Field Blog Journal 2
Jon Levinsohn
It was October 2nd, 2009 at 9:15 am. It was cold–less than 10O C, and partly cloudy. There was a slight breeze. It had rained several times in the past week, ending the dry spell that lasted for the first half of September. Sadly, I had come down with a nasty cold and could not smell a thing; my nose was stuffed up. Instead, I focused my entire effort upon looking for what had changed in the past week changes at my site.
The first striking change was the change in color of the trees in the graveyard. There were several shades of yellow and orange on the Norway maple’s and sugar maple’s leaves. What made the change in color interesting was that the Norway maple and sugar maple that were in the adjoining woods (albeit barely) had not changed color in the slightest. The black tar fungus still remained on the Norway maple leaves, but they were as green as they had been last week and the week before. I find it curious that the small difference in location (less than 100 meters) can effect the changing of leaves so profoundly; both the maples in the woods and those in the graveyard must get similar amounts of water and be subjected to the same temperature and day length. I would have predicted if there was any difference that the trees in the woods would change first, as they would get less sunlight due to competing with other plants. Sumac, which still had its bright maroon fruit, had changed, leaving a reddish hue on the leaves. The sensitive fern also looked more yellowed and browned than previous.
The green river seemed to be running higher than previously, due likely to the recent rain. Its green color is from specks of phyllite. I also recognized the marble rocks poking out of the ground at the mini-cliffs as marble, and likely Walloomsac marble.
I noticed freshly cut bundled white snakeroot laid on top of the older dead yard trimmings of oak braches and grass. Those cut plants, along with the white snake root that was living at the edges of the woods had lost many of there flowers and had a white dandelion-like seeds in their place that had not yet blown away. The golden rod had also begun to lose some of its flowers, which turn brownish-yellow as they die.
I then went about identifying several of the plants that I had not been able to identify previously. I had mistaken a black walnut (which I was helped to identify by my fellow Burns Park Elementary graduate Prof. Edwards) for an ash due mainly to not having seen an ash in-person before the Stone Hill trip. The black walnut had nuts lying (a few were still on the tree) on the ground encased in a covering that caused them to look like a small lime in shape and in color. I saw some multiflora rose with its red berries. The pokeweed had lost most of its berries. Since I saw none on the ground, I assume that they were eaten. Small wild garlic mustard was at the very border of the graveyard and the woods, and it made me regret my anosmic situation. The bright orange bulbs previously described in my first field blog journal were the fruit of jack-in-the-pulpit. Finally, I also found some winged euyonamus, which unlike the winged euyonamus we observed on stone hill, had small red berries.
I also noticed some lichen, but no moss, on a large Norway maple. It faced the south, which also was the direction that the tree seemed to lean. I am curious as to why there is little moss in the area. The only time I have observed lichen and no moss was in exposed areas like the top of Monument Mountain. The woods bordering the cemetery are not exposed and would seem like they would be able to sustain moss.
I did see a small red squirrel, and hear a bird, I would hazard a guess that it was a cat bird, though I am far from sure of my identification.