We’ve had a few beautiful “spring” days this week — a great time to get out and walk in the fresh air and see what has remained hidden under the snow this winter. Lots of berries left in the landscape still. It must be a pretty easy year for the wildlife. Well earned after last year’s winter that never ended.
Rosa rugosa hips hanging in there. Some years, the bears ransack the rose bushes looking for this sweet snack, but they haven’t visited yet.
Hawthorn berries hidden under the snow. The ones left on the tree are a favorite of the robins who usually come in late autumn to feast on haws. They let quite a few of them on the tree and in the yard this year.
Wild ghost apple uncovered on the forest floor. Likely still edible after all these months, but I will leave them for the animals.
An unexpected cache of berries in the woods. I’m not sure what plant they are and will have to get out my identification books to figure it out some time.
An ancient apple tree on the edge of the field. It looks almost dead with so many thick, old branches, but it still puts out fruit most years.
Our land is open to all predators and prey, so it’s hard to say who feasted on this little bird: bobcat, lynx, fox, coyote, fisher, or our friendly neighborhood ermine.
There are common buckthorn berries leaking their purple juice all over the place right now. Here are a few in a sheltered patch of snow. Common buckthorn is an invasive tree that we are working to eradicate from our land. There are better berries for the wildlife and the native ecology.
We are blessed with a lot of fresh water on our land, but no manmade foot bridges. Maybe we don’t need them after all?
The blue stains of Chlorociboria mycelium are always shocking to see in the woods. There isn’t much else that is this color in the New England except berries. Given how much downed wood we still need to clear from this old farm, a little help from the fungi is appreciated.
A brilliant lichen sprouting on a down log.
Jelly fungus poking out of a dead branch still attached to the tree.
The original memory foam — beach leaves!! Used as pillow and mattress stuffing when families used to make their own. The leaves hang on the tree through the winter, so they are easy to find (and clean!) for stuffing.
High bush cranberries hanging on. These never last this long! Unfortunately, this is an ornamental variety of viburnum with inedible berries, but the tree is gorgeous all year round.
Winterberries freeze dried right on the branch. Usually the robins clear these out in a couple of days each autumn. They must have their pick of foods to eat this year, as they arrived like usual but didn’t strip the bushes.
