The forcast was for rain and maybe a dusting of snow. Looks to me like we got four inches.
I was out this morning to feed the chickens, it was 31 degrees so the snow is still here. It will be a clear day and the colors are still on the trees– a rare day.
Too bad I will be working.
For many years, the pride and joy of my gardening efforts has been raising raspberries. During my tenure at the ELC, I rarely had time to pick raspberries in the summer because I was gone so much. So I settled for the late crop of an ever bearing variety which usually started ripening in early September. The cool summer which we just experienced pushed the ripening process back two to three weeks. In previous years, I have been hit by a hard frost that brought my berry picking to a sudden conclusion. However on the morning of October 10th, I awoke to discover my berry patch had a significant dusting of snow. So much for my raspberry crop!
I tried to look at the bright side of the early snow and cold weather by telling Kathy that we probably wouldn’t have to deal with the usually pesky box elder bugs and Asian beetles this year. Three days later with the brief warm up, the south side of our house was covered with those varmints.
I have mentioned in previous posts that I spend a good deal of time at Frontenac State Park and have become quite familiar with the 13 miles of trails that the park has to offer it’s visitors. One section of trail that I am very fond of is in the eastern part of the park and travels through prairie and along the north shore of Frontenac Pond. This afternoon I took a two hour hike on these trails and will share some of my observations.
Along the trail were several banded wooly bears which are the larval form of the Isabella tiger moth. Common folklore has it that the severity of the coming winter can be predicted by the amount of black on the wooly bear. However, the amount of black varies with age and has nothing to do with weather.
In one section of the prairie were several whorled milkweed plants (Asclepias verticillata) which were dispersing their feathery seeds. In the summer, the nectar from the flowers of these plants attract many kinds of bees, wasps and butterflies. It is also widely adaptable and a tough native prairie plant and a deer resistant food for larval butterflies.
In a couple locations along the trail near the pond, I discovered bittersweet (Celastrus scendens) a showy and well behaved vine, indigenous to Minnesota. This vine was once abundant in many parts of the US and now is so rare that it is on the endangered species in many states. So, while it may be tempting to snip branches of the colorful vine when it is showiest in the fall, it needs to be left alone.
In another section of the prairie despite the fact that the park conducts periodic prescribed burns, some young black cherry trees were adding a colorful contrast to the drab brown grasses. No doubt, these cherry trees received their start by the birds eating the seeds in the nearby forest and then spreading those seeds in their droppings.
As most everyone is aware, the leaf color this fall has been very late in coming. However in the park there was much color including the yellow leaves of the aspen that were brought down during Wednesday’s rain and the orange leaves of the red oak which usually hang on through the winter. There is still time to get out and enjoy our beautiful fall colors. The trails in the park offer a great opportunity for this experience.
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