November 20

The early morning skies are mostly sunny, temperatures are in the upper 30’s and winds are light from the west as I begin my inaugural hike in Starks Preserve. This 8-acre parcel is Chippewa Watershed Conservancy’s newest acquisition. Soon, I come upon a Multiflora Rose bush with its bright red berries, called hips. This fruit can be eaten raw but making a hot or cold tea out of them is a popular way to enjoy their unique flavor. Also known as Japanese Rose, this bush has become invasive in many parts of the United States and Canada.  Up ahead, I spot signs of seasonal change, including the seeding out of Aster and Clematis blossoms. Passing by several White and Red Cedar trees with their characteristic trunk bark, I come upon the base of one with its ornate root structure. This part of the tree is valuable for its use in making furniture. (stock photo). On the muddy trail below, I’m not surprised to see deer tracks, but am surprised to see geometric ice crystals, formed during an overnight freeze. Still looking down, I come upon a fresh pile of diarrhea-like Raccoon scat filled with lots of undigested berries. Overhead, I notice an odd-looking, 18-inch growth on a Maple tree trunk, called a Burl. This tumor-like structure formed because the tree’s growth hormones were disrupted due to an injury or fungal infection. Oddly, burls do not kill the tree. It can live out its entire lifespan with this growth attached to it. Because of its unique beauty, the wood cut from a Maple burl is quite valuable in making furniture (stock photo). Further ahead, I pause to watch a Pileated Woodpecker fly over and land in a nearby tree where I notice this beautiful bird is a female because the red coloration is only on top of her head while in a male the red coloration extends down to the bill (stock photo). The word “pileated”, from the Latin pileatus, meaning “capped”, refers to the bird’s prominent red crest. I continue to watch as she whacks away on a dead tree in search of her main prey, carpenter ants. She also uses her long, barbed tongue to extract wood-boring beetle larvae or termites, lying deep in the wood. When hammering into this soft wood, Pileated Woodpeckers use their long neck to pull far back from the tree, then make powerful strikes. Following the trail back toward the car, I come upon a few plants that still have plenty of chlorophyl in their leaves, including Canadian Thistle and Curly Dock.

Woods of November

Season of the gun

Whitetail of the wild

You’re on the run

Scent of humans

Flurries of snow

Whitetail of the wild

Time to lie low

Creature of nature

One of the best

Whitetail of the wild

No time to rest

 

D. DeGraaf