Bluebird houses in Dunstable, MA

On Sunday afternoon we went for a nice walk in the woods along an old abandoned rail line in Dunstable, MA as part of the Arch Bridge Conservation area. This line bordered a former quarry and in that area we came across some Bluebird houses. It is an excellent example of ecological succession, since the quarry is no longer being worked shrubs and small trees are taking hold along with plenty of grasses and windflowers, a perfect habitat for bluebirds to nest.

Late bloomer

The last of my perennials came into bloom just before Hurricane Sandy blew in, my chrysanthemums or "mums" for short. These plants originated in the orient over 2000 years ago, passing through Europe on their way to the North American continent.

My favorite genre for pleasure reading are the cozy British mysteries or the classics by the grand dames: Christie, Marsh, Allingham, and Sayers. There's Miss Marple out in the garden tending to her chrysanthemums and Michaelmas daisies (Asters to you and me here in the states). These are the two famous late bloomers coming into flower in time for Michaelmas - the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel on September 29th. Hooray for these hardy plants giving us one last burst of color before winter sets in. They are inspiration for us all, it's never too late to bloom where you are planted.

"Sewing" in the garden

In the days just before Sandy arrived, I was out in the garden cleaning up in preparation for winter (now I have a lot more to clean up but that's material for another day's post) and took a couple of pictures of some of the last few blooms. The pincushion flower (Scabiosa caucasica) was bravely putting out some of its lovely light purple blooms. I captured some of the unopened blossom heads from which the flower takes its name.

According to my copy of Better Homes and Gardens New Complete Guide to Gardening, pincushion flowers are some of the longest blooming perennials at 10 weeks and even more if dead headed to encourage blooming. The author also listed these flowers as good plantings for rock gardens, providing food for songbirds and attracting butterflies.

My Toggili Barometer and hurricane prediction

My father came to own this little vintage Toggili Barometer and Thermometer house from his aunt and uncle. I'm not sure where they got it from. This little house sat on the shelf at our lake house for years and it did a great job in predicting the weather.

While we were cleaning out the house in preparation for selling it I wanted to keep the little house as a reminder of our time at the lake and of my father. I brought it home and put it out on our three season porch and the little girl stood out indicating good weather even on a few raining days. I was concerned that moving it had caused it to stop working correctly. On Sunday prior to Hurricane Sandy's arrival I noticed the little man had swung out of the house. Low atmospheric pressure indicates that stormy, rainy, windy weather is on the way. In the case of a hurricane the lower the atmospheric pressure the more intense the storm, and Sandy is now the storm with the distinction of having the lowest recorded pressure readings at 940 millibars.

Signs of the coming winter

This morning, after opening the garage door I could hear a strange noise. I stopped walking to my car in order to focus in on the sound and interpret what it was. Honking, the honking of geese. Odd because to me it just seemed too dark and early for them to be in flight overhead but within minutes the sky began to brighten and the sun rose shortly there after.

For some reason this year I have noticed more and more of the famous flying V formation that flocks of geese adopt. Last winter was so mild that I don't think many of them took off for southern climes. You could see them foraging for remnants in the corn and other vegetable fields around the area. They were to be seen hanging around local ponds and golf courses. The fields around the high school in Lincoln, RI is inundated with them. They were crossing the street and early this summer when I drove by I saw for the first time a Canada (not Canadian according to the National Geographic's site) goose as a road kill victim.

So what's up with the flying V formation? According to The Library of Congress's fun science facts page on the subject, the formation allows for faster and more efficient flying. The birds in front provide a reduction in strong wind currents allowing for birds in the rear to get a break. Then the birds take turns in the formation in order to share the work. It also helps to keep everyone together and in communication.

One last thing, perhaps you have seen this one at work but it's worth a read. Lessons From the geese is "cute" but it is a good reminder for us from time to time. Being part of a flock can be hard, and sometimes we need to remember to be grateful for the birdbrains around us.

Thank you deer!

No that isn't a typo, thank you deer, for the help with trimming back the hosta plants before winter. Actually they have been at it all summer. I'd go out to find that someone had been nibbling here, there, and everywhere. They did a number on the plants, the only ones that didn't suffer were those planted close to the house. In the past I have sprayed the leaves with Deer Away which works pretty well. I have to be perfectly honest, this summer I simply didn't have the time or energy to patrol the garden and try to keep the pesky deer in their place. Bambi, enjoy what you got this summer because next year things will be different!

Yesterday's killing frost

Fall is definitely here now. Yesterday morning we woke to a heavy frost and even the heat in the house kicked on. It was 29 degrees out. The leaves have been falling out of the trees at a much faster pace today. I love fall time but it can be a tad depressing once the trees are all bare. Here is one shot of the frost on the roof top where the sun hadn't melted it yet. The other is the evidence of the killing effect of the frost on the sunflower plants edging the patio.

Turkey tail

On an old stump in the yard a beautiful cluster of turkey tail bracket fungi (Trametes versicolor: The Turkey Tail) has started to grow. Fungi are organisms which feed off of dead matter. They are absorptive feeders which excrete digestive enzymes tombreak down the substrate upon which they are growing and consuming. Then the nutrients are absorbed into the fungi's cells which are called hyphae. The cells are long thin filaments which create a woven mat like structure known as a mycelium which can be seen in the photos below. Fungi reproduce by generating and releasing spores which are carried away by wind, rain, or animals. Once the spores find a suitable food source with plenty of moisture and the right temperatures they will begin to grow.

The Turkey tail fungi grows mainly on hardwood stumps or dead branches here in the forests of New England. These are growing on the stump of a maple tree that we had cut down almost two years ago as its large branches threaten the roof of the house. Thankfully we did take the tree down before last year's freak Halloween snowstorm which certainly would have caused some damage to this tree.