Saturday, June 29, 2013

Orange Trail

Bill, Gil, and I walked around the Orange trail with clippers and loppers getting rid of the catbrier that was on or nearly on the trail.  Catbrier has done very well in the rainy spring.     The first photo is of Jewel Weed which I learned is a naturalist treatment for rash -- especially poison ivy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impatiens#Medicinal_uses_and_phytochemistry  uses the word "alleged" goes into some detail with reports of studies, pro and con.
On the Yellow Trail #  we saw a patch of ground pine (Lycopodium dendroideum). 
We saw  some of the "black stuff" which results from the fungi that grows on the "honeydew" of the beech blight aphid -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beech_blight_aphid -- We'll be watching for dancing aphids this fall.
A few yards upriver from the Spanish oak that fell across the creek during Hurricane Irene there was new fallen tree blocking the waterway.

Jewel Weed

Dragon Fly

Ground Pine

The Spanish Oak that was taken down by Hurricane Irene is at the left -- the top half of that tree was removed so that canoes and kayaks can pass, but a branch extends down into the creek and holds therest of the trunk in place.  Center bottom is the horizontal  trunk of another fallen tree I'd not seen before. The foliage filling the right third of the picture is from a branch that sticks up vertically.   Are the leaves green because the tree is alive or because it recently fell?  In either case, the creek seems to be blocked.



June 30 to July 6 Court 11


COURT 11 - Korean Stewartia

As you are outside this week, please stop at court 11 on the Medford Campus and enjoy the Korean Stewartia which is just coming into the bloom.  The white flowers with yellow stamens offer a long period of bloom from the end of June into July.





Lots of buds-- Better photo in a few days.







Wednesday, June 26, 2013

June 23 to June 29 - Linden Trees


Over the next several weeks, visit Parking Lot A on the Medford Campus to enjoy the grouping of Silver Linden Trees. This particular tree is known for its clusters of creamy yellow, fragrant flowers, as well as the unique shading of the leaves which feature deep green on one side, with silvery undersides. 





Sunday, June 16, 2013

June 15 Meadow Wildflowers

The album of photos from this walk are here. 

 Various ways to view, the one that let's the links in the captions work is to click on the first photo in the album,  and then use the next (or back) arrow that appears when you mouseover the rectangle on the side of the photos.

Lots of coriopsis, milkweed and dogbane, but I didn't take photos because I knew them.
milkweed is the same genus as butterfly weed
http://mlra.org/wildflowers/flowers/Asclepius_syriaca.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepias_tuberosa  milkweed should be added to the wildflower site
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocynum   that's the genus for dogbane.  I don't know what species we have. Dogbane is not on the wildflower site either.

We also saw a small white violet.  I think it was a field pansy.  These are the violets that Rudy Salati identified at Medford Leas.  http://mlra.org/wildflowers/flowers/sixViolas.htm



Judy (standing), l-r  seated: Marilyn, Paul, Ann, Bill.  photo by Maggie

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Ralph's photos taken at  Medford Leas.

I have been remiss in not placing Ralphs photos of Medford Leas on this blog.   I started out recreating them here so that visitors would see them without the extra step of a link.   But I realize now it's best to just provide the links.

So this is catching up with the  Medford Leas posts on Ralph's Blog.


May 3, 2013  Spring Springs

March 3, 2013 Sprng Blooms, Rapids  and Reflections

February , 2013 -- Two posts:  February Snow -- Weren't you out in it this morning?  and a second post with a deer on the Red Trail behind Ralph's Bridlington home.

June 12, 2012  -- The Resurrected Meadow

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Jane Bourquin's Photos

Jane Bourquin Photos

Two years ago I copied these photos from Jane's Computer.   Wonderful wonderful.

 I will visit her and get captions for all of them.

(I don't know why the titles of posts aren't working anymore) 

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Cathedral Trail & Kreibel Way

Two Shady Trails were appropriate for Saturday, June 1, a very hot and humid day.   Perry was working in the farm despite the heat and told us about the raised beds, cover crops, and so forth.   Maggie took group photos on Cathedral Trail and Kreibel Way.   This fuzzy seed pod was interesting.  We need to ask Jane what plant produced it.
Cathedral Trail
Kreibel Way

mystery seed pod