Beech Trees in Winter

American Beech, Fagus grandifloria

          Beech trees turn golden yellow in the fall, but instead of dropping their leaves, many hold on to their brown leaves through winter.  This leaf retention trait is called marcescence, and usually occurs on either young beeches or the newer lower branches of mature beeches.  Many oaks are  marcescent as well.  Scientists don’t know why some trees keep their dead leaves past fall, but some believe that the dead leaves deter deer from eating the fresh young sprouts in spring. 

            Beech trees produce beechnuts, which are not related to the chewing gum.   The small, three-sided nuts are edible to humans and wildlife.  They can be found inside a prickly bur, or husk, and can be roasted or eaten raw.

            In the woods, beech trees are very shade tolerant.  However, their thin bark makes them susceptible to extreme winter temperatures, late spring frosts, fire injury and diseases.  The thin gray bark is one reason people are inclined to carve their initials on the tree. 

            Beech wood is used for flooring, furniture, lumber and veneer.  The tree was also important in colonial medicine.

Beechnuts and their husks

Finding Color in Winter

           Lacking summer's vivid colors, winter may at first glance seem rather drab.  However, if you take a walk looking for color, you may find it in some interesting places, both in nature and in the garden.   


          The green and white stripes of a single leaf found among the leaf litter on the forest floor indicate a future orchid.  The single basal leaf of the puttyroot orchid emerges in the fall and remains through winter and into spring, when it withers and disappears just as a stalk, or raceme appears.  The raceme will have about a dozen tiny orchid flowers.  The size of the flowers, as well as the pale, muted colors makes them very hard to see.  The orchid blooms for about two weeks during summer.  It is believed that a substance in the plant's corm was once used as putty to repair broken pottery.

Puttyroot orchid leaf, Aplectrum hyemale

           Another single leaf orchid is the crane-fly orchid.  It, too, emerges in autumn and is gone by the time the flower blooms in late summer.  The top of the leaf is dull green but the underside is purple.  Despite the flower’s long spur, they are small and often difficult to spot.

Crane-fly orchid leaf, Tipularia discolor

The purplish underside.

 

 

            The distinct silvery veins of the downy rattlesnake plantain, Goodyera pubescens, are attractive and easy to see, even among the leaf litter.  This native evergreen orchid blooms in late summer, producing a spike of white flowers.  The entire plant is covered in fine, downy hair. Pubescens in the botanical name means hairy.

Rattlesnake plantain

 

          In a container garden, euphorbia leaves provide interesting color.  Euphorbias belong to a diverse group of plants worldwide that includes cacti, trees, flowers and even the Christmas poinsettia.  All have a toxic substance that can irritate skin.  Some non native euphorbias can be invasive in the garden.

Euphorbia

 

            In shade gardens, Lenten rose, Helleborus spp, is an evergreen plant that blooms in winter.  These hardy, drought tolerant perennials add color and interest to the winter garden.  Despite the name they are not roses, nor are they native. 

Lenten rose

   


           With less showy flowers but great chartreuse color, Helleborus foetidus, also known as "stinking hellebore," adds color and interest to the garden in winter.

Stinking hellebore

Unlike the open flowers of most hellebores, this one features drooping, cup-shaped flowers.

 

A Spa for Birds



            This fall I installed a new garden bed that included a water feature that can easily be seen from my window.  My "bird spa" looks natural and features continuously running water.  Created to attract a variety of birds, the system was designed by professional bird photographer Bob Schamerhorn, and is affordable and easy to install. This water feature takes birdwatching to a whole new level. 

 

 

 

To see outstanding bird photography or to order this instruction book, visit www.iphotobirds.com

 



Amazing Birds

           One summer I discovered these Killdeer eggs on the ground in a vacant lot.  I never would have spotted the beautifully camouflaged eggs had I not see the mother Killdeer.  She stumbled around on the ground, dragging one wing and acting like an injured bird in an effort to lead me away from her nest.  Realizing her tactic, I searched in the other direction and soon found the nest of eggs she was protecting.  Newly hatched Killdeer chicks are precocial, meaning that much like young chickens, their eyes are open and they can walk and forage for food soon after hatching.  Killdeer are named for the distinct "kill deer" sound they make.

The Spirit of Christmas

       
            One of the things I enjoy most about belonging to a garden club is community outreach.  Sure, we love planting, educational programs, gardening and floral design, but members do so many nice things for the community, especially during the holiday season.  Garden club members are generous with their time and talents, and seem to have boundless energy -- despite the hectic holiday season. If you want to make interesting new friends, learn new skills and have lots of fun volunteering, join a garden club!  You will be richly rewarded.

Members decorated the new Hospice House for the holidays, both inside...

and outside.

We helped 5th grade girls make fresh arrangements to take home for the holidays.


 



The girls did a beautiful job.

 

We spent time with senior residents making centerpieces for their dining room.
 



They enjoyed the activities.
  

At another school we helped after-school garden club members, both girls and boys,
 make fresh arrangements to take home for the holidays.
 



They used natural materials from the garden to make beautiful designs.

Birdscaping: Creating a Backyard Habitat for Birds

                If you enjoy observing nature, there are several ways you can enhance your yard to make it more inviting for wildlife.  Regardless of size, any yard can become a haven for birds with careful plant selection and placement.  With a few easy steps, you can invite birds into your yard and enjoy the many benefits of habitat gardening.  

Layering for a Safe Habitat

                A wide, flat expanse of green lawn is a dead zone for nature.  A safe habitat provides various heights and levels of plants to protect birds from predators and provide cover against harsh weather.   Shrubs of short and medium height, especially evergreens, provide cover and nesting sites for many birds.  Tall  trees provide protection and nesting for a variety of songbirds and migrating birds.  Even dead trees are beneficial for birds that eat insects and nest in cavities.  Planting one tree or shrub is a start, but planting a grouping of plants of various heights is ideal.    

Planting Natives for Food

                There are hundreds of plants from all over the world available for purchase so the best way to narrow down the selection is to choose native plants.  The birds in Virginia have co-evolved over time with plants available in this area.  Plants from China or the tropics may look nice, but native plants provide food for a wide variety of wildlife.  Native plants are also proven to grow in Virginia’s soil and climate so are more likely to thrive in your yard.  Nonnatives offer little food for wildlife and can also become invasive.  In the past, many homeowners planted Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) for privacy hedges, a plant the U.S.D.A. now lists as “very invasive” because it has escaped cultivation, spreads rapidly and threatens our native landscape.  Alternatively, a homeowner could plant wax myrtle (Morella cerifera) for a privacy hedge.  It is a native evergreen that offers protection from predators, and birds love the small berries available in winter when food supplies are limited.  Here are just a few native shrubs and trees that will look good in your yard, are easy to grow, and provide berries and food for birds and other wildlife:

Dogwood (Cornus florida)

Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)

Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp)

Crabapples (Malus spp)

Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)

Oaks (Quecus spp)

Mulberry (Morus rubra)

                In addition to trees and shrubs that provide food, birds are attracted to the seeds of many native flowers.  Enhance your garden and bird habitat by planting purple coneflowers (Echinacea pupurea), sunflowers (Healianthus spp), coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)), black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) and bee balm, (Monarda didyma).  A flower garden of native plants is an inviting buffet for birds as well as butterflies and other insects, including important pollinators. 

Fresh Water

                Birds need water to survive, but they also use water for bathing and to remove parasites.  A birdbath will attract birds to your yard but it must be properly maintained by keeping it filled and clean.  Keep a scrub brush near your garden hose so that you can clean your birdbath when you refill it.  Place your birdbath in a shady spot near a tree or shrub that will provide protection from predators.  And, place it near a window so you can watch all the activity.

Homeowner Benefits

                By feeding and protecting birds, you are playing an important part in wildlife conservation.  You are providing a habitat at a time when widespread development is eliminating wildlife habitats in many areas.  At the same time, you, as a homeowner, will benefit in many ways.  Birds are fun to watch, especially during nesting season.  And, birds are also very beneficial at controlling insects in your yard.  Some birds feed solely on insects, but all birds, even seed-eating birds, catch insects to feed their young.  Birds will consume a variety of insects and spiders throughout the spring and summer.  Watching backyard birds is also a great way to teach your children about the environment and the importance of wildlife conservation. 

 

Thrashers, Eastern Towhees and Purple Finches are among the birds that love beautyberries.

 

Cardinals, Bluebirds, Cedar Waxwings and many others enjoy dogwood berries.

 

Butterflies and pollinators love purple coneflowers, and  Goldfinches devour the seeds.

 

 

 

A November Walk

                                         "Autumn is a second spring
                                         When every leaf is a flower."


                                                                             --Albert Camus


          

           I took my camera on a mid-November walk through a state park. Many summer plants, once vibrant and robust, are now dried and spent.  It was a sunny day with a few fall colors but brown seemed to dominate the landscape. Even birds foraging in the fields were all brown -- sparrows and wrens. Even in autumn's winding down phase, many plants provided structural interest. 



Purple poke berries, Phytolacca americana, have succumbed to fall.

Pods of the honeyvine milkweed, Ampelamus albidus, have opened to disperse seeds.
 

Native coralberries, Symphoricarpos orbiculatus, are a favorite of
robins and quail. They are sometimes called Indian currants.



Fields filled with clumps of little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, provide cover
for ground nesting birds such as quail.

Leaves of the invasice Japanese honeysuckle, Lonicere japonica, are tinged with
 fall color and berries have ripened..
 

Seeds of tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima. This is one of our worst invasive species
and is a threat to natural ecosystems. Dense stands grow rapidly, replacing native trees.                                                                                                                       

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Some sweet gum trees, Liquidambar styraciflua. still held their fall color.