Nature Notes
The kaleidoscope of colors that wowed us throughout the fall has been replaced with winter’s subtle palette of grays and browns. There are exceptions of course. Every hike in the woods reveals splashes of green, red and gold.
It’s a great time of year to take notice of the American beech trees that dot our forests. Beech trees are majestic, smooth-skinned hardwoods that really shine when other trees seem to melt into the background. While most fall foliage has turned brown and crunchy and fallen to the ground, beech trees hang onto their yellow leaves during the cold months. As a result, the beeches glow like golden beacons in the otherwise drab landscape.
Holly trees add their influence on the park’s winterscape. These mid-story evergreens not only keep their thick, waxy, dark green leaves, they also add bouquets of scarlet berries that practically define the holiday season. In addition to being beautiful, American holly berries (and other holly species for that matter) are important sources of food for birds Insect activity is low when the temperature drops and so many kinds of birds must focus on fruits and seeds to get the calories they need. Holly berries often attract cedar waxwings, American robins and hermit thrushes, to name a few and provide a critical bridge across the coldest stretches until the bugs come back out.
For birdwatchers, winter is an interesting time when hikes through the forest seem like feast or famine. Songbirds tend to flock together in mixed species groups as they forage through the landscape. The reasons for this are twofold: many individuals in the flock means more eyes searching for danger and more eyes searching for limited food sources. It’s not unusual to go for long stretches on the trail where it would seem there is nothing alive out there, only to finally stumble across an active feeding flock that’s comprised of a dozen or more species.
Bundle up and take advantage of the slow season at Lake James State Park. There’s still plenty to see and you won’t have to worry about bug bites and sweat. See you out on the trail!
