Woodlands

feathert

Botanically speaking, woodlands are forests that tend to flood in times of heavy rains. Little of the area between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean is far above sea level and the Pocomoke River and its attendant creeks and swamps are a sponge for seasonal rains.

The forests are thick with cypress, oak and pine and home to wildflower favorites such as the jack-in-the-pulpit and wild swamp roses as well as shy warblers and noisy woodpeckers. Explore woodland seasons through the eyes of an artist and naturalist in these pages

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." - H.D.Thoreau

Bright Shadows

Sharon June 20th, 2009

After a few days of afternoon thunderstorms the resident fungi start to appear in many shapes, sizes and colors.   This bright example is a Cinnabar-red Chanterelle and pops up under the oak trees under Virgina Creeper vines and amid the vinca.

My mushroom book says it is an edible mushroom but my philosophy is to leave nature to the natives and watch what comes to dine on the bounty.

Under magnification the gills are irregular and wavy,  like the ruffled edges of the cap and it is not unusual to find  tiny insects finding their way among them.  I’ve seen squirrels and turtles enjoying various mushrooms and I know the snails and various grubs eat them too and in doing so, help to spread the spores.

0620

As an artist, sometimes I am surprised by nature’s colors.  This mushroom variety  has an unusual color, even for fungi.  The orange almost seems to glow in the shadows, especially toward sunset.  In a rainy summer a large area of the damp ground is spattered with these colorful orange fungi.

Very Prickly Pears

Sharon June 19th, 2009

0617a

In mid June a patch of prickly pear cactus plants near my studio bursts into yellow blooms. This cactus variety is fairly common in sunny and sandy spots in the area. People expect cactus to grow in southwestern deserts and it often seems strange to visitors to find a cactus growing so near forest swamps especially in the Mid Atlantic 0617bregion.

Cactus plants are native to the western hemisphere but not all cactus varieties live in hot deserts. This Prickly Pear can tolerate Maryland winters quite well.

0617cLike other cactus varieties it does have spines and the small sharp hairs can be highly irritating if touched. The bright yellow flowers attract bees and other insects to pollinate the plant but apparently the spines are a hazard even to them. Near one flower the dried body of a bee was stuck where he landed!

Fledgling Escape

Sharon June 7th, 2009

0607We always hear the evening thrush songs along the woodland path.  Usually it is an almost sleepy meloncholy of notes.  This time there was an anxious chatter and fluttering of the soft brown bird as she swooped low and very close.

Suddenly there was a scrambling in the pine needles and leaves and a wobbly youngster flopped around as it tried to hop away.  It nervously peeped, tumbled and flapped it’s nearly featherless wings and finding a bit of shade  it suddenly sat perfectly still.  With a beady eye on my every move, it pretended to be a bit of leaf  and blend invisibly against the background.

Knowing there were predators in the area I attempted to set it on a wide branch near where the mother had been but the baby insisted on hopping off and landing in the soft leaves.  Eventually I set him near a protective bramble and as we left, we could hear him calling and his mother not far away.

Normally I would never pick up a baby bird, but this one was in a dangerous location and seemed to be nearly ready to fly on his own.  If his mother keeps an eye on the fledgling for a few days, we will be hearing his evening songs next year.

Next »