the remains of an old mill are on site |
the remains of an old mill are on site |
The trail in Brooke Memorial is growing over and reminds me an old logging road, common throughout New England |
Kermit was happy to pose |
A lone sugar maple tree is turning |
The trails at Fresh Meadows cut through forest and shrubby meadows |
There are many thickets of autumn olive on site, a highly invasive shrub with edible berries |
catalpa- invasive? |
I spotted this very small deer about sixty meters in the woods. It was tough to get a halfway decent shot with the point-and-shoot. |
Kill site? |
Fresh Meadows borders the property of Edward Tufte, a famous statistician who taught at Yale. I had the chance to see him speak at the Foellinger Auditorium while at I was at the University of Illinois. His property has many large sculptures, one of which is visible from the east side of Fresh Meadows. |
The invasive insect hemlock woolly adelgid is wrecking havoc on hemlock trees in Sleeping Giant and throughout southern New England. The insect feeds on the stored starches in the tree, severely weakening it, usually resulting in death 4-6 years. In many ways the hemlock is a keystone species, that creates unique environmental and ecological conditions. Researchers are studying the factors that limit and control the spread of the insect, and why some trees are more susceptible than others. |
Kermit always enjoys exploring the woods! |
This past weekend I visited my best friend at his farm in Jefferson NY, a small town in the northern foothills of the Catskills. It is a beautiful piece of property (~100 acres) of open pasture land and forest. While I did not grow up on a farm, we did have chickens, which has since made me a bit of an egg-snob. As a kid and then at the University of New Hampshire I had the opportunity to work on two vegetable farms, which were great experiences.
It was interesting and exciting to visit my friend’s young farm. In a way he is bringing a very old farm back to life, the land has not been in agriculture for a few decades. Farming is certainly more than a job, it’s a way of life, and it seems to suit him perfectly.
The northeast is dotted with small farms, and their historical remnants. My grandparents grew up on farmland in New Hampshire which are now housing developments, but much of the historical agricultural land in New England converted back to forest when farmers headed to factory jobs in the city, or to better soil conditions in the Midwest. The property I grew up in Springfield NH was an old homestead. Besides the standard stonewalls found throughout the Northeast, the stone foundation from the house, a stone slab where the barn was, and the old stone-lined well is all that remains. While wandering in the woods, my twin brother and I would occasionally find remnants of the old farm: such as gnarly old apple trees, metal wheel rims, and rusted-out steel buckets. [The photos below were taken by my wife.]
They have sheep, goats, chickens, and bees. |
“Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front”
from The Country of Marriage, copyright © 1973 by Wendell Berry
Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.
Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion – put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?
Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
For the long weekend, I took Friday off and headed (with Kermit) to the Green Mountain Nation Forest, in Vermont. I have done very little hiking or exploring in the Green Mountains, so I was excited to check it out. Because of a minor injury in my foot, I did not want to do any strenuous backpacking or hiking, but I did not want to just car camp in a packed National Forest or state camp ground. Grout Pond Recreation Area seemed like the perfect fit for what I was looking for. A five-mile long trail circles Grout Pond, and within the first two miles there are several primitive camp sites along or near the pond. Additionally, there are several more miles of trails in the area around the pond. There is a small public access area to the pond, however, there is no boat launch, and motorized watercraft are not permitted.
The forest in this area is characterized by mixed hardwood and coniferous trees. To me, it seems like a semi-boreal forest, with some areas dense with fir, spruce, yellow birch, and the occasional mountain maple. Needless to say, it is very thick, and difficult to bushwhack through. However, we spent a significant amount of time exploring and bushwhacking off-trail.
Jewel weed (Impatiens capensis) is abundant along near shore and in the wet areas of the forest |
Kermit was happy to rest after spending hours walking through the dense forest. |
Some leaves are beginning to change |
I used a spruce twig bundle to start the fire. The first night it took me 2 matches (out of practice?), but only 1 the next day. |
The first night and morning were pleasantly chilly (a low in the high 40s) |
Kermit waited patiently as I explored the pond during sunrise |
A view of the trail around Grout Pond, along a wet portion. |
On the second day, I walked the loop trail around the pond and explored along the shoreline. The trail cuts through several wetland patches, which is where I found this beautiful flower. I was taking photos to ID it, when this energetic bee stopped by!
Fantastic weather |
A beautiful fungus |
Gold thread (Coptis groenlandica) |
Some of the hobblebush, or moosewood, (Viburnum lantanoides) is beginning to change colors to an incredible deep-purple. |
Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana) is one of the plants I never encountered while was in Illinois. Unlike many edible plants, indian cucumber root has a decent-tasting root. |
Indian pipe! Such a cool little plant |
Great-looking shelf fungus on a dead beech tree |
An up-close shot of a black walnut leaf |
There is a lot of golden rod on site (Solidago canadensis). It was fun (and difficult!) trying to photograph the bees floating from flower to flower. |
Blue vervain (Verbena hastata) |
Blue vervain (Verbena hastata) and an unknown bee species |
A shot of some of the open area. In the foreground the golden rod (mixed in with ragweed) is obvious. In the background, a large patch of Phragmites australis is visible |
Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) |
The invasive shrub, autumn olive |
The sedge Carex vulpinoidea |
Kermit always enjoys getting out |
I found this unknown sedge- can anyone out there in the interwebs tell me what it is? (globe sedge?) |
Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) |
Giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) |
A type of joe pye weed |
Some sort of lobelia? |
Common dog bane (Apocynum cannabinum) |
A species of Polygonum |
Soft stem bulrush (Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani) |
I convinced Kermit to pose on top of the log horse jump (“stay!”), which is found along the main path through the property.
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Early yesterday I went back to Sleeping Giant with Kermit. We went up the Blue Trail again, this time I found it to much quicker and easier for Kermit (and myself!), since we both have had some time to get back into hiking shape. I brought my little point-and-shoot field camera, however, the battery was low and died just after I took this one photo. It was a beautiful morning, with a clear sky and empty trails.
The water was chilly and refreshing, perfect for swimming, despite the leeches |
East Pond has a beautiful bluish-green tinge |
We explored and relaxed by the shoreline for a few hours |
The East Pond outlet stream |
Kermit really enjoyed hanging out by the pond |
One of the plants I’ve missed seeing, hobble bush! |
I asked someone to take a photo of me, they only took one, and I blinked! Too bad, because otherwise it’s a nice photo of us. |
Kermit waited very patiently as I photographed the East Pond outlet stream in different exposures. |
Patiently waiting |
Trees and moss growing over large glacial boulders is a common site in New England |