Finally Seeing What Has Always Been There

This last day of March has been a disappointment.  With rain in the cold air, we have largely resisted the temptation to work in the garden. While we were out there, protective cages were placed over emerging plants to keep the deer away.  Because we hunger for early color in the garden, these Winter Aconites hold a prominent spot in our shade garden despite their nonnative origin.  So far our deer have shown no interest in these early plants.  Cold rain is pulling many plants to finally appear above the soil.

This Hemlock tree fell across the lane two decades ago.  Our neighbor at the time had a camping trailer where a house now stands.  He also had a chain saw and removed the fallen tree.  The pieces of tree were thrown on my side of the right-of-way regardless of the tree's original position.  Now this rotting wood supports a generous growth of moss.  For the past twenty years I have failed to see the beauty that was directly in front of me.  I feel fortunate to have finally really seen these amazing plants.  Soon this rotten wood will be carefully moved to our developing woodland garden.  There it will edge a path intending to keep careless feet from walking on native plants.

A careful look at any of the dead leaves will reveal tiny dark dots.  These are Springtails so named after their means of moving about.  Their rear mounted appendage snaps sending them airborne with absolutely no control over direction.  An enlargement of the photo will reveal their presence everywhere.  They live in moss and can be seen there but they also are on every pictured surface.  We have known about Springtails for many years since their newly emerged bodies fill every foot print left in warming late winter snow with black wiggling specks.

We did drive to the garden near the forest to repair the ties fastening the protective fence to the posts.  The garlic is emerging and fortunately no animals entered the garden through the opening.  While we were back there we did take a drive to have a look around.  A huge section of the meadow adjacent to the bedrock ridge was flooded.  This water does not travel to nearby lower ground but slowly disappears into the thawing deep gravel deposit left by the last glacier.  We found this stone higher up in the woods and moved it to the garden down by the road.  We are finally seeing the beauty on moss and lichen covered rocks.  Previously, I have only seen stones that could be used to build solid walls.  I cannot be bothered with finding their proper moss and lichen names but have become aware of their diversity and tenacious growth habits.  Fortunately we did not miss getting to know and appreciate these ancient life forms.

What Is that ?

It was warm yesterday and not raining at the moment so Ed and I decided to walk  down to the road to put the the outgoing mail in the box and raise the flag.  I tend to walk down the right side of the driveway since anyone coming up is usually in the middle or to their right.  I noticed this weird oval of black stuff wondering what it was but kept on walking.  The driveway is more than 0.3 of a mile all downhill to the road.  The last part is fairly steep.  After a brief garden inspection we headed to the house.  Needless to say we were moving a lot slower on the way back up the hill.  It is ever so much cooler to say "Oh wow look at this blob of black stuff! What the heck is it?" than is is to say " Hey Wild Bill wait for me, I'm out of breath!"  Besides I was curious!  It was a lucky thing I had the camera in my coat pocket.  We had never seen a formation like this one and we have been walking up and down this driveway for nearly 25 years.

A closer look revealed that the moving tiny black specks were springtails.  We have often seen them on the snow in footprints or a low spot.  These little bugs literally have a spring like appendage that allows them to jump, but gives them no control over their direction.  It is easier to see them on the leaves but you can also see them on the sticks and the stones.  When you consider the uncountable number of  springtails visible in this photo, click on the image, imagine how many there are in the big oval spot.

When I made the trip back down to the mailbox in the afternoon, things had dried off because the sun was shining and the  tiny black creatures were gone.  One has to wonder just where they all went.  At this time of year we frequently see birds apparently feeding on the stone surface of the driveway.  It now seems that springtails may be on the menu here.

December Springtales

This has been the scene just outside of the basement door for the past several days.  We do not recall finding this swarming mass here previously.  Our past encounters with this life form have occurred during hikes taken when the snow pack was thinning.  Boot prints left in the soft snow on an earlier walkabout would contain several of these Springtails.  Their method of moving about is to snap an appendage on their underside sending them up and out with no control over the direction.  Landing on the sloped side of a boot print would cause them to tumble to the bottom.  Whatever became of them when bitter cold returned remains unknown to us.

This sizable collection is the result of the sloped surface of the ramp that leads to the basement and several days of moderate temperatures.  Snowfall is forecast for tonight so these creatures will be out of sight or gone by morning.

This closeup reveals some of the structure of the creatures.  Apparently some people have experienced populations of these hard to classify creatures inside of homes and see the need to eliminate them.  Ours seem to remain outside so we simply look and marvel at the diversity of life forms on this planet.

The snow expected to fall here did not appear but the temperature dropped to nearly single digits.  The springtails have completely disappeared from our door step.  They were pictured on the metal step beneath the door.  Each ridge in that step measures only three eighths of an inch. Those specks of black are indeed tiny.

Trunk Circles And Spring Tails

Winter has been harsh this year but today the temperature may have hit 50 F.  Smooth slick ice formed everywhere overnight.  By afternoon the lane was clear and a walk about was in order.  Not knowing how I would fare walking in the deep wet snow, a short walk to the gravel bank seemed a good choice.  Here the sun is beginning to expose the horizontal surface of the temporary stone pile.  The depth of the accumulated snow is more than we usually see here.  Small stones of visual interest are gathered together on top of the wall.  Repeated cold cycles and melting snow have polished them clean.

A wide variety of small stones have been dropped here by glacial meltwater.  Fossil bearing sandstone formed nearby is found with limestone that came here from the North.  The striped egg was brought to us all the way from the Adirondack Mountains.  A new crack has opened in the stone in the upper right corner of the photo.  A peek at the interior of that stone is needed.  It would have already happened but the crack was not seen until the picture was examined.

These black specks are the first from of insect life that we encounter here at this time of year.  Spring tails is their name.  It refers to the method of their movement not the impending season.  A snap of their posterior hurls them into the air.  Topography and wind control their destination.  A depression formed by a sleeping deer and a West wind have combined to deposit numerous insects in a small space.  We need to learn something of their life cycle.  Where they came from, what they are eating and why now are unknown to us.  Still it is good to see some signs of life after this brutal winter.

Another puzzle is shown here.  Snow has melted around the base of this tree.  At first glance, it seems that the dark colored tree has absorbed heat from the sunlight causing snow melt.  If that were the only factor, then one would expect a greater open area where the tree faces the sun.  The side of the tree that remains in shadow has melted as much snow as the side in bright sunlight.  There must be another factor at work here.

We have failed to have a wild blueberry harvest for the past three consecutive years.  Late frost or early drought have worked together to take the fruit.  These swollen buds are promise of things to come.  If we do have a harvest this year, it could be a big one.  There is always hope.

Our first seed order arrived here in today's mail.  Finding that package in the mail box just made me feel hopeful.  We need to send out another order soon.  I will be putting lettuce seed to soil in less than three weeks.  Of course the seeds will be in pots in the basement and they will be planted way too early but I will do it despite rational reasons to wait for a more appropriate time.