate drought so I had to wait until August to find beauties like this reddening lepiota (Leucoagaricus americanus.) This is a big mushroom with a cap that must have been 4 inches across. It is said to turn red wherever it is touched.
August is also when our roadsides start to turn into Monet paintings. The larger wildflowers like goldenrod, purple loosestrife, Joe Pye weed and boneset all bloom at once and put on quite a show.
Though fall can start in the understory as early as July when plants like wild sarsaparilla begin turning color it doesn’t usually happen with our trees until September. That was when I saw these maples along the Ashuelot River.
September is also when the New England asters begin to bloom. They’re one of our largest and most beautiful wildflowers and though my favorites are the dark purple ones seen in this photo, they come in many shades of pink and purple.
Fall foliage colors peak in mid-October in this part of the country and that’s when I saw these young birch trees clinging to stone ledges in Surry. The blue color came from the sky reflecting on the wet stone, and it made the scene very beautiful.
You can still see plenty of beautiful roadside wildflowers in October but this is the month that usually brings the first real freeze, so by the end of the month all but the toughest will be gone.
But there is still plenty of beauty to be seen, even in November. Very early in the month is the best time to see the beeches and oaks at Willard Pond in Hancock. This is easily one of the most beautiful spectacles of fall foliage color that I’ve seen and I highly recommend a visit, if you can.
We don’t usually see much snow in November but in 2018 we hadn’t even gotten all the leaves raked when winter came barreling in. We had three snowstorms, one right after another, and that made leaf raking out of the question for this year. There is going to be a lot of cleaning up to do in spring.
December started out cold but it didn’t last, and all the ice this ice climber was climbing was gone just a week later. They (ice climbers) call this deep cut railbed “The icebox” but this year maybe not. I’ll re-visit it sometime this month and see.
As of right now, 40 degree daytime temperatures are common and the witch hazel still blooms, so this is my kind of winter.
The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come. ~Mick Kremling
I hope everyone has a very healthy and happy 2019. Thanks for coming by.
This is a very excellent look back at the year, but at the same time a bit of a time-map to follow for the coming year; and may it be equally beautiful!
Thanks Montucky! I’m sure it will be!
I need to keep a close eye on my Witch Hazel. I keep missing its blooms, or maybe it doesn’t bloom at all.
It depends on if it is a spring or fall blooming plant. I’d watch it in March and October.
Thanks for a very beautiful review of your year.
You’re welcome Philip. Good to hear from you again!
A nice idea nicely realised.
Thank you Ben!
🙂
A look back which reflects the quality of your posts through the year very well. They are all my favourites!
Thanks very much!
I enjoyed your look back at 2018’s natural treasures, Allen! Wishing a safe, happy and healthy 2019 for you and your family.
Thanks very much Lavinia, and I wish you and your family the same!
P.s…….I noticed that my email came in at 4 a.m. I hope that isn’t when you were compiling this. I’m left wondering if you stayed up very very late, or awoke very very early!
I’m always up by 4 am but sometimes I ask myself what I’m doing up so early and go back to bed!
It’s interesting to read which photo stands out most to different followers. I love each one, but particularly liked the young birch coloring up against the rock face. You have such a discerning eye and talent capturing on camera what many others would not even notice. I’m so looking forward to what beauty 2019 brings!
Thank you Sue. I think its simply a matter of practice. I try to be in the woods daily if I can.
I hope I can show you amazingly beautiful things all through this year!
A happy New Year to you too!
This was a fun look back at the last year, with many excellent images, but one stands out for me, the shagbark hickory leaves opening up! They are one of my favorite things to see in the spring, and your image is magnificent.
Thanks Jerry! You’ve taken some great shots of those buds opening too. They aren’t as easy as they look. I tried several times for that one!
Lovely 2018 wrap-up! Thanks for that.
You’re welcome Lee, and thank you!
Happy New Year! Really fun to look at your year in photos. Maine is similar, except the early, early blooms don’t start until April. We are a couple of weeks behind you.
Thank you Laurie and the same to you!
Two weeks doesn’t seem like a lot but when you’re waiting for a flower to bloom it can!
Lovely way to start the New Year! I especially loved the purple fringed bog orchids. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face and hope this year is a great one for you.
Thank you Jennifer, and I hope the same for you.
I wish I could find a swamp full of those orchids. They are absolutely beautiful!
Beautiful review of NH’s natural world 2018. Thanks and Happy New Year!
Thanks very much Ginger, and the same to you!
To me, the swirling pond surface photograph suggests Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and the shag bark bud burst, the finest chinoiserie paper. All of us who follow your eye are privileged. Thanks very much for the entire grouping of wonders!
You’re welcome Lynne, and thank you. I think we all see different things in nature photos, and that’s okay. That’s what makes it so much fun!
Thank you so much for this beautiful walk through the seasons. And yes, we never got to cut back our perennials much less rake! Take a look at your ice photo and notice the sitting little bird with a grin on his/her face off to the right. I love your photos of ice, running water, leaves and such lying about; there’s so much to see if your really look.
Thank you Sally, we’ll have a lot to do in the spring!
You can see some amazing things in ice. I saw an owl in this ice!
And that’s true; walking slowly and looking closely is the “secret.”
A lovely and interesting retrospective!
Thank you Cynthia!
Thanks for a splendid selection of pictures, impossible to pick a favourite! The quote was perfect too, my own philosophy.
Thank you Susan, I’m glad you liked it!