September 28

Saturday was a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. The early morning weather was foggy with a temperature of 55 degrees and a breeze out of the south. Today, I planned to pay attention to Mother Nature’s colors. Those she uses to decorate her early autumn landscape. At the crest of the hill, I gazed through the fog to see the color of the western vista was slowly changing from the dominate summer green. I spotted the color red in several places including the Silver Maple leaves at the entrance to North Woods. Red, Virginia creeper leaves were easy to spot where its vine climbed up a dogwood shrub on the west side of Succession Field. Next to the trail between Frog Fen and Brady Cemetery, it was easy to spot the red branches of a Red Osier Dogwood shrub. Also, I enjoyed seeing the contrasting red berries of a Winterberry shrub on the edge of Swanson Swamp and a Climbing Nightshade vine on the east side of Grebe Pond. Neither berry is edible. The ripe, red crab apples from a small tree on the east side of Reflection Hill caught my eye as well. The color orange was seen in a Sugar Maple leaf on the trail in North Woods and in a few leaves from an Autumn Olive shrub in Succession Field. The color yellow was evident in several places including the leaves of a dying Milkweed next to Mallard Marsh and a dying Indian hemp plant near Willow Wallow. Yellow was seen in one of a few Goldenrod plants still blossoming in Bobolink Meadow and a patch of Jerusalem artichoke flowers east of the barn. Not surprising, the color green was still wide spread as I paused to notice a green canopy of trees above my head in North woods while listening to a flock of noisy geese flying low. Looking more closely, I noticed the leaves of an American Beech tree still remained a deep green. Also, a lush green color was seen in the bunch galls topping some Goldenrods plants in Succession Field. The color blue was found in the Wild Grapes hanging from a vine in a White Pine Tree near Brady Cemetery as well as a few Chicory blossoms nearby. The color purple was displayed in the New England Aster flowers near Willow Wallow, the Bluestem prairie grass in Native Grassland and the leaves of a Blue Vervain plant next to Mallard Marsh. Pleased at the rainbow of colors seen on the hike, I arrived back at the black car with the white dog for our journey home.

Nature’s autumn palette
Found in forest and field
Waning green of summer
Rainbow of colors revealed
Red appears in maple leaves
Some are orange as well
Goldenrod shows its yellow
Blue Chicory is easy to tell
Finally the Asters arrive
Purple blossoms to show
September’s last hurrah
Beauty above and below

D. DeGraaf

September 21

Saturday would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. However, instead we went hiking with one of our nature guides, Joe Fox and his daughter, Molly on their property off Polk Rd., southwest of Alma. The early morning weather was partly sunny with a temperature of 57 degrees and no wind. We headed south along a two-track where we spotted a Northern Catalpa tree with its large leaves. This tree is the host plant for the Sphinx Moth whose caterpillar feeds on the leaves. Along the ground were small patches of Ragweed. Continuing south, we saw fresh fungus and lichens growing on a tree trunk. We entered a large forest, dominated by large, healthy Maple trees along with several dead and dying Ash trees being killed by the Emerald Ash Borer. We came to a low area where I noticed some Joe Pye Weed flowers going to seed. Also, I spotted Smartweed, a small patch of the deadly Water Hemlock and a striking red Cardinal flower. Beautiful but deadly, this plant was used as a medicine but is also very poisonous. It contains fourteen alkaloids similar to those in nicotine. Extracts of the leaves and fruit produce vomiting, sweating, pain and finally death. Exploring the muddy ground, we found a few Raccoon tracks. We continued south to the picturesque Pine River that meanders for several thousand feet along the edge of their property. Walking as quietly as possible, we had a brief stare-down with curious, twin fawns. Exploring the banks of the river, we spotted Thornapple trees and Wild Cucumber vines. Despite it’s name, the green fruit of this vine is not edible. On the ground, we found the skeleton of a Whitetail buck and wondered if it had died from EHD (Epizootic Hemorrphagic Disease), a disease that has killed many deer in the area. As we turned around and began heading back, I was amazed to see fuzzy, Poison Ivy vines as thick as my arm growing up a tree trunk. Some of the branches off the vines had leaves 6-8 inches wide. Just before exiting the woods, we admired the complex, lateral root system of a maple tree that had been exposed earlier in the spring by floodwaters. Finally, we made it back to our car and headed for home.

Walk softly in fields
Hear a distant call
Birds of the sky
Both big and small
Walk in woods
Ears to the ground
Wildlife whispers
Hear a faint sound
Solemn nature hike
Human noises cease
In nature’s quietude
The earth is at peace

D. DeGraaf

September 14

Saturday was a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. The early morning weather was sunny with a frigid temperature of 37 degrees and no wind. Before embarking on my weekly walk, I stood at the crest of the hill and gazed west at the late summer landscape. I descended the hill to Mallard Marsh where I was not surprised to see frost clinging to some tall grass. I passed Bobolink Meadow and came to the entrance of North Woods where some Silver Maple leaves were beginning to change colors. On the ground, I saw a few Ragweed plants that reminded me of their reputation as a source of hay fever. Hiking west through the woods, I admired how the morning sunlight penetrated the dark, dense forest. Just as I left the deep shade of the woods and returned to the bright sunlight, I noticed several leaves of a small Burr Oak tree were covered with Jumping Oak Galls caused by a wasp. I followed the path west around the edge of Succession Field where I spotted some acorns on a large Swamp White Oak tree and some blue berries on a European Buckthorn tree. Until late in the nineteenth century, syrup of Buckthorn ranked among favorite rustic remedies as a purgative for children, prepared by boiling the juice with pimento and ginger and adding sugar. However, its action was so severe that the medicine was discarded. It was still official in the British Pharmacopoeia of 1867, but is now regarded as a medicine more fit for animals than humans. It is employed almost exclusively in veterinary practice, being commonly prescribed for dogs, with equal parts of castor oil as an occasional purgative. Before entering South Woods, I recalled an amazing sight earlier in the week as a flock of approximately 500 noisy Brewer Blackbirds flew overhead on what I assumed was their migratory journey. I entered the woods and hiked along the edge of Swanson Swamp where I noticed a few Turtlehead blossoms. Exiting the woods, I hiked past Artist Overlook along the edge of Sora Swale where I noticed the hips of Multiflora Rose were turning red. Also, I spotted a Crane Fly resting on a Raspberry leaf. I turned east and followed the south trail where I saw a Katydid sunning itself on a Milkweed leaf. At Frog Fen, I turned south, passed Brady Cemetery and turned north into Native Grassland where I saw sparse patches of prairie grasses including: Bluestem, Canadian Rye and Indian Grass. Also, I spotted a few remaining Purple Cone flowers that added a little color to a landscape that had lost most of it. I paused at Grebe Pond where I was surprised not to see any ducks or herons. Also, I recalled the excited chatter of school children as yesterday was their first field trip of the school year. I continued to the barn where suddenly a raccoon scrambled up a willow tree and looked down with some concern at the dog and I. After watching it awhile, we headed back to the car for our trip home.

Middle of September
Summer says goodbye
Monarchs leave the scene
Gone are geese that fly
Yellow drapes the meadow
Oaks let acorns fall
Fawns continue to grow
Crows continue to caw
Seasons are ever changing
Maples are turning red
Autumn is coming soon
Mother Nature forges ahead

D. DeGraaf

September 7

Saturday would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi.  However, we joined a fellow nature guide and mentor, John Clark for a hike through Ithaca schools’ outdoor education property. John played a major role in acquiring and developing this 40-acre woodlot on Fillmore Road, west of town. The early morning weather was mostly cloudy with a temperature of 63 degrees and no wind. At the entrance to the trail, we looked up and noticed a few crab apple trees with ripened fruit. Nearby, we spotted a few Panicled Aster blossoms. Next, we entered a dense forest with large Beech, Maple and Oak trees dominating the canopy.  Following the trail, we enjoyed the quietness of the woods as only a single unknown bird was singing in the distance. Next, we paused to see some young Sassafras trees. I broke off a leaf and chewed on the petiole to enjoy the citrusy flavor.  Further along were a few tree trunks covered with bracket fungi. Also, we noticed the Witch Hazel trees were showing clusters of woody capsules. We arrived at a pond named after John and noticed how extremely low the water level was. Near the pond, we observed a tree trunk covered with white lichen. We also spotted a few blossoms of Heartleaf Aster. We got off the trail and found a few Indian Cucumber-root plants. We dug up a few to sample the roots that, not surprisingly, tasted like cucumber. Nearby, we saw a large clump of Cushion Moss growing on the leaf litter. Near the end of our circuit, we spotted a tiny Axillary Goldenrod blossom. Finally, the three of us returned to the car for our trip home.

In the waning summer

Birds close up their nest

Some are heading south

Food aplenty for the rest

Meadow changes color

Asters open their flowers

Wetlands are drying up

Awaiting rain showers

A few leaves lose green

Others will disappear

Nature gives some hints

Autumn will soon be here

D. DeGraaf

Sept. 1

Saturday would have been a good day at Forest Hill for a hike with my dog, Remi. However, having to fulfill other obligations, I waited until Sunday. The early morning weather was very foggy with a temperature of 61 degrees and no wind. Standing on the crest of the hill, I gazed west through thick fog at a late summer landscape. I descended the hill and paused at Mallard Marsh where the white seeds of Thistle looked like cotton. Also, I spotted several blossoms of Nodding Bur-Marigold. Continuing through Bobolink Meadow, I noticed the field was covered in yellow flowers of Goldenrod. I entered North Woods and headed west where I saw several Mycena mushrooms sticking up in the middle of the path. Off the path were several horizontal webs of funnel-web spiders that were easily seen because of the heavy dew. These spiders are nocturnal and may grow as long almost two centimeters. Shortly after exiting the woods, I paused to hear a Chickadee sing. I continued around Succession Field where I spotted hundreds of small irregular-shaped spider webs. Entering South Woods, I followed the trail along the edge of Swanson Swamp where I noticed a few blossoms of the deadly Water Hemlock plant near shore. Further down the trail I saw, for the first time, a few clusters of red berries on a Prickly Ash tree. Since they only grow on female trees, I suspect all the other Prickly Ash trees around here were male. When these berries are dried they’re called Szechuan Peppercorns and are used in Chinese cooking. Nearby, a Chickadee few onto a branch only a few feet away. Exiting the woods, I noticed another sign of the coming season, a Flat-top Aster in bloom. I continued to Artist Overlook and paused to hear two Blue Jays calling to each other. Continuing along the edge of Sora Swale, I observed a Bur Oak tree full of acorns. Most oak trees do not produce acorns until they’re 20 years old while some take up to 50 years. I followed south trail toward Frog Fen where I noticed the ripe berries on Autumn Olive. Also, I spotted several orb webs with Garden Spiders in the middle waiting to catch a meal. Turning south, I headed toward Brady Cemetery where I picked a few Wild Grapes from a vine growing in a White Pine Tree. I ate them and enjoyed their tart taste. I passed the cemetery and walked north through Native Grassland where only a few prairie grasses were sticking up compared to the dense growth of a year ago. I stopped at Grebe Pond and counted half-dozen Wood Ducks swimming near the far shore. I continued hiking north toward the barn while listening to crickets and grasshoppers. Finally, we passed the Classroom and found the car for our trip home.

Many hikes for nature’s sake
Lots of steps we had to take
We walk along, Remi and me
Sounds to hear, sights to see
Trodden trails show the way
Diverse discoveries every day
More memories fill my mind
Only footprints left behind
Man and dog, quite a pair
Forest Hill, we enjoy it there

D. DeGraaf