November 4

Along with sunny skies and chilly temperatures, my wife, Caroline and dog, Riley join me on a morning hike at the Kenneth Lehman nature trails on the campus of Montcalm Community College. Not far ahead, I pause to scan a placid South Twin Lake, surrounded by a colorful autumn landscape. Following a path around the lake, I spot the red fruit of a Swamp Rose vine and a Japanese Barberry shrub. Berries from this shrub are edible by humans but are too sour to eat raw and have a bitter taste. They’re also eaten by birds that spread the seeds, causing a rapid spread of this invasive species. Continuing on the leaf-covered trail, my attention is drawn to a giant (9-inch long) Red Oak leaf among the litter of smaller oak and maple leaves. Large leaves like this one often grow on young, vigorous saplings, especially those located in shady areas. Up ahead, I come upon a Wood Duck box mounted on a pole with a protective cone on it to keep raccoons, red foxes and black rat snakes from preying on the ducklings. Looking up, I spot some Sugar Maple leaves wafting to the ground. Colder temperatures and shorter photoperiods trigger a hormone in these trees that sends a chemical message to every leaf. Once the message is received, a bumpy line of cells grow between the leaf stem and the branch until they separate (stock photo). Nearby, I get a close-up look at a multi-prong thorn of a Thornapple tree. While these thorns are not poisonous, researchers have discovered that they harbor an array of pathogenic bacteria as yet another defense mechanism for the tree. Looking around, I notice the distinctive muscle-like surface on the trunk of a Blue Beech tree.  Also, called Muscle Wood, the tree’s extremely hard wood is used for tool handles, longbows, walking sticks/canes and golf clubs. After watching the morning sun sparkle through the trees, I look down to notice the leaf litter has lots of female cones from the surrounding White Pine trees. Small mammals, like Red Squirrels collect seeds from these cones (stock photo) during autumn and cache them as a winter food source. Birds such as Red-breasted Nuthatches (stock photo) store seeds under tree bark while Pine Siskins (stock photo), frequent seed eaters will flock here in winter. Turning toward the car, I look up to see a large number of reddish-orange berries on vines of American Bittersweet that have overrun a hickory tree. These berries are toxic to humans but a food source for many types of wildlife, including Ruffed grouse, Pheasants, Fox squirrels, Bobwhite, and Turkey.  

I thank the trees

For an autumn show

Spreading their color

To earth below

I thank the birds

For sticking around

To fill the forest

With gifts of sound

I thank the sun

Watching it set

Back in town

The voters fret

 

D. DeGraaf