Along the River
April 17, 2019 by New Hampshire Garden Solutions
There were two things I wanted to know last weekend; were turtles active yet and were trout lilies blooming. I couldn’t think of anyplace better to answer those questions than along the Ashuelot River, so last Saturday off I went along one of my favorite riverside trails. The water was quite high, probably from snow still melting in the higher elevations. Snow is still chest deep in the northern part of the state and they’re still having avalanches in the White Mountains, so reports have said.
I’ve been walking this trail for over 50 years so I know it well. There used to be a small wooden hut up ahead where that paved spot is. It had an open front facing the river and a bench to sit on, almost like a bus stop. It was made of wood so of course every young boy with a pocket knife had to come here and carve their initials into it, including me. I’ve wondered for years why it was there because in the 1960s this trail saw very little traffic. Traffic or not the trail was here and I think that it’s been here for quite a lot longer than I’ve been around because I think it was originally used by Native Americans. It’s close to many shallow areas in the river and there are lots of places to fish. It seems like it would be perfect for someone who lived off the land.
A pair of Canada geese chatted quietly off across a setback.
My question of active turtles was answered quickly. I also heard toads and tree frogs out here, as well as the little frogs we call spring peepers. It was great to hear them again. I wanted to get a better view of this turtle so I walked on, hoping for a side shot.
But all that was left was the log the turtle sat on. Not a very interesting subject.
I thought I had scared the turtle away but then I saw those two geese come steaming up the river and I wondered if they were what the turtle was afraid of. Do geese bother turtles? I don’t know the answer to that one. It’s a question that would require much sitting and watching to answer.
The geese weren’t afraid of me. In fact they followed along beside me as I went on. Maybe they thought I had a pocket full of bread. A couple of young boys on bikes came along, saw the geese and dropped their bikes. Once the geese saw them sit on the river bank they swam right over. Whether or not the boys had bread for them I don’t know.
It was a beautiful day but at 70 degrees F. it seemed warm and I was glad I hadn’t warn a jacket. The shirts I had on were plenty warm enough. There were lots of insects out but I didn’t get bitten by any of them.
There was still ice to be found in cool, shaded backwaters but the frogs were active and chirping even in places that still had ice.
A couple of posts ago I showed a papery trumpet shaped stem and wondered what it was. Luckily reader Eliza Waters recognized them and said they were jewel weed (Impatiens capensis) stems. I knew a lot of jewel weed grew in a spot along this trail and when I got there sure enough, there they were. Thanks again Eliza! Each stem is about a foot tall and has a trumpet shaped opening that looks just about right for a pea to sit in.
Ever since I was a young boy I’ve wondered what was over there on the other side of the river but since it probably would involve a lot of bushwhacking due to the lack of a trail, I’ve never gotten up enough ambition to find out. Maybe it’s better that way, but that glow does look inviting.
I suppose it’s a good thing I never did cross the river and follow along its far side. I might have been arrested. No hunting, no fishing and no trespassing pretty much covers everything.
That dark spot ahead is actually a wet spot, one of surprisingly few along this trail. The trail through these woods isn’t that far from where the railroad repair depot used to be in Keene, and the trail is black because it was “paved” with the unburned slag from the big steam locomotive fireboxes. This slag is usually called “clinkers” or “clinker ash” and it is made up of pieces of fused ash and sulfur which often built-up over time in a hot coal fire. Firebox temperature reached 2000 to 2300 degrees F. in a steam locomotive but they still didn’t burn the coal completely. A long tool called a fire hook was used to pull the clinkers out of the firebox and in Keene we must have had tons of the stuff, because it was used as ballast on many local railroad beds. The section that ran by my house was as black as coal.
I had finally reached the little red bridge, and this was the spot where my second question would be answered. I had been to another spot where thousands of yellow trout lilies grow and didn’t see any sign of them, not even a leaf. I thought this place might get more sunshine and maybe the soil warmed quicker, but there was still no sign of trout lilies. I could be rushing it though; I just discovered by looking back through the blog that April 20 is the earliest I’ve seen them.
I did admire some American wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) The leaves are just coming out of their purple winter color and turning green so they can begin photosynthesizing again. This plant is also called teaberry or checkerberry and its small white flowers resemble those of the blueberry. It is probably the easiest of all wintergreens to identify because of the strong, minty scent that comes from its crushed leaves. If you have ever tasted teaberry gum then you know exactly what it smells and tastes like. The plant contains compounds that are very similar to those found in aspirin and Native Americans used it medicinally. They also chewed the minty leaves on long hikes.
Alders love water and many grow here. This speckled alder (Alnus incana) lived up to its name.
I’ve tried for a long time to show you what alders look like with all their male catkins open and dangling like jewels and with the help of a flash I was finally able to get a photo. It isn’t as easy as I thought it would be; it only took 8 years.
The bent tree marks a side trail that I keep telling myself I’ll have to follow one day, but I never do. I hope to have much more time for such things once I retire. I’d love to be able to just sit in the woods again without a care like I did when I was a boy.
One of the many feeder streams along the trail had a lot of what looked like orange rust in its water and that’s why this photo of it looks so strange. It might be algae coloring it, or maybe last year’s decaying leaves. The reflections of the trees look as if they have leaves but the leaves are really on the bottom of the stream.
The greatest joy is not finding something that we’ve been looking for. The greatest joy is when we’d given up on ever finding it and then it found us.
~Craig D. Lounsbrough
Thanks for coming by.
Posted in Nature, Scenery / Landscapes, Things I've Seen | Tagged American Wintergreen, Ashuelot Park, Ashuelot River, Canada Geese, Canon SX40 HS, Early Spring Plants, Jewelweed, Keene, Native Plants, Nature, New Hampshire, NH, Olympus Stylus TG-870, Painted Turtle, Speckled Alder, Spring | 29 Comments
Good to see your turtles are out! That’s a very odd shape for that tree. Wonder how that happened.
I think another tree must have fallen on it.
I want to know what ben the tree? I have one on a trail that I hike in Milton and I can not figure out how it got that way.
I think another tree might have fallen on it and pinned it down for a few years and then for whatever reason the fallen tree disappeared. Through woodcutters or rot, I don’t know but I do know that trees fall on each other all the time.
So nice to see the shot of the beautiful alder catkins! Something I’ve never seen before but will be on the lookout for now. Thanks, Susan
>
Thank you Susan. Alders almost always grow near water. Pond and swamp edges especially, and right now is when they flower. They’re worth a closer look!
Sure is pleasant to see spring unfold through your photos and thoughts!
Thanks Montucky. I hope you’re getting some spring weather too!
Congratulations on an excellent alder-catkin shot! I also liked the speckled alder photo. I am pleased that spring has sprung for you and walking in 70 degrees F sounds wonderful!
Thank you Clare. After 40s and 50s a 70 degree day was bordering on hot but you do get used to it quickly. We had another one today. Before long 70 will sound cool!
Yes! I am sure it will! We are slowly, slowly warming up. 12 degrees C today which felt warm compared to the past few weeks.
At least the thermometer is going in the right direction.
We’re supposed to see about 12 degrees celsius tomorrow.
70 degrees makes any walk in April feel better. Some of our local paths were made with ash too. They have lasted well.
Yes, it’s 70 again today and it feels great.
The ash certainly does last well. It’s been on this path for over 50 years.
Where better to spend some time than along side a river. Thank you so much for documenting what you saw.
You’re welcome and thank you Susan, I agree!
Thank you for another stroll.
You’re welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Turtles and geese and open water. Spring has come to your neck of the woods.
Yes, I think it’s finally really here. I hope it’s there too!
It’s coming!
Thanks for the informative walk along the river…..I do enjoy your posts, which tell so much about your place in the world.
Thank you, I’m happy to hear that!
Personally, I think the turtle-less log picture is a splendid abstract , Allen. Look at those lovely tree reflections, all rippley with the water’s movement and the wonderful texture in the log. The blue sky reflected adds a bit of brightness and color. The only thing I’d change is the log’s placement. My abstract would have it off center to the left. I don’t miss the turtle a bit! But, of course, you had a different agenda 😉. The last pic is also a beaut! Nice work!
Looks like a lovely place for a walk.
Thanks, it is. You never know what you might see.
” I’d love to be able to just sit in the woods again without a care like I did when I was a boy.”
Hold on to that thought. 🙂
I’ve been holding on to it for a long time!
😀