First Day of Autumn; Sept. 22, 2012

After too long a period of time, I am happy to be back and adding a new post to my blog; and have just discovered that it is now easier to add pictures....so will be quicker to update from this point forward.

Today began the first day of Autumn. What a beautiful day it was. Emma and I (my dog for any that have not been following my blog) headed out for a morning outing.

The view looking toward the woods from my parking spot...and by chance my last official picture taken during the Summer of 2012, as Autumn began a few minutes later.

I headed northeast, in the direction of the distant trees in the picture above. I had a first destination in mind that I wanted to photograph, but as so often happens, the day sometimes sets it's own pace or schedule, and I never did get to that spot.

Looking overhead, there were numerous Turkey Vultures circling......you don't get me today buddy!
Keep moving along......


I encountered several large puffballs along the way. I have never eaten these, but have read and been told they are edible and tasty when properly prepared. It must have been hat day for them......a bit odd....but proper protection from the elements I suppose......

As I was moving along through the woods at the edge of a clearing, I detected a very distinctive odor....decaying flesh. I started looking about and came across this Whitetail Buck. If I had found him, and those in the following pictures, a few weeks from now; I would have assumed they were casualties of the hunting season, that a hunter could not find. These all must have passed on from old age/natural causes.

This doe was laying near the river, and again I found her from the smell.

As I looked down the river bank, I saw what appeared to be antlers, and found the carcass of a nice buck at the water's edge. You always hear that a deer will head to water when they are dying. I would say that this big guy was sipping water with his last bit of strength.

Of course, as typical of many of my posts.....you must see pictures of the Middlefork River

Emma absolutely loves her time on our hikes...as do I of course. She spends lots of time roaming about, and when near water, a great deal of time in it.

Along the way, I came across some Autumn Olives and stopped for a snack. I do not know why they have that name. There is no resemblance in appearance or tast to olives. They are quite sweet. I enjoy eating them, but would like to seem them all cleaned out and destroyed. They are an invasive species that spreads very rapidly, forcing out the native bushes.

What was on the menu for Box Turtles today? Well fall mushrooms of course! I came across this guy..possibly gal....munching on a mushroom. In the close up you can see that it had it's face buried into the mushroom....must be yummy.

Another Box Turtle I came across.

A nice Ginseng plant with berries. This plant is mature; could be dug; and the berries planted, but I left it to continue growing.

I was quite surprised to find a patch of Goldenseal as I passed through the woods. This is the first I have found in years. My grandfather always kept some dried roots on hand. He chewed them when he had a cold or sore throat. I could not pass up the opportunity to dig a few to have the roots for my own medicinal use.

The Goldenseal roots.....

To get one of the river pictures, I sat precariously perched on the edge of a high bank, with one foot braced against a small sapling growing out of the bank. I had taken a few pictures, when my phone rang...and of course I took the call. It was a guy that I used to buy screw and drag conveyors from when I worked at a former company...and who was also a friend after all those years. I had not heard from him for a while, so had a nice conversation perched above the river. As we were talking I commented to him that I saw something moving in the river, upstream in the distance. It turned out to be a River Otter. After getting off the phone, I experienced the high point of my hike...watching and photographing the Otter as it swam below me and kept moving closer. It appeared to be gathering food from the bottom of the river. I watched it till it disappeared downstream. What elegant creatures they are.....

With the Otter experience behind me, it was time to head back to the car, which was a mile or so away. As I got near the car, there were numerous Monarch butterflies. They will probably be migrating to warmer climates before too long.

Thus concluded a very nice hike. Emma and I headed home for a nap...........

As always...thanks for stopping by....get out there and enjoy the natural beauty in your area.

April in the Woods

Spring here has been quite unusual. We had temperature well above the normal range early in the spring and are now having about normal temperatures with lows sometimes dropping down into the mid thirties. Because of the early warm weather, the mushrooms were out much sooner than normal. I found just a very few this year. This being one of the few....

I also came across a quite interesting plant. I remember my dad calling this Wild Licorice. If you pull it up or break a stem, it gives off a very strong black licorice smell. Doing a bit of research....and getting some great help from Quilsnkiko on Paleoplanet (a great site by the way); I learned that it is often called Wild Licroice, but a more proper name is Sweet Cicely. Following is information I copied and pasted from the internet...and my apologies, this was saved a couple of weeks ago and I do not remember the site. As always do your own research

Properties   Sweet Cicely was used extensively by Native American Indian tribes to treat digestive disorders and as an antiseptic wash for a range of problems. Sweet Cicely is medicinal and edible, the root being the strongest for use in alternative medicine it is antiseptic, aromatic, febrifuge, oxytocic, pectoral, stomachic, carminative, tonic, ophthalmic, and expectorant. Medicinal tea made from the root is a very good digestive aid and is a gentle stimulant for debilitated stomachs. A weak herb tea is used to bath sore eyes. A strong infusion has been used to induce labor in a pregnant woman and to treat fevers, indigestion, flatulence, stomach aches. The crushed root is an effective antiseptic poultice for the treatment of boils and wounds. A medicinal cough syrup can be made of the fresh juice and honey, it is very effective and quite tasty, children take it readily. The leaves and flowers are edible in salad and add a great flavor, or boiled and eaten as a pot herb. The root is eaten raw or dried and ground for use as spices.

Sweet Cicely....

This morning I made it out to a local area. The weather was overcast and had just stopped raining. It again drizzled a bit while I was out. I came across these geese at the upper end of a lake and had some fun getting as close as I could and snapping a few pictures.

As I was watching the geese, I noticed a large bird approaching from overhead. My hope was that it was one of the Bald Eagles that are becoming more common here again. It was actually a Great Blue Heron. I snapped a quick picture as it went overhead. Not the sharp focus I would like, but I had the camera set on manual focus for the geese.....but I got a nice view of it soaring over me.

Just a look out across the Lilly Pads in the shallow water.

The woods and fields have certainly "popped" with color! I do enjoy all the seasons, but this fresh Spring color is quite welcome.

A couple of young doves we have been having fun watching in our yard.

.........and so concludes this post.

Please get out, enjoy nature, and learn as much as possible....Thanks so much for stopping by!

March Wanderings

I got out a couple of times over the past weekend. It was a quite pleasant time to venture out. Saturday I was comfortable with a light coat. Sunday I left the coat in the vehicle and was just fine with a flannel shirt.

Both days, as is normal for me, I ended up hiking along or near the river. The water at present is very clear and made me begin thinking of fishing and kayaking.

I walked for about a mile through grassland and wooded areas before coming to the river on Saturday.

The area upstream and across the river is known as Windfall Prairie. It is one of the few remaining natural patches of prairie land, that has continued on without the need of restoration. It is on a steep southwest facing bank of the river. I spent some time just relaxing on the river bank here in the sun; before continueing on.

Just an unusual tree root formation that caught my attention.

Sunday found me at a different location. I had fun checking out this old abandoned railroad trestle. Not sure of it's age, but the steel connections are all riveted; a method of fastening that has not been commonly used for quite some time. The stone foundations also show considerable wear.

 Emma and I relaxed here for a bit, enjoying the view; and had a couple of snacks. I also had a cup of hot tea before moving on.

Horsetail reeds. These have a coarse suface like sandpaper and can be used as an abrasive to smooth wood or to scour and clean. I believe there may be medicinal uses also that I have read about, but those uses will not come to me at present.

I came across these hardy new plants along the river bank. I do not know what they are, but they add a bit of color to the drab March landscape.

Of couse plenty of beaver activity along here.
I think this is Sassafrass.

I found this small tree that the beavers apparently had cut recently. Sap is rising from it, which has attracted flies and other insects. The flies and insects would not be here yet in a normal winter, but this winter has been unusually warm.

And as is very common, you come across the remains of the local wildlife residents.

This is the first time I have ever found a dead mole on my hikes that I can recall

An old turtle shell.

Very common find..........deer bones.

Coming down into a ravine, I came upon a Turkey Vulture feeding on this Opossum carcass. Quite graphic I realize, but a very natural part of nature.

And in conclusion a nice view above the river...another spot where I relaxed for a bit.

Catch you next time..............

Wild Plants for Tea Update

Back in November of 2010, I had a post labeled Wild Plants for Tea. This is just a quick and brief follow-up to that. At that time I gathered numerous plants...all detailed in that post.

I made a comment that the plants should have been gathered earlier in the year. If my schedule had permitted, those plants would have been gathered earlier........and if so, I would not have the appreciation for Blackberry leaf tea that I now have.

I found that the Blackberry leaves developed a very pleasant smell as they were stored in a sealed tin container. The flavor of the tea, in my opinion, was better than herbal teas that I have purchased...and was free!

Late last summer, as I saw my supply dwindling away, I decided to go ahead and replenish my supply of Blackberry leaves. I picked a nice supply, dried them, and recently began using them when the older supply was gone. To my surprise, the flavor was not nearly as good; more bitter and not as pleasant.

The first supply that I picked were already beginning to drop from the vines and were turning red or brown. I now believe.....after learning quite by accident....that the best time to pick Blackberry leaves for tea is in the fall after several frosts when the leaves are ready to drop.

It is amazing what nature has to offer us for free isn't it?

If possible get out, explore, and learn.............until next time...............