August 30, 2009 at 6:19 am08 (Uncategorized)
The Jerusalem Artichoke has edible tubers.
A fitting way to say goodbye to August is to acknowledge that the yellow flowers of the Jersualem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) have bloomed a full two weeks early this year. We do not dig the gnarled, purplish tubers of these plants and cook them, although Native Americans did, and cultivated them, too. The tubers are potato-like in texture and may be eaten in the fall when they are ripe. Jerusalem Artichoke grows wild in rich damp thickets and fields. Many people assume that the Jersualem Artichoke is some kind of sunflower. It has no relation with Jerusalem or artichokes.
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August 27, 2009 at 5:59 am08 (Uncategorized)
The High-Bush Cranberry (Viburnum opulus) is not the same plant that grows in boggy beds on Cape Cod. This tall shrub can grow to 12 feet in height and has smooth branches with opposite leaves that are three-lobed. If you look closely at the leaf you will see that the bottom third of each one has no teeth on the edges. The leaf stalks are long and reddish and grooved. The white flowers of the High-Bush Cranbberry bloom in June. The red fruit ripens in August. It is edible but sour. Inside each berry is a smooth flat stone. You can find this shrub growing in swampy woods and moist low spots.
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August 25, 2009 at 6:25 am08 (Uncategorized)
The Dryad's Saddle mushroom grows on living and dead hardwood.
Dryad’s Saddle (Polyporus squamosus) is a mushroom with a flattened cap. The cap can grow to 12 inches across. Mature specimens have a yellow-brown cap with dark, overrlapping scales. Younger specimens are nearly white and are softer. The underside has a whitish-yellow pore surface. The cap grows from a thick and stubby stalk attached to a tree stump, especially elm stree stumps. Older specimens are inedible – too leathery and bitter for most tastes, but the younger softer stages can be cooked, according to some books. I have not tried one. Other common names for this mushroom include “Pheasant Back” and “Hawk’s Wing.” The patterns od the overrlapping scales resemble feathers. The Dryads were small creatures in Greek mythology.
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August 20, 2009 at 4:38 pm08 (Uncategorized)
A sure sign of the waning summer
Already the early apple species are reddening up, as shown by the specimens in the photo. Here a branch on a roadside tree droops from the weight of the many small fruits. This particular tree, while not thinned and pruned to produce fewer but larger apples, is still a good source for “sauce” apples. A pie needs slices of larger fruit.
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August 16, 2009 at 11:22 am08 (Uncategorized)
The Wood Aster is blooming now in woodland clearings, the edges of woodlands, and even sides of country roads. The reddish stem appears to be twisted rather than straight. The leaves are sharply toothed and taper to a narrow base with no visible leaf stalk. The white ray flowers surrounding the yellow center may be tinged with purple. This particular aster grows in dry woods and clearings and is from eight to thirty-six inches tall.
The white Wood Aster (Oclemena acuminata) - a late summer flower.
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August 13, 2009 at 7:06 am08 (Uncategorized)
Twin berries of a Honeysuckle provide food for birds
This is a time of fruitful abundance in fields and woodlands. Many species of birds and mammals seek the berries, fruits, and seeds on shrubs, vines, and weedy plants.
Shrubs fruiting right now include Honeysuckles, Chokecheries, and Blackberries. Later, in the fall, Dogwoods, Euonymus, Bayberry and Viburnum will bear fruit. Vines with fruit are Bittersweet, Virginia Creeper, Poison Ivy, Greenbrier, and Grape.
Homeowners who want to attract birds often plant vines or shrubs on the borders of their lawns or garden areas. There are trees that serve as useful windbreaks in yards and provide seeds that birds enjoy, too: Mountain Ash, Wild Black Cherry, Birch, and Oaks are examples.
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August 7, 2009 at 6:45 am08 (Uncategorized)
Wild Blackberries ripen in the fields.
Now is the time that Wild Blackberries are growing at the edges of fields and along roadsides in our neighborhood. I have been picking, on average, a quart a day this week and the count will only go up over the next few weeks, then taper off again by September. We enjoy fresh-picked blackberries on cold breakfast cereal, mixed with yogurt for lunch, served with whipped cream on blackberry cake, and blackberry pie with ice cream. Then there is blackberry jam and blackberry cordial to prepare ad set aside for the winter months.
There are many different species of Blackberries in New England – most with woody, prickly stems and leaves with toothed margins. Collectively, they are called brambles. Some are tall and upright, others low and creeping, and a few quite bushy and spreading. They all belong to the genus Rubus. The largest species is the Highbush Blackberry, Rubus allegheniensis. The fruit is black and shiny and is round or thimble shaped. The base of the berry does not have a hole at the bottom like a Raspberry. Unripe blackberries, even when black, can be quite tart; it takes a light touch to determine if a blackberry is still firm or soft and ready to be pulled from the stem. Blackberries start out green, gradually turn red, then turn purplish-black, and finally a smooth lustrous black.
To go wild blackberry picking is to endure a few scratches, to wade chest high in fields of goldenrod, joe-pye weed, and boneset, listening to the hum of bees in search of nectar and watching dragonflies and butterflies soar in the sunlight. You may be scolded by birds whose territory you are invading and need to make detours around clumps of multiflora rose or bittersweet vines. Oh – did I forget the mosquitoes? If it is sunny and breezy the mosquitoes will be kept away, but if the wind dies down or the clouds appear, watch out. Coming back home with the taste of summer in a jar is a fine reward.
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August 6, 2009 at 3:38 pm08 (Uncategorized)
Over six feet tall, this striking plant thrives in moist rich soil.
Flat Topped White Aster (Doellengeria umbellata) is hard to miss. It is tall, for one thing – two to seven feet high – and has long narrow leaves, green on top, slightly paler below. The edges are rough but not toothed. is always found in moist soils. The flowers grow in a flat flat-topped cluster with typical Aster-like white ray flowers and yellow centers. Sometimes the yellow centers turn purple with age. The stem is sturdy, almost square in appearance, with narrow lines running lengthwise. The stem is green with reddish-brown streaks.
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August 4, 2009 at 6:55 am08 (Uncategorized)
The Tawny Grisette (Amanita fulva).
When most people think of mushrooms, they think of Fall, and the chill wet rains that prompt them to pop up virtually overnight, or Spring, when morels can be found near old decaying Elm trees. But even in August, when conditions are right, some mushrooms sprout from unseen, underground thread masses (mycelium).
The Tawny Grisette grows in forest clearings, in mixed woodlands, and meadows. It is found throughout the world and is quite common in the northern U.S. It can “fruit” from June through November, wherever the soil contains decaying wood particles. While edible, it is not found in great numbers, and it should never be eaten raw. The Tawny Grisette must be cooked to deactivate toxins that could burst red blood cells.
It took me a while to be confident in my identification of this mushroom and I used several books to confirm and coroborate my observations.
The cap of the Tawny Grisette is thin, white or tan in color, with a small central umbo or raised swelling in the center. The cap is two to four inches across and has clearly striated margins. Younger caps are bell-shaped; mature caps are rolled upward exposing more of the gills. On the edges of the cap there may be adherent fragments of the veil. The cap is fragile ( brittle) and breaks easily.
The gills of the Tawny Grisette are white or cream colored. The gills are “free” and not directly attached to the stem.
The stem of the Tawny Grisette is mostly white and smooth, with some tannish coloring near the ground. The stem is wider at the base and tapers slightly toward the cap. The stem shows no sign of a “ring.” A very thin, sheath-like veil covers the rounded knob at the base of the stem. The stem is three to five inches long.
The spores of the Tawny Grisette are white. I placed the cap gill-side down on a square of black construction paper to check this. Identifying the specimen was challenging, but I don’t plan on collecting or eating any soon.
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August 3, 2009 at 5:54 am08 (Uncategorized)
An adult Viceroy butterfly seeks nectar in a wet meadow.
The Viceroy butterfly (Limentis archippus) is easily confused with the Monarch butterfly. The coloration and the size appears nearly the same. A closer inspection reveals that there is anarrow black curved bar across the middle of the hind wing. The Viceroy (2 5/8″ – 3″) is only slighly smaller than the larger Monarch (3 1/2″ – 4″). The Viceroy butterfly prefers wetlands and openings in woods. It is usually found close to Willow and Poplar trees, which serve as the host plant for emerging Viceroy larvae. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Viceroy is that in each life stage, the Viceroy is well adapted for survival. The eggs of the Viceroy look like the kinds of insect galls that form on willow leaves. The mature caterpillar appears to have ”horns.” The chrysalis resembles bird droppings. The adult form mimics a Monarch butterfly, which has a disagreeable taste.
Another tell-tale difference between the Viceroy and the Monarch is that during flight, the Viceroy flaps its wings rapidly between short glides. The Monarch displays a stronger, soaring flight. The Viceroy glides with wings out flat; the Monarch sails with its wings up in a V-shape.
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