Category: Summer

Corn: A Foundational Crop

The sight of cornfields always reminds me of growing up across from a farm in Western Massachusetts. Luckily, Central Massachusetts has approximately 1,623 farms spanning over 90,000 acres. Corn was critical to the survival of Indigenous Peoples and early colonists of Massachusetts. On a recent country walk, I viewed local fields of cow corn almost ready for harvesting.

Jordan Farm, Rutland, Massachusetts

The farm has a total of 950 acres of fields planted with either corn or hay.

The spikes at the top of the plant are the tassels. Tassels produce and release millions of tiny pollen grains that blow in the wind, fertilizing the silks on the lower ears. This is what allows the ears to grow.

A close-up of the corn silk. Each individual strand of corn silk must catch a grain of pollen from the tassel for a single kernel of corn to develop.The silk will turn brown when the corn is ripe.

Corn ready for harvesting.

The above image, courtesy of the New York Agricultural Animal Commission , shows the difference between field corn, popcorn and sweet corn.

The uncultivated strips of land pictured above are field margins, areas near the boundaries that encourage biodiversity, support wildlife, and prevent soil erosion. By leaving these areas for natural grasses and wildflowers, farming production is balanced with environmental conservation. The gallery below shows some of the diverse plants and flowers I found in the margin. Some can be invasive, and at the end of the season, margins are often cut down to control growth.

I continued my walk past the margins and fields towards the farmhouse.

Did you ever have that feeling that you were being watched?

Farm Cat on duty!

A Visit With My Local Keystone Species

On most summer evenings, beavers can be found foraging in the Wildlife Pond at Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary. Last night was no exception.

According to the National Park Service:

The North American beaver is a keystone species, a unique organism that supports the entire biological community. The term “keystone” refers to a wedge-shaped block that forms the apex of a stone arch, the brick that holds the entire span in place. If you remove the keystone the arch collapses. The same can be true of a keystone species—their removal can contribute to an ecosystem collapse.

The dams that beavers build create wetlands that provide safe homes, feeding grounds and nesting areas for fish, birds, frogs, and mammals. They help to trap dirt and harmful chemicals and clean the water before it flows downstream. And of high importance in these times of global warming, the dams help to hold back water during heavy storms and slowly release stored water during dry summer months.

Beavers live in lodges like this one at Wachusett Meadow that sports a “late summer greenery” look. I’ve photographed this lodge in all seasons. Click here for some different lodge views. Click here to learn more about the design of the lodge.

Last night this single beaver busily munched lily pads, and barely noticed me a few feet away on the dock. I watched as it used its ten fingers to prepare and eat dinner.

This video from a previous post shows the hands at work.

In this video short, a juvenile otter’s cry can be heard as the the beaver forages. Although the beaver paused each time it heard the otter, it remained unconcerned. Shortly after the beaver dives, the abrupt splashing of otters diving nearby can be heard.

The otter family that swam quickly by can thank the beaver for this environment . Otters and beavers are not “friends”; rather they are more like neighbors who tolerate each other. Occasionally, an otter might pose a threat to a young beaver, as otters are carnivores.

The lower left edge of this photo shows the observation dock where I was standing. I managed to take one photo of the otters before they dived away. There is plenty of space for both otters and beavers to live here. Over the years, I’ve photographed many other creatures who depend on the beavers for their habitat. You can view a selection of them below.

You can find more information about beavers in Massachusetts here. I also recommend Ben Goldfarb’s Eager:The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. He sums up his book in this way:

“Beaver Pledge: One river, underground, irreplaceable, with habitat and wetlands for all.”

Now and Then

Photos from my yard in Holden, Massachusetts

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Wildlife Cool Down

I wasn’t alone in seeking a cool retreat after a hot and humid summer day recently. Wachusett Meadow, Princeton, Ma. (Video short included.)

American Beaver

Cottontail Cottage

Holden, Massachusetts

The rabbits in my yard have been satisfied with clover so far this season. However, I’m still keeping a watchful eye on my:

Where Rabbits Run and Humans Walk and Reflect

More late summer images from Wachusett Meadow.

Eastern Cottontail Rabbits have proliferated this year at the Meadow.

Raised-Lettering on signs, as well as an audio informational program available at the visitors center, allow the visually impaired to more fully experience the meadow along the All Persons Trail.

The North Meadow is a popular easy hiking area.

Cattails in the North Meadow are vivid harbingers of fall.

A section of the All Persons Trail leads to the South Meadow.

Bas relief sculptures aid in identifying tree and barn swallows.

Visitors to the All Persons Trail can greet Wachusett’s endearing sheep on the way to the South Meadow…

…and then continue on to a sunny resting spot .

Lily Pad Tacos

Now being served North American Beaver style. All you can eat! (Two short videos included.)

Sunrise, Sunset

East Princeton, Massachusetts

Kaleidoscope Monarch

The butterfly bush in my yard has attracted the first Monarch Butterfly of the season.

A Growing Community

My town’s garden allotments are in full swing, despite some difficult weather these past weeks.

Color That Lasts For Weeks

The easy care Tall Phlox in my yard often last until the frost.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

To refresh and renew the front yard, combine seeds and plant cuttings collected last fall with duct tape and spray paint.

Duct tape strengthens the old resin chair, while “spring green” spray paint lends a pop of color to the furniture.

Last fall’s coleus cuttings have taken off in the recent wet weather.

Inside or outside, the succulent green kalanchoe flourishes.

Six cosmos seeds saved from last year go a long way to enliven this year’s flower bed!

Scarlet Runner bean seeds are easy to dry, and never fail in succeeding years.

Bright bean flowers are magnets for a variety of birds and insects.

Last year’s nasturtium seeds have bloomed yet again.

The “outdoor living room” under the hemlocks is a cool and breezy place to chat with friends and neighbors.

Life on the Edge

Beach alerts seen on a recent trip to Cape Cod.

Low Tide Designs

Skaket Beach, Cape Cod, MA

May 2023

Low tide landscapes create ever changing tapestries.

Rock Harbor Haze

Even as far back as early May, the effects of the Nova Scotia wildfires could be seen in the unusually orange evening skies on Cape Cod.

Rock Harbor, Orleans, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

From a distance what looks like a fisherman is actually a worker testing the water and soil quality of the harbor.

“A Chance of Showers and Thunderstorms”

That’s the weather forecast each day here in Central Massachusetts. As a result, this year’s garden is surely taking its time to grow!

This tomato variety is named *Fourth of July*, and promised tomatoes ready to eat by that date. Although they have a while to go, they are surely farther along than my other varieties.

Fit For a Phoebe

Wachusett Meadow’s Wildlife Pond provides the perfect summer habitat for this Eastern Phoebe.

The Birds and the Beaver

Photographs and three very short videos of a typical summer evening at Wachusett Meadow.

Yard Art

During this unusual midsummer heat, a blast of colors animates my yard.

Summer Sun

A variety of pollinators enjoyed my Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) in full bloom, as one of the resident rabbits watched the garlic harvest dry.

Iridescence

Glistening Ruby-throated hummingbirds will be heading south for the winter soon.

The Ruby-throated hummingbird is found throughout Massachusetts during the warm months. This female paused on the branch of a nearby apple tree recently, providing me with a close-up of her luminous feathers.

Meadow Magic Hour

Late August meadows in New England foretell the bold autumn tree colors yet to come.

On a late August evening, Wachusett Meadow in Princeton is awash in gold tones and green shadows. The top of the boathouse rises up mysteriously behind tall wildflowers.

Looking across the stone wall to the North Meadow, raking light accentuates patches of green mown grass that contrast with alternating waves of white asters and goldenrod.

In storybook fashion, a shady path descends into the South Meadow.

Autumnal reds and yellows carpet the landscape.

Corridors of Joe Pye Weed capture the eye.

Wild asters surprise with their spiky yellow globes.

Unsurprisingly, I am not alone in admiring this magical habitat.

Monarch of the Meadow

Increased monarch butterfly activity is a sign of fall at Mass Audubon’s Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary.

This thoughtfully placed bench at Mass Audubon’s Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary is a perfect place to sit and contemplate monarch butterflies.

The North and South Meadows are ablaze with goldenrod in the late summer. Goldenrod is an important food source for monarchs.

The majestic monarch has a wingspan of three to four inches.

In addition to goldenrod, adult monarchs feed on a wide variety of nectar bearing flowers in preparation for their migration to Mexico.

With their striking orange and black coloring, monarchs are one of the most easily recognized butterflies in North America.

The goldenrod this monarch is feeding on does not cause allergies in humans. Ragweed, which blooms at the same time, is the allergy culprit.

In the Pink

Pink is a-poppin’ in my garden this week.

Luminosa Zinnias, Butterfly Bush and Morning Glories

Bees, Please

Doing my part to make my yard pollinator friendly.

Echinacea, calendula, zinnia and marigold blossoms are bedecked with bees this week.

Sparky, Marietta, Petite and Crackerjack

It’s marigold time in my garden.

I usually buy six-packs of marigold plants around Memorial Day. But last winter, dreaming of spring, I bought a set of four different types of marigold seeds. It turns out that four packages contain *thousands* of seeds. Now I have an explosion of color and texture weaving through the yard. And what a bargain! I have seeds left over to plant next year.

**Sparky Mix Marigolds** have wavy petals of orange, yellow, crimson, gold and bicolor. They are mid-sized, at around fourteen inches tall. These popular companion plants attract pollinators; they are “on duty” as a border around the squash garden.

As their name suggests, **Dainty Marietta Marigolds** are quite small, and known for the bright yellow petals with maroon centers. They have been the most difficult marigolds for me to nurture, but their delicate flowers are delightful.

**Petite Mix Marigolds** are only 8 to 10 inches in height, but they bloom in all colors. They are in containers around the yard, and used as annual borders. They are so abundant, that even if the rabbits find them, there is enough to share.

At three to four feet tall, the **Crackerjack Marigolds** are eye-catching, with large ruffles of yellow and orange blooms. They lend a festive feeling to the yard.

Books and Bee Balm

I grew up in a rural town in Western Massachusetts, where a large patch of bee balm featured prominently in our garden each summer. One day an elderly couple, complete strangers, stopped their car to ask my father what the fiery red blooms in the garden were.

“It’s bee balm, a perennial. Would you like some?”

He dug up a clump for the pair to take to their summer home at the edge of town.

A few days later, the couple reappeared with a box of children’s books. They were retired teachers, who had noticed my siblings and me playing in the yard.

“We have collected so many books over the years, and since we are retired, we don’t need them. Would your children like some?” they asked my father.

That summer, and for many summers thereafter, the couple brought boxes of books of a variety of genres. Some were almost new; some were gently worn. Each box was a thoughtful gift.

The sight of bee balm might bring thoughts of insects, bright flower petals in a salad, or perhaps herbal tea to most people.

But me? I simply think of books.

Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are especially attracted to bee balm, which is a member of the mint family. Monarda, bergamot, horsemint, and oswego tea are other names for this plant. It has many uses, being found in everything form skin salves to digestive teas to salad toppers.

The blooming time for bee balm is July through late summer. Cutting back the blooms as they finish flowering will encourage regrowth and extend the blooming period.

A Silver Spotted Skipper butterfly visits.

Although bee balm likes sun, it tolerates partial shade, as shown here growing in a mix of ferns and Queen Anne’s Lace.

Vigorous bursts of bee balm contrast with the calm of the apple tree in my yard. Time to sit in the shade and enjoy a book!

The *Little Pear* books by Eleanor Frances Lattimore were favorites from the book boxes. These books related the adventures of a young boy living in a small village in China long ago. First published in 1931, they continued to be published until 2006. (The book pictured above is the edition I remembered as a child.) They are considered popular vintage books today.

Wachusett Meadow

A meadow is an area with shallow ground water that allows grasses and wildflowers to flourish. Meadows support a wide range flora and fauna that could not thrive in other habitats, including flowers for native bees and other pollinators.

A recent ramble through this habitat at Mass Audubon’s Wachusett Meadow enabled me to study and appreciate the flowers and grasses up close. In turn, three common meadow creatures kept an eye on me as I walked.