I’ve been spending time in the wetlands again this year, marveling at all the abundant and varied life that can be found here. Though I haven’t met all the residents I’ve seen more than a few and I’ve heard about others from the other nature lovers who come here. I took this shot of a stream with my cellphone one evening, just to show that all the leaves are on the trees now. This shot to me, with the low water level and green leaves says, “let summer begin.” Soon great blue herons, green herons, and other larger birds will fish these shallow places regularly.
Last winter I saw feet of water rushing over this very spot but now there are wildflowers like blue eyed grass growing here.
Blue eyed grass is related to the iris, not grass. I like the little yellow “palm tree” in the center. I think I would have called it yellow eyed grass though.
Native blue flag irises grow near the blue eyed grasses and the leaves of each plant, though very different in size, have that same blue green, sword shaped appearance. This wild iris is a sure sign that June has arrived. They usually grow in large bunches not far from water and sometimes in water. They usually grow about knee high but can get a bit taller under optimal conditions. The name “flag” comes from the Middle English flagge, which means rush or reed and which must apply to the plant’s cattail like leaves. It is said that Native Americans used the outermost fibers of the leaves to make twine.
A mother mallard was teaching her ducklings how to find food in one of the many streams found here in the wetlands. I noticed that the youngsters wore only half their adult plumage. They all swam serenely but the youngsters had better learn quickly because there are also a lot of snapping turtles here. I’ve also seen a mother wood duck with her fluffy babies but they were too quick to get a shot of. The Canada geese are also proudly showing off their goslings and the painted turtles are laying eggs, so there is a lot going on here right now.
A lot of insects are appearing now, including quite a few different butterfly species. I watched this pearl crescent land on a leaf and just sit, soaking up the sun. This is a medium size butterfly, a bit easier to see than the small, thumbnail size ones. Don’t bet the farm on my insect identification skills though because I’ve read that this butterfly is one of the hardest to identify. There are two look alike butterflies, the northern and tawny crescents, which can muddy the waters. Just call it a pretty butterfly and everything will be fine.
The little wood satyr is one of the thumbnail size butterflies. If I don’t actually see them land forget it; I just don’t see them. They have excellent camouflage and they blend in well, even with their relatively large eyespots. Though they’re said to be plentiful they’re also well hidden. I’ve read that they live on tree sap, aphid honeydew, fluids from decaying mushrooms, and, occasionally, flower nectar. I watched this one for a while and though there were many five leaved cinquefoil and bluet flowers in the area, I didn’t see it land on any of them. The caterpillar of this butterfly is said to eat grasses, so I’m sure they blend in well too.
Insects beware; there are kingbirds in the trees. Though there are also kingfishers in the trees these are not them. Eastern kingbirds eat insects, and once they get behind an insect they will follow it until they catch it, no matter what aerial maneuvers they might have to use. They’re amazingly fast and agile little birds and seem to be okay with having humans around. I’ve had them sit a few feet away from me just watching everything happen, the same as I was.
If an insect tries to get away from the kingbird by flying into the shallows they could have another surprise waiting for them; hungry bullfrogs. One evening when I was in this spot all the bullfrogs started croaking at once. It was synchronized and loud, and I could tell that there were far too many frogs here to count. And they must all have enough insects to eat.
But the frogs need to be wary as well, because they’re being hunted by American bitterns, and the bittern’s big eyes don’t miss a trick. When stretched full length as seen here they are nearly three feet tall but in their normal stalking / walking pose they’re about two feet tall. I’ve read that they take the pose seen here when they feel threatened. If the threat gets too close they fly off with the help of a three foot wingspan. And probably a belly full of frogs.
These birds are said to be rare by some but I’ve read that this is because they’re getting harder to get close to. Habitat destruction, caused by filling in wetlands, pushes them further and further away. Still, it is believed that there are only about three million of them left. Most interesting is the bird’s call, which is unlike any bird I’ve heard. Its nicknames of stake driver, bog bull, mire drum, and thunder pumper might make you want to go and hear the “voice of the marsh” online. It’s safe to sat that it is unlike anything else you’ve heard.
I’ve read that bitterns will, when the wind is blowing, sway gently back and forth to try and mimic the movement of the grasses. The stripes on its body are there to help it blend in. Though it doesn’t look it in these photos when they crouch down these birds can disappear in an instant, as if someone flipped a switch. Often only its head and bill can be seen poking up above the grasses. On the day I was taking these photos all of the sudden three of them took off and flew away from the spot where I saw only one.
But where are the dragonflies? Why aren’t they landing on the pond lily leaves?
The dragonflies aren’t landing on the pond lily leaves because they’re busy watching ants come up out of their holes in the gravel beside the road. I was amazed when I saw them doing this. They would perch on the gravel as still as a stone and when an ant came close enough they would snatch it up. Seeing this reinforces my belief that dragonflies are very intelligent creatures. I’ve seen them do some remarkable things over the years. Note how focused this one was on that ant hole a couple of inches away. Note all the ants being busy over on the right, slowly getting closer. I’ve wondered for years what dragonflies could find that was so interesting in the gravel along roadsides. Now I know.
These dragonflies are called the dot-tailed whiteface. They’re on the small side at about an inch and a half long, with a black body, black legs and wings, and a white face. The “dot” part of the name comes from the yellow spot or spots on the abdomen. Males like this one have a single spot, while females can have several.
The wetlands and other spots near water are filled with nesting red winged blackbirds at the moment, and here was a fledgling sitting in the top of an alder. I was quite close to it and I expected to be assaulted by an adult male bird at any time but luckily that didn’t happen. I’m not sure if this young bird could fly because as I watched it kind of crawled / fell back into the cover of the alder. It was very vocal and loud, as most redwings always seem to be. I’ve read that females can raise as many as three broods in a season, though two seems to be about average.
Last year I was taken on a ride by the American highbush cranberry and learned how to distinguish them from invasive European cranberries. The process isn’t hard but it’s hard to explain and I don’t want to see any eyes glazing over so I’ll just say that the bushes here in the wetlands are indeed American cranberry, which aren’t cranberries at all. They are actually a native viburnum (Viburnum trilobum) which has bright red fruit that some say resemble cranberries. The trilobum part of the name comes from the three lobes found on the leaves.
Much like our native hobblebushes which are also viburnums, highbush cranberry has large, pure white sterile flowers surrounding a center filled with much smaller true flowers. This spider knows that the larger sterile white flowers are there only to attract insects but it thought it would just hang out for a while and see what came along. Since it stood out so strongly against the bright white background I wouldn’t think it would have much chance but I’m sure it knows more about being a spider than I do, so who am I to say.
Of course not all plants in a wetland want wet feet. Vetch is a plant that likes sunny waste areas and it has just come into bloom. I like seeing it along the edges of forests and climbing high grasses, even though some see it as a pest. You might see purple but I see blue and blue is always a welcome color.
Lady’s slippers grow in the dry parts of the wetlands but you have to know where to find them. Over the years they have become a colony of maybe two dozen plants and if they are left alone and not dug up there is no reason to think that this colony won’t grow larger. The pink lady’s slipper is an orchid, and it is New Hampshire’s state flower.
When a bumblebee forces its way through the slit in the front of the flower and crawls out the hole in the top it has most likely done its job and this flower will hopefully become a seedpod. They can take as long as eight years to grow and flower from seed.
Our earliest blooming fleabane, which is called Robin’s plantain, likes dry sunny spots and it used to bloom in the drier parts of the wetlands in numbers but now they mow them down before they have a chance to bloom, so I had to go elsewhere to find them. Cemeteries are a good place to find them, I’ve discovered.
Robin’s plantain attracts many insects including butterflies like the small copper butterfly seen here. This is another of the thumbnail size butterflies but it isn’t as nervous and skittish as some others. As long as you don’t get too close it will sit still for as long as a few minutes. It has a habit of slowly opening and closing its wings as it drinks liquid sunshine from the flower.
Speaking of nervous and skittish; cabbage white butterflies were also visiting the plantain patch. These butterflies have to be really absorbed in what they’re doing before they’ll let you get close, so I’ve found if I let them land and wait until they really get into drinking that nectar, I can often sneak a little closer. Still, a zoom lens comes in handy.
I went to see a red horse chestnut tree that I know of and found it so heavy with huge bunches of flowers hanging down, I could finally get close to them. The red horse chestnut (Aesculus × carnea) is a cross between the red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) and the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum.) I’ve read that bees and hummingbirds love the beautiful red and yellow blossoms, and why wouldn’t they?
The flowers of the red horse chestnut are unusual but quite pretty. This was the first time I had ever been able to get this close to one.
While I was at the park where the red horse chestnut grows I stopped in to see my favorite tradescantia, which is named “Osprey.” It seems to have a more upright growth than the more well known blue tradescantia, and it doesn’t flop all around. I love the blue pastel shades on its petals, which can be quite pronounced as it was here, or sometimes barely noticeable on other flowers.
Of course I had to also stop and see my old friends the traditional blue tradescantias as well; the old spiderworts I’ve known and loved since I was a boy. I used to dig them up along the railroad tracks and take them home. My father walked along the railroad tracks to get to work so to him they were just old weeds. He never did understand what I saw in them.
I went to visit the old wisteria I know of that grows to the top of an even older black cherry tree. Last year the freeze we had in late May killed off all its buds so I wasn’t sure what I’d find this year but there it was in all its glory, flowering beautifully.
Wisteria is a legume in the pea / bean family and it’s easy to see that with a close look at the flowers. The vines will grow just about anywhere, but if planted too close to a house they can get under siding and roof shingles and tear them off, so they’re better admired from a distance. They’re beautiful when the flowers can dangle down through a pergola or other structure that can be walked through. They’re also very fragrant, so sitting outside on a warm evening watching the flowers swaying gently in the breeze and smelling their wonderful scent could be like a having a bit of the gardens seen on painted porcelain right there in your own back yard.
If you looked up the definition of serene, still, or tranquil in a dictionary and found this scene there you wouldn’t need any text. I like to spend time with the serenity I find in nature whenever I can, because it does seep into you. “What’s the hurry?” It asks, and before too long you find that you’re asking yourself the same question.
If you Love all Life you observe, you will observe all Life with Love. ~Donald L. Hicks
Thanks for stopping in.
This is all so fascinating! Insects, amphibians, birds, and of course, all of the plants. I was excited to find blue-eyed grass in my own yard this year! I love learning about the bittern, as I have never observed one.
I’m glad you have blue eyed grass. If you let it go to see it spreads easily.
Bitterns are one of those birds that take a lot of patience to see. You have to find out where they are first and birders will tell you this, and then it’s just sitting and waiting. I hope you do see one!
An enjoyable wildlife and plants post – thank you! Jill Lockhardt
>
You’re welcome Jill, I’m glad you liked it!
The photos are very beautiful Allen, and I enjoyed your tales of your New England bog. The last photo of the sky reflecting is a very beautiful composition.
Thank you Lavinia. We’re having a lot of very calm summer like days lately and that was one of them. I hope you’re seeing the same.
We’ve had one of those atmospheric rivers of moisture come up our way. Been a little wild and windy yesterday and today.
I hope it doesn’t last so you can see some real summer weather.
Your photography gets more varied and better and better, if that is possible. The wood satyr is stunning. As far as I am concerned, you are making very good use of your retirement. I hope that you are enjoying it too.
Thank you, I am having fun with retirement even though I’m not quite as spry as I was when I started this blog!
I am not a spry as when I started reading it.
Thirteen years can seem like a long time.
I did give a listen to the American bittern call. It almost sounds more like some kind of bullfrog than a bird, fascinating. I like the little ‘food chain in the marsh’ story you wove into this post. From the ants and other insects to the bullfrogs and bitterns, it can get one thinking beyond all the pretty colors and textures of the late spring flowers. And so can the quote at the end from Donald L. Hicks. I have seen cats sit just as still, focused and patient, waiting for field mice as that dragonfly waiting for ants. Thanks for this thoughtful post.
You’re welcome, that’s what I thought the first time I heard a bittern as well but it has a few other calls that sound like something I can’t even describe.
If there’s one thing you learn by spending time in nature it is, everything gets eaten eventually, including you.
I had a lot of fun with this post though I have to say the photos didn’t come easy. You don’t call a bittern; you wait for one to appear. And wait and wait. So I’m glad you liked it!
If something wants to eat my ashes, fine. So be it. But I’m sure glad sharks live in the ocean and grizzlies live in the Canadian woods. Eaten alive is something else altogether.
I had to laugh. I meant after death for us but I didn’t want to go into any great detail.
Even though I knew what you meant, your observation was still jarring enough to elicit my reply. After all, you didn’t say ‘including us’.
I’ve seen a lot of it going on out there so it’s hard to come up with a single thing that we deem “alive” that doesn’t get eaten.
Hello, I recently discovered this blog and I don’t know you but, I just love you. If I were writing a blog I would want it to be just like this. I am enchanted by anyone who visits trees and plants year after year. Thank you. Linda L.
Thanks very much. I think you should start your own blog. I can guarantee you’ll know nature better than you ever thought possible if you do. It’s a lot of fun and the people you get to speak with are very nice. By the way, my name is Allen. Thanks for commenting.
Beautifully written, so informative and such a joy to see your wonderful photographs. I look forward to each writing.
Thanks very much, Beth. I’m happy when people get something from these posts.
Thank you for another wonderful post with some of my favorites and, as always, some new tidbits of information that I didn’t know.
You’re welcome Pat, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful post! I went down the rabbit hole this morning on the derivation of “horse” chestnut and alas, found much speculation and no definitive answers. Loved looking at them though. Enjoy!
Thanks Cathy. I’ve always heard that the nuts were ground up and fed to sick horses, but I don’t know how true that is. I do know that the tree’s white flowers look just like those seen in this post. Once cross pollinated with the red buckeye though they became red horse chestnut flowers. By the way, this tree can be seen in Ashuelot Park in Keene.
I had not heard of the American Bittern before. Thank you again for all the work you put into these posts.
You’re welcome. I don’t know if Arizona is on the list of the bittern’s favorite places but if you ever find a place that they like it’s worth waiting for them to appear. I hope you’ll get to see them.
What a lovely and informative post! I never knew about the bittern, I will have to go listen to them now.
Just yesterday I was identifying a highbush cranberry we found on our land; alas it is the European variety I believe. It is also getting eaten by the viburnum beetle right now.
Your post makes me want to go jump in the canoe and paddle around. Thanks for writing!
Thank you. I hope you do find a bittern.
The highbush cranberry ID includes looking for small glands found on the stems. If You just Google “American or European highbush cranberry” you’ll find a lot of information on how to identify them.
Have a great time in the canoe!
Mr. Norcross, I don’t know if I am able to reach you by replying to your emailed post this way, but I thought I’d try. If this is an acceptable way to contact you, please let me know. Thanks. Lenore Hervey
That depends on whether you want to contact me on or off blog. “On” is public and “off” is private. To contact me off blog you have to use the “contact me” form found at the top of the page.
I would like to contact you personally, but when using the Contact Me button at the top of the page I got that message that the link had expired. Should I just try that again?
I just tried it as a guest and it worked fine. WordPress checks the email address and website (if you have one,) that you list on the form, so they have to be valid.
Sorry, I’m still trying to contact you, but now the form keeps bouncing back saying “Comment required” even though I have filled both the comment box and the message box. Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow and see if whatever is bothering it is resolved.
Sorry, I don’t know why it would be doing that but I do know that I’m not going to give out my email address so anyone can see it. There are too many people with maliciousness on their minds out there.
Understood. I will just send my message here. I’ve been reading your blog for about a year, and feel a kinship to your walks and rambles. I am from Keene, and return there every summer now to visit my son Mark and help him work on our property, which is a 45 acre lot on Graves Rd, on the Keene-Swanzey border.
I am going to be there for 6 weeks this summer. My husband Rick and I are staying across from the college at the Carriage House B&B.
I would like to invite you to explore our property, which is a pretty undisturbed 45 acres of woods, ledges and wet places. You might enjoy walking through it and I’d love to hear your take on the plant life there. Alternatively, I’d would feel honored to join you on one of your walks at the college, as I’ll be right across the street and enjoy walking there as well.
I know you are a solitary walker, so I understand completely if you don’t want company, but I just thought I ask and offer. It would be a pleasure to meet you. No need to reply if you are not interested. I will continue to enjoy your blog.
Well the answer to that is a bit complicated I’m afraid. It would depend on when you are here because my son is in the Airforce and he gets to come home only twice each year and one of those times is in the summer. When you arrive just leave a comment here to remind me and we can take it from there.
I understand. Will do. Thanks.
You’re welcome. I’m sure we can work something out.
This year, both in NH and in GA, seems to be a big one for blossoms of all types. Are you noticing that? The elderberries down here are just drooping with blooms.
Yes, I have noticed that. All the native dogwoods, viburnums and elderberries are loaded with flowers. And many seem to be a week or two early.
Great photos and post, it’s still late spring, but it feels summer is upon us!
Thanks Eliza. Yes, many things still seem to be blooming early. I don’t know enough about birds to know if they’re doing what they do early as well but I do know that there are a lot of them around. Even for someone who doesn’t “do” birds, I can’t miss them this year.
Thank you again for a beautiful and educational post. It did prompt me to look up more about American Bitterns. I’ve never seen on but wonder if I’d heard them and not known what they were. Your postings are always a lovely way to start the day.
Ann
You’re welcome, and thank you. Bitterns can occasionally sound like frogs especially when the frogs are croaking, but if there are no other sounds its calls really stand out as something never heard before. At least, that’s the way it was with me.