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