Fall is on the way

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It rained about two inches last night, on top of the inch that had fallen over the previous two days. As usual, a lot more fell upriver, and you can see how muddy the French Broad was this morning.

Even though the temperatures have been (and seemingly will continue to be) much above normal (whatever that is anymore), it’s obvious on my rambles that fall has arrived. Some of the trees, especially the Tulip (Yellow) Poplars (Liriodendron tulipifera) and Black Walnuts have begun to drop their leaves; the Sourwoods (Oxydendrum arboreum) glow in red and crimson, the Dogwoods (Cornus florida) and Blackhaws (Viburnum prunifolium) are decked with berries and changing colors, while some of the maples, oaks, and hickories are showing hints of yellow and gold.

It looks like it’s going to be a mast year. The roads are full of acorns and hickory nuts. The Hollow is home to many, many Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) trees, and I’ve enjoyed picking up and throwing black walnuts for as long as I’ve lived here. They’re usually a little bigger than a golf ball and don’t pose much of a slip hazard. On the other hand, I have to watch for acorns and hickory nuts; it can be like walking on marbles!

Not so many trees produce soft mast, but I’ve collected a few crabapples each day from the one Crabapple tree (Malus angustifolia) that’s accessible (i.e., not off the road in the middle of a thicket of poison ivy [Toxicodendron radicans], multiflora rose [Rosa multiflora], and Japanese honeysuckle [Lonicera japonica]). The three persimmon trees (Diospyros virginiana) by the road seem to be having a mast year, too! Most of the persimmons fall into the brush and down the hill, but almost every day I find one or two on the ground and take them to give to a turtle (in the rare case that I see one) or to toss somewhere along the way in hope that one or two might eventually grow. The limbs on the persimmon trees are 12-15 feet above the ground, and I knock off another one or two persimmons using some very long sticks that I scavenged for this purpose. I bring the ones I knock off home to eat and save the seeds either to plant directly into the ground or to stratify before planting in a pot later. (I have three little trees from previous years in pots waiting to be planted right now.)

The sight of a short, gray-haired woman swinging a stick at a tree would be an odd thing to encounter, but you never know what you might see in the Hollow. If you’ve read this blog for long, you may remember that I’ve seen a bobcat and a bear while rambling. One day recently when I arrived at the gate where I take the photos you see at the end of each post, I was surprised to see a cow at the opening that was left after the gate fell off several months ago. All I could think was, “I really hope this isn’t Gary’s mean bull.” I was relieved when I realized that it wasn’t the bull but then another cow appeared from the field. I bravely (LOL) stood in the opening so the cows wouldn’t escape from Dark Hollow into our Hollow and phoned the neighbors who raise cattle. As I reported the problem, the two cows turned around and headed back down the path away from me. Unfortunately, I was too shocked by the whole experience to even take a photo!

I’ve enjoyed observing birds since long before I moved to the Hollow, but last week I saw a novel (to me) behavior. I have seen an Eastern Phoebe or two near the house every winter and always hoped these flycatchers would stick around. To my delight, several have been hanging out around my house lately. They perch on the gutters and fence and sing, then dart after some bug or another. (It drives the cats crazy!) One morning I saw a couple of deer walking down through the orchard behind my house when a Phoebe landed ON THE DEER’S BACK and hopped around; the deer didn’t seem to mind. It reminded me of the behavior of cattle egrets or some bird in an African documentary, but evidently it’s not rare. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352249617300149)

I know many of you like following the deer. Flopsy finally lost his velvet, and all fawns but one have lost their spots. The young bucks are big and often chase their mamas and other does away from the food.

No big bucks yet, but it won’t be long. Maybe it won’t be long before I post again, either!