October 15, 2015

Notes and Changes since last report

• This week's trail report covers the whole trail system.
• It was 58°F, cloudy and calm at 2:30 PM on October 14, 2015, but the sky would be constantly changing.
• Foliage colors were really nice, but katydids and peepers were still calling.
• Note that the grounds will be closing for the season at the end of this month.

The Trails

• Birds chipping right across the street from Gifford House parking lot turned out to be yellow-rumped warblers .
• All the common milkweed was letting loose their seeds.
• Gifford House itself was looking a little like Halloween with the moody sky behind it.
• Behind the Carriage House, a red squirrel scolded me as I passed by.
• The view across the Little Bluestem Meadow was worthy of pause.
• And the field on the other side wasn't too shabby either.
• For comparison, I tried to duplicate one or two (three, actually) of the shots I took last week.
• On a smaller scale, poison ivy and Virginia creeper were bright against the heavy texture of tree stump bark.
• At the end of the Scots Pine Alleé was a riot of color where young maples and fading ferns mixed.
• Along the edge of the Little Bluestem Meadow was a great angle on the viburnum, nannyberry. Only the deep red of the leaf was obscured by the sky's reflection.
• Over my shoulder, the sun was coming out on my route through the Scots Pine Alleé.
• Farther back, blue skies were now over Gifford House.
• But as I looked back from the bend into the Old Gravel Pit section, clouds were already inching their way back over the sky.
• A mass of white snakeroot seed heads was striking against the leaves.
• Even more striking was a mass of still blooming flowers of the same.
• The sun came out again for a moment to light up the path before me.
• A young striped maple stood out against the dull leaf litter.
• An areal display of mushrooms presented the opportunity for countless unusual portraits.
• It is prudent to look to the left and the right when crossing a road, here the road to the Fern Glen.
• Leaves on the pond reminded me of the early works of M. C. Escher.
• The view from the bridge had to be investigated.
• A tuft of maidenhair spleenwort caught my attention.
• It seemed to be enjoying the view upstream.
• So, what's downstream?
• In the Fern Glen proper, witch hazel was out more than last week, but surprisingly it didn't smell as strong.
• On the way out of the 'Glen, a bug - perhaps the invasive marmorated stink bug - was hiding in the curl of a leaf.
• On the Cary Pines Trail, the sun again came through to make the background maples look like leaping flames.
• The effect was perhaps more convincing from farther back.
• Close up was just pretty. This was another spot with so much beauty on so many scales.
• From the Appendix, I ran up the hill to where I may have left my hat. No hat, but another nice view of the Little Bluestem Meadow.
• By the time I got to the back Old Hayfield, the sun was low enough to graze the bottom of the clouds.
• Around the side, the bench was inviting but it was much later than I'd expected...
• I only paused on the Sedge Meadow Trail for just one more photo to compare with last week: I had promised the boardwalk would soon be covered with leaves.
• Do come for a walk this weekend... oh, and don't worry about the hat, thank you; it was still in the car...