News from the Pond

The first picture shows the Beaty St. Pond a couple of months ago.  The white pipe is the siphon the town is using to lower the level.  Seems the state inspectors have found serious problems with the dam on the pond so they are requiring the level to be lowered substantially.  The other two pictures were made this morning and show the current level.  I'm guessing this is as low as they'll take it until they remove the fish which they are likely to do this winter.  Hope the funds for repairing the dam are found, soon.

Signs of Fall

As fall comes to this part of North Carolina we begin to see the leaves changing color.  Although it's October, only a few trees have begun to change.  The dogwood in my neighbor's yard is the most colorful one on our street.  Out on Beaty St. there are some other changes: the Poke Weed has lots of berries which will attract animals- unfortunately they might cross this busy street to get to them.  Also see lots of yellow flowers.  Among them is this goldenrod.

Hearts-a-bustin

This interesting plant is called by several names including Hearts-a-bustin because of the unusual fruit that looks like tiny hearts about to explode from the pod.  Also known as Strawberry Bush it is loved by deer who apparently enjoy eating it so much that some have called it Deer Ice cream!  It grows in abundance in the woods behind our house and maybe keeps the deer from eating quite so much from our garden.  It has tiny white flowers in the spring and the stems stay green all year.

Butterflies

We've seen so many butterflies this year.  This one is a Tiger Swallowtail.  Our neighbors have a Butterfly bush and we have one, too but not as big as theirs.  We also have some flowers that the butterflies seem to like a lot.  We also see the dark swallowtails that like parsley!  I think they are called Spice Bush Swallowtail.  The caterpillars for these butterflies are quite interesting, too.

Summer Wildflowers

I walked on the Cross Country trail at the college this week and saw these lovely wildflowers.  The first one is called Queen Anne's Lace and it really is very lacy looking.  It's related to carrots but is usually known for it's lovely flower.

Next is Rose-Pink or Bitterbloom.  It's a lovely pink color, a contrast to the many yellow flowers found this time of year.

Last is Black-eyed Susan.  Many people have this growing in their summer flower garden. I do.  But it's also found growing wild in open places like this trail.

I love to walk on the cross country trail- and stay out of the way of the runners!  There is shady woods and open, meadow like areas.  Besides flowers, I see different types of birds and sometimes a deer or a rabbit.  It's a great place to walk.

Leaf Gall Aphids

These Witch Hazel leaves have galls on them caused by an aphid.  This doesn't appear to harm the Witch Hazel plant.  The aphids lay their eggs on the leaves causing this strange growth to occur.  There are many different kinds of aphids and gall making insects.  A common one is the oak leaf gall that looks like a brown ping-pong ball and is made by a wasp.

Katydid

This insect is called a Katydid. It looks a lot like a leaf! These insects are known for their singing. We hear them a lot in the mountains in the summer. There are many insects that sing in the summer, including crickets and cicadas. When you see the size of these insects (they are pretty large for insects) it's still amazing how much noise they make. To me the sounds are a part of summer. But on a summer night with the windows open you might wish they would sing a little softer!

Walkingstick

Saw this interesting insect on our steps here in Montreat. It's called a walkingstick. It lives usually on plants and it eats leaves and twigs. It is a wingless insect and when it's on a plant it's really hard to see. Got a good look at this one standing very still on the steps.

East Ridge Trail in Montreat

We went for a walk on the East Ridge trail in Montreat last week. One area on that trail is so peaceful and beautiful with this lovely fern covering the ground on both sides of the trail which runs along the ridge of mountains of the Blue Ridge range. This fern is Lady Fern and it is this lovely bright green and very soft looking. Also on this trail we saw these pretty red flowers called Fire Pink.

The third picture is Chinquapin. This shrub is in the same family as American Chestnut. The Chestnut was once the dominant hardwood of our eastern forests. It has been wiped out by a blight. We still see some small chestnut trees here in Montreat but they never get very large because they are killed by the blight. The Chinquapin was once believed to be immune to the Chestnut blight but that is not the case and Chinquapin will likely suffer the same fate as the Chestnut.

Early summer at the ponds.

I took a walk to the Beaty St. pond today as well as the pond at Roosevelt Wilson Park on Griffith St. I saw this male Mallard duck and he was pretty friendly. I think he's used to people feeding him. Notice how dark green his head is. The female Mallards are more brown all over and lack the green head.

At the Beaty St. pond I noticed that the algae bloom is beginning. In this picture you can see bands of green on the surface of the water which is the algae beginning to form. As the summer goes on it will get much thicker. One thing that contributes to algae bloom is runoff from lawns and other places. The fertilizer on lawns gets concentrated in the water and provides food for the algae. This can be a problem for fish and other animals living in the pond. In this picture if you look closely you can see a turtle floating just under the surface of the pond. The top of his shell is showing as well as his head.

Beautiful day at the pond

At the pond today I saw a Canada Goose family. Mom, Dad and 6 newly hatched goslings. They were very cute swimming around on the pond and didn't seem to mind me being close by. Later they came up on the bank and ate some leaves off low growing plants.

On my way walking to and from the pond I see a lot of this plant. In case you don't know, this is Poison Ivy. One of the most familiar plants in our woods. It's an irritant to the skin of most people. The oil in the leaves and in the stems and vines is hard to remove from skin, clothes and from your pet's fur. It's pretty easy to identify this time of year. It loses it's leaves in the fall and then the danger is not recognizing the vines. You can still get the oil on your skin in the fall and winter and you might not realize it until it's too late. If you think you have touched any part of this plant you should wash well in warm soapy water.

This pretty white flower is the Bloodroot. This is a native perennial plant that has a bright red sap which is were the name comes from. We saw lots of bloodroot flowers up on "Little Piney" and "Big Piney" when we went hiking there yesterday. There will be more wildflowers coming soon. Although we couldn't see them, we heard a lot of spring warblers, on their way north or choosing a spot for their place in the northern part of their range. I'm sure we heard the black-throated green warbler and the red-eyed vireo. Turn your ears on and listen for what you can hear.

Limbs to pick up and holes in our trees.

We are in Montreat this week.

Lots of limbs fell during the winter. Looks like the ice storms and snow storms cleaned out the broken, and dead branches from our woods.

One of our neighbors here is the pileated woodpecker. One of the things this large, amazing bird does is drill large holes into trees. We hear this bird more than we see it. It makes a loud knocking sound when it is drilling these holes. Also it makes a loud call, they say "Woody Woodpecker" is patterned after this bird both for his looks and his call.

Spring blooms.

Not a lot to say. All these beautiful blooms are in my yard or my neighbors' yards right now, today. And there are more. The oak trees are blooming making everything on or porch yellow as well as coating the windshields of the cars. Spring is alive!

Dawn Chorus!

This picture was made a few weeks ago, notice the snowy background. But what I want to talk about today is the sound I hear early in the morning before the sun rises. It's called the dawn chorus and all the birds are singing. We heard a Northern Cardinal singing outside our window this morning about 6:30. It was saying Cheer, Cheer, Cheer, Birdy, Birdy, Birdy, or at least that's what it sounds like. And then a little later I heard Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody. The white-throated sparrow has such a sweet song. Some people say it says, instead, My sweet Canada, Canada, Canada. Anyway, it's a sweet sound to hear. These birds will be migrating north soon. Probably to Canada! Enjoy these beautiful early morning sounds.

Birds!

These Goldfinches are showing their spring plumage. Quite a change from the "brown finches" of winter. During breeding season Goldfinches take on their bolder yellow-gold color. The male on the left shows his black mask. This is a sure sign of spring.

The birds on our bird bath are Cedar Waxwings. They are beautiful birds with silky brown color, a crest and a black mask. They have the distinctive red tips on their wings and yellow and blue colors decorating them. They are usually in flocks and eat lots of berries.

Animal Tracks

When I go for a walk after a rain I see lots of tracks in the mud. Sometimes all I see are human tracks and dog tracks. A few days ago I saw lots of animal tracks. This first picture is tracks of a raccoon. Their tracks almost look like little hand prints, like the prints my grandsons might make in the mud.

The second picture is deer tracks. Even though I live in town there are some wooded areas around me, like the woods around the pond and over on the college campus. We have a lot of deer. They walk through our neighborhood and in the summer they like to snack on our garden!

This last picture was made beside a little stream that runs into the pond. I wonder if you know what kind of tracks these lines might be? Let me know if you do!

Closer to spring!

Two weeks ago I made a picture of this same Maple Tree. Now it's in full bloom, then it was just showing red on the tips of the branches. Today is sunny and cool. We had a good bit of rain over the weekend so the ground is very wet. More blooms are coming. This other picture is of a winter honeysuckle- not a native plant. It blooms in the winter and is still blooming now as we approach spring. It smells very sweet.

Mockingbirds and all that jazz.

This mockingbird on the birdbath in our front yard has been visiting our suet cake all winter and really being pretty quiet. Now that spring is in the air he sings all the time. We hear him first thing in the morning with the dawn chorus and a lot during the day. Mockingbirds imitate songs of other birds and other noises they like. The male with the most songs wins the female of his choice, or so they say. In the spring they are staking out their territory for where they will nest and raise their baby birds. We'll be watching for a nest and those new mockers.

March 8- birds

The bluebird likes our yard because we have good food as well as a bluebird nest box. Soon, a bluebird couple will start building a nest in the box. That's a sure sign of spring.

Goldfinches are one of the favorite birds at our feeders. These are still wearing their winter plumage. I hope to have some pictures of finches as their colors change soon.

Maple trees put out red buds very early in the spring. This tree shows the red color of the buds that will be opening soon. I love red maple trees. Their flowers are very early and then the seeds look like little helicopters when then fall. This particular tree hangs out over the pond and gets in the way of people who like to fish. You might be able to see a bobber or float hanging from the tree. Also, last winter, about March 1, we had a heavy wet show which broke limbs out of trees including this one. Maybe we are done with snow for this winter. The days are still colder than normal but this weekend we are having beautiful sunny days.

March 3- vernal pool

This small pool at the northwest end of the pond is what's known as a vernal pool. It has shallow water now and will be the first home of frogs, toads and salamanders as well as insects. This summer when the days are long and hot it will dry up. But it is a quiet, protected place right now and will be a good place for those eggs to be laid. I'll check back to see what I find in a few weeks.

March 2- more signs of spring.

This is a picture of River Birch flowers. I know they don't look much like flowers but these long dangly things are the catkins that make the pollen of the River Birch. The smaller burs on the ends of the branches are flowers, too. This is another picture from the pond and those flowers come very early, one of the earliest flowers in spring. They have actually been hanging there for a few weeks. Today it may snow again and not feel much like spring but the season is changing.

March 1- signs of spring at the pond

I walked to the pond this morning. It was cold and sunny with a few clouds. There was a group of mallard ducks on the pond- I couldn't get very close because the wouldn't let me. They are in this picture. Can you see them?

The daffodils in our yard are about to bloom. The buds are yellow and about to burst open. That will really be a sign of spring.