Christian Naturalist

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

2011-09-14T18:01:00.000-05:00

Pawpaws grow in understories and along slopes and in bottom land. The leavesare 6-12” long leaves. One of the biggest leaves grown by trees inthe US. They turn bright yellow in Autumn. And stay on the trees fora while. The tree normally does not attain much height. It has beensaid to grow up to 20 feet. I measured one at 21 feet.

Thefruit is interesting and is said to be edible. Tasting somewhat likea banana.

“Pickingup Pawpaws, putting them in a basket.”

Settlersused them for banana pie and banana bread. (Note some people have anallergic reaction to them.)

Thebuds are long brown, fuzzy and without scales.

Thetree will produce suckers from roots, explaining why they occur inbunches at times. The wood is stringy, and Indians used this tree toweave fiber cloth.

The trees don't get big. This is a Pawpaw stem.

Creation in 6 24 Hour Days!

2011-09-11T16:58:00.000-05:00

An outstanding post over at Christian Nature of the length of the days in Genesis chapter 1.

As God created the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th, so we should rest on the 7th. If the 6 days in Genesis chapter 1 were ages and not 24 hour days then the requirement to rest one day a week would not add up.

Read her post here.

Brown-eyed Susan

2011-09-09T17:24:00.000-05:00

Here is a photo of Brown-eyed Susan's taken in July 2011

Fox

2011-09-07T21:59:00.000-05:00

I came across this fox at a cemetery near where I work. It was running along the fence and I whistled at it to get its attention. It stopped long enough for me to get my camera and shoot this photo.

Lamentations 5:18
Because of Mount Zion which lies desolate, foxes prowl in it.

There is not much going on in the cemetery. Therefore the fox seems to be at ease running around in the daylight. If our life is desolate in the things of God foxes will play havoc with our life. Turn to God and let Him fill your heat with His life.

Early Morning Fog

2011-09-06T21:35:00.000-05:00

I captured this photo on my bike ride into work this morning.

Fogis formed when the cool air from the evening reacts with warm airabove the water. The cooler air mixes with it and is not able to holdthe water the way warm air does. Thus fog is formed.

Isort of see fog as a type of the Holy Spirit. There is somethingabout being with God in the morning that I see as neat and just lastsfor a short time as I spend time with Him before the day gets busy.

Don'tignore the times of His presence. When the opportunity comes to spendtime with Him, take it.

Dominate Bitternut Hickory

2011-09-05T10:22:00.000-05:00

I found this Bitternut hickory tree Saturday. (tree front and center of the photos) The reason why it's interesting to me is that the tree is dominate in the forest. So I want to watch it grow.For a Bitternut hickory to be dominate may mean the soil is not good enough to sustain better trees that would have grown faster to dominate this forest.

Circumference 30 1/4" at 4 1/2 feet high.

This is the fastest growing hickory. It is not known to live a long time but they have at times lived up to 200 years.

The wood of this tree is the best for using for barbeque, to acquire a hickory flavor in meat.

Slippery Elm Bark

2011-09-03T01:20:00.000-05:00

Slippery elm bark

Life after Lightening Strike

2011-09-02T20:46:00.002-05:00

Kentucky Coffee tree lives on, 2 years after lightening strike.

I came across this Kentucky Coffee tree on my lunch today. The tree was hit by lightening a couple of years ago. The top photo shows that one branch is still living. Below the strip of bark surviving is still getting nutrients to the tree.

I first came to this tree in May 2009. The tree had just been struck by lightening. A squirrel was laying dead next to the tree. So the tree continues to survive. Part of its survival is based on the Park department not cutting the tree down.

Here is the link that will show my past posts on Kentucky Coffee trees.

Even when disaster strikes, let us not give up on life. There is much to enjoy. With Jesus we can be an encouragement to others.

Water Fall

2011-09-01T20:39:00.000-05:00

There is something about water that brings peace to a willing heart. The sound of water is soothing. I enjoyed resting here on a hike with my wife.

The Bible even says God's voice sounds like water. Many waters signifies to me a water fall.

Ezekiel 43:2
and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.

Revelation 19:6
Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “ Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

Let your experience in nature direct your heart to God.

Flooded Black Willow

2011-08-31T20:51:00.000-05:00

I decided to hike back into some woods today (31 Aug 2011)

A photo of the same area a year ago.

Here I am back at a Black willow stand of trees along the Missouri river. These trees have been in standing water for 3 months. There will be more of the same for a while.

One of the lessons I am learning from this is that we need to be able to withstand attacks against our ability to live in the spirit. Opposition will come, but will we stand in the midst of the opposition?

Each of us has the ability to withstand tests to our faith. They vary from person to person just as trees have different responses to attacks to their health.

Black willow can withstand flooding better than most trees. Prolonged flooding has been known to kill about 50% of the trees. It will be interesting to see how this stand of trees does to more than 3 months under water.

1 Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

crow

2010-11-26T22:36:00.001-06:00

Job 38:41 Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?

This Blog will Move

2010-10-17T08:01:00.000-05:00

I will be moving to a different bog company shortly.

4 Sep2011
As you can see I stayed with Blogspot. The room for photos ran out but I now post them on photobucket and link this blog to them.

Advanced Regeneration

2010-10-11T03:13:00.001-05:00

In an Oak forest the theme has been on our watch (modern forest practice) to stop fires. This change in the normal events of nature has led to a problem for oaks. The hole you see is because of a Shumard oak dying. I came here to see what tree will take its place.

The mighty shumard oak has fallen and now decaying after a few years. Click on the Shumard oak link below to see earlier posts of this tree.

Trying to get a photo of the tree most likely to take its place is a maple. Maples are not as valuable as oaks and are further along the progression of a forest moving from a vibrant stand of oaks to more modest trees that come up under them without any disturbance.

Bitternut Hickory

2010-10-10T03:03:00.001-05:00

Here is a Bitternut hickory tree that is growing in the open in a park. I live near here and I know for at least 17 years this tree has grown in the open. So this tree has an opportunity to be a wolf tree. A wolf tree has a short bole and wide branches. They grow this way because of no competition. But this tree has not taken advantage of this freedom of growth.

There is some dark growth on the twigs of this hickory. You can also see the terminal bud which ID's it as a bitternut hickory. Long fuzzy yellow/orange bug.

Here is a photo of the hickory nut. Notice the ridges on the end of the nut. This ID's it as Bitternut hickory.

Boxelder Maple

2010-10-09T03:19:00.002-05:00

Unusual Boxelder maple with twisted bole. This tree has recently been damaged by a wind storm.

Pawpaw

2010-10-08T03:12:00.000-05:00

I don't see Paw paw trees growing tall often. These are over 15' tall. This is usually an understory tree. The diameter of these trees were all under 2". It is reported that the tree seldom reaches a height of over 20'.

Shingle Oak

2010-10-07T03:46:00.004-05:00

Here is a Shingle oak I measured:
height 82.8'
Canopy 63' one way and 67' the other
Circumference 7' 11 1/2"
Total points of 194.6

Here is a list for the champion trees in Missouri.

Northern Red Oak

2010-10-06T03:16:00.002-05:00

Hiking at the edge of the woods I saw this dominate stem. I went into the woods to investigate.

I measured the diameter as 8' 3 1/16"

The tree height will have to come later. It had grown as tall as trees uphill from it.

Mulberry Branch

2010-10-05T03:02:00.002-05:00

Here is an example of a Mulberry (red) branch that is growing sideways to get light. I thought the tree was over topped and had sent this lateral to acquire light. As I backed up to see what was overtopping the tree there was nothing above it. So it is a riddle. There may have been a tree there that had died in the past.

Maybe the tree has recently gained dominance in the forest and sent out this branch before that happened.

Chinese Elm

2010-10-04T03:54:00.003-05:00

I ran across these Chinese elm during my lunch hike. The soft color green is due to the small leaves also the trees have been ravaged by bugs that have eaten parts of the leaves. These trees are still going strong.

Pin Oak

2010-10-03T02:43:00.001-05:00

The acorn cap just covers the top of the acorn.

I got some photos of Pin oak the other day. Notice the acorns have pin stripes down the side. The bark is unusually smooth for a mature tree. The lobes are extra wide and the leave lobes are thin.

Ohio Buckeye Husk

2010-10-02T03:11:00.000-05:00

Bee Gathering Nectar

2010-10-01T03:13:00.003-05:00

Young American Basswood Bark

2010-09-30T03:13:00.002-05:00

Ageratum, White Snake Root / Ageratina altissima

2010-09-29T03:45:00.003-05:00

Ageratina altissima

Names this plant has been called.

Ageratum, Snake root, White snake root, White Sanicle , Tall Boneset

Started running into Snake root yesterday. These 2 photos were at the bottom of a cliff in the open sun.

Here I found Snake root in a draw. The leaves were narrower but the flowers were exact. Maybe a different race?

The leaves are opposite and rotate 90 degrees at each rank.

Here I run into it again in the Missouri river bottoms.

Tremetol is toxic. When cattle eat it, it gets in the milk and passed into humans will poison. Also called milk sickness.

Nancy Hanks Abraham Lincoln's mother died of this. Thousands died in the 19th century before they realized what the plant was.

Early settlers thought the bitter rhizomes were beneficial in the treatment of snakebites. That's where the snakeroot name came from.

Shagbark Hickory Nut

2010-09-28T03:49:00.000-05:00

Bitternut Hickory Nut

2010-09-27T03:58:00.001-05:00

Cossack Asparagus :) Cattails

2010-09-26T03:38:00.001-05:00

The plant is editable at different times during the year. The new white growth coming up in March tastes like cucumbers. The plant is known in Russia as Cossack Asparagus.

When the sprouts are 2 foot tall that is the best time to eat them.

Rocky Mountain Juniper

2010-09-24T03:21:00.000-05:00

Sandbar Willow

2010-09-23T21:21:00.000-05:00

These Sandbar willows were at the lake edge. They were able to live and thrive when the water level of the lake went down.

Sandbar willow has the narrowest leaves of all the willows.

Sunset Boney Lake Colorado

2010-09-19T06:51:00.000-05:00

Spotted Sandpiper

2010-09-18T03:28:00.000-05:00

These guys were hard to photograph but I got this one. I catch them feeding along Line creek. They didn't stay in one spot. I got this shot by just pointing and shooting. The bird teeters back and forth like its going to lose its balance. A shallow water feeder.

Photo was taken the 13th of July 2010

Sunset in July

2010-09-17T03:19:00.000-05:00

Flower

2010-09-16T03:16:00.000-05:00

Gourd Trellis

2010-09-15T03:05:00.001-05:00

Yours truly

Photo Art

2010-09-14T03:40:00.000-05:00

The rising or setting sun creates color unmatched at other times of the day.

The Sky at Smithville Hike

2010-09-13T03:37:00.000-05:00

Photo Art

2010-09-12T03:34:00.000-05:00

Photo Art

2010-09-11T03:32:00.000-05:00

Hike at Smithville Lake

2010-09-10T03:22:00.000-05:00

Yours truly.

My wonderful wife Jill who took the above photos.

Great Spangled Fritillary

2010-09-09T03:10:00.004-05:00

Link for info on the Great Spangled Fritillary

Black Locust

2010-09-08T03:45:00.000-05:00

Some photos showing the Black locust leaves.

Seed pods

Bark of Black locust is thick with vertical fissures.

Lunch Hiking Trail

2010-09-07T03:40:00.000-05:00

Over grown trail.

Cottonwood trees in the background.

Red Mulberry

2010-09-06T03:10:00.000-05:00

I found this tree in the cemetery. It has had a chance to turn into a nice wolf tree.

Notice the horizontal lines on the bark. Also notice the red inner bark.

Ginkgo

2010-09-05T03:50:00.000-05:00

Ginkgo fruit.

The bark of the Ginkgo tree.

This tree does not occur much in the wild, I guess only in small parts of China. hence the photo in this cemantary.

Here is a blog all about ginkgo trees.

Exploring the World of Trees has a good post on the Ginkgo tree.

Black Walnuts

2010-09-04T03:06:00.000-05:00

Wild Flower Field

2010-09-03T03:45:00.001-05:00

Wild flower field next to the Missouri river.

Devotions on the River

2010-09-02T21:45:00.000-05:00

I stopped at the Missouri on the way to work for devotions around 6:40AM. There was a little rain as I rode to work on my bicycle. Not a lot of traffic while riding in the dark.

Catalpa Seep Pods

2010-09-01T03:03:00.001-05:00

Overlook

2010-08-31T03:11:00.000-05:00

Here is where I ate lunch yesterday. A place to relax and let nature sooth my soul. A place to listen and wait. A place of shades of green and white clouds. I want to go back there more often.

Ohio Buckeye with Fruit

2010-08-30T03:44:00.001-05:00

Ohio Buckeye growing nuts.

Flowering Dogwood

2010-08-29T03:41:00.000-05:00

Flowering dogwood after the flowers.

" The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." Isa. 40:8

Honeysuckle mixed with River grape and Mulberries

2010-08-28T06:37:00.000-05:00

Honeysuckle mixed with River Grape

Birds eating an abundance of Mulberries

Osage Orange and River Grape

2010-08-27T03:11:00.001-05:00

These Osage orange stems to the left were obvious when I was walking by this past Monday. I had gone into the woods for a rest and got this photo as I was headed out.

The river grape on the right is about the same size but it's not a tree and if you cut it you will see there is not strength to it. I was reading in Ezekiel 15 today of God referring to the nation of Israel as a useless grape stem. The grape stem has no strength to it and will not burn well. There is no density and its only purpose is to get the vine further up the host plant.

God is saying in this passage that we are to follow God and not our desires to have idols in our life. Idols today can be things we value more than Jesus. We should always put God first in our life and serve Him before we do things for ourself.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

Black Willow Wolf Tree

2010-08-26T03:02:00.002-05:00

I ran across this Black willow tree in an urban setting. It is a wolf tree because it occupies a small lot all by itself. I have seen other Black willow trees that grow like this when they don't face any competition.

Spicebush Swollow Tail Butterfly

2010-08-25T03:45:00.002-05:00

I saw this Spicebush Swollowtail butterfly as I was leaving my lunch hike. Last Monday. At first I just noticed the thistle but as I got closer I realized there was a butterfly on the thistle. I grabbed my camera and got this photo. I was able to ID this butterfly with this google link to Missouri butterflies.

Canada Geese

2010-08-24T02:59:00.002-05:00

Waling along the Missouri river I was coming upon a couple of Canada geese. I was expecting them to fly away because of my approach. They stayed put and I spoike to them saying I would not bother them. lol they were probably from a city park that decided to check out the Missouri river. So they were used to people coming by.

Hike among E Red Cedar

2010-08-23T02:50:00.004-05:00

Hiking in a field that is reverting back to forest there is gray dogwood and E red cedar. The area has a nice cedar smell, which gives an accepting feeling. Of course the preponderance of E red cedar means the ground leaves somthing to be desired. yet I enjoyed walking through this inviting fragrance. I thought of tying up my hammock and reading in these woods.

Then I came across an oak tree that I call a Turkey oak because of the thin shaped lobes on the leaves.

While I was looking for the Turkey oak I saw a Chinquipin oak that I rough meausured at 10' circumferance.

Bank Swallows

2010-08-22T02:28:00.014-05:00

I was taking a lunch break at the Missouri river and this guy came to greet me.

Later others came to join him.

I was wondering if they were they barn or cliff? They are bank swallows, because of the band across the breast.

Willow swamp and Great Blue Heron

2010-08-21T03:39:00.001-05:00

My favorite willow swamp. Missouri river has been up. As I was sitting there I did not see any birds. I was wondering if I should leave and a Great Blue heron came swooping in. It landed across the way covered with brush. I could not tell where it was with the glassed on it. It flew off about 5 minutes later.

Bitternut Hickory / Girdled

2010-08-20T07:20:00.000-05:00

Here is a Bitternut hickory that has a girdle mark about 15 feet in the air. The only explanation I can think of is a vine that wrapped around the tree at one point. I noticed that it wasn't girdled completely around the tree.

Fallen Shagbark Hickory

2010-07-02T06:20:00.000-05:00

Stand of Black Willow

2010-06-16T07:04:00.000-05:00

Photo of Black willow along the Missouri river.

Below is a photo of while I am hiking to the forest. It is further up the bank.

A carpet of cottonwood is next to this stand. It must of seeded in during a different flood.

I came across this area again with the water at least 10 feet higher. Notice the tops of the Cottonwood trees. The stems in front of the Cottonwood are Willow. This has been a good place for devotions because of a log I would sit on. Now I wonder if that log will still be there, or will it be moved down the river by the flood? There would be an indigo bunting that would greet me when I came there.

Willow can withstand flooding for a long time.

Matthew 7:25
"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

Just as willow is made to withstand flooding so we can withstand the tests of life as we have Jesus within us.

Article of Black Willow forest

Here is a photo showing the stems of a Black willow stand.

Fallen Hackberry

2010-06-11T06:25:00.000-05:00

I came across this fallen Hackberry.

As I looked at the base of the tree there was a lot of rot.

Looking at the other side I could see how this tree seemed to be a vibrant tree with all the rot in the bole.

There is life when sap get up the bole and on one side there was life. It came be the same in the spiritual. We may seem to be vibrant but part of our life has rot in it. When the tests of life come our sin will cause us to crash. Life can't be lived with compromise. Health is required for a vibrant life.

A tree can't solve the rot in its bole. But we can get rid of the sin our life by confessing it and turning away and following God.

Searching for Ash

2010-06-09T22:18:00.001-05:00

I was driving by a bluff outcropping. I took some photos of 2 trees that were opposite muliti leaved. But I could not tell if they were ash or not or which type of ash.

Later I hiked up on top of the bluff. I fought my way through some Asian bush honeysuckle. When I came to the trees I saw they were ash.

Finding a seed on the gound I will use that as the method of IDing these trees.

Its white ash.

Getting there is half the fun. There were trails but I shyed away from on the cliff edge.
Here is the wolf tree Chinquipin that I have posted earlier. I went by it looking for the Ash trees near the blufs edge. I had posted about this tree earlier. Link to prior post.

Here is a link showing the difference between 4 major ash trees you can compare the seeds

Here are some pointers on collecting ash seeds.

Here is a link that helps you decipher if a tree is an ash tree.

Here is another link that helps distingues ash from other common similar trees.

Hike in Pioneer Woods

2010-06-07T17:32:00.000-05:00

Hiking in a field that is reverting back to forest there is gray dogwood and E red cedar. The area has a nice cedar smell, which gives an accepting feeling. Of course the preponderance of E red cedar means the ground leaves something to be desired. yet I enjoyed walking through this inviting fragrance. I thought of tying up my hammock and reading in these woods.

Then I came across an oak tree that I call a Turkey oak because of the thin shaped lobes on the leaves.

But more likely its a Pin oak or Scarlet oak.

While I was looking for the Turkey oak I saw a Chinquipin oak that I rough meausured at 10' circumferance. I want to check to see if there is a larger tree in my records. Going back to my records I have not run across a Chinquipin oak with this big a circumference. I will go back and measure to see its value in tree points. The largest one I have seen is on the same slope as this tree.

Hike after Heavy Rain

2010-06-03T21:46:00.000-05:00

Jill was a trooper and hiked with me after heavy rain.

Here is the water running down the trail.

We find our way out of the woods

Buck

2010-06-02T22:25:00.000-05:00

I came upon this buck as I was hiking into a Black willow forest. I will share about the Willow forest next time.

I did not notice the growing antlers until I looked at the photos on my camera.

On this photo I was moving closer to see what the buck will do. He turned to see me better. I was using some branches to partially hide and shooting with a telephoto through the branches. Just after this photo he walked off to the left.

Catalpa Flowers

2010-05-30T12:04:00.002-05:00

Hike Photos

2010-05-30T07:39:00.001-05:00

Here are some photos of my hike a couple of Saturdays ago. We start by crossing a couple of creeks.

Then we come to an eight stem basswood tree. Basswood often grows in multi stem clumps. It is a soft wood tree and the bark grows in veritcle furrows.

Then we come to the leaning Chinquipin oak tree. I have measured this tree. It is where I leave the trail and go into the woods. Of course the winter woods are much easier to negotiate than these summer woods. But we make it through.

We go through some thick Asian Honeysuckle bush. This stuff is so thick that I have to get down on my hands and knees to get through. My dog of course does not understant this. She just goes right on under

We cross a trail and continue down a dear trail to we come to the trail I am looking for.

We get to my bench which I use as a place for devotions and paryer. It is a two stemed Bur oak.

Next to bench is the Shag bark hickory. this tree is not big but I enjoy watching it. It is like life where usually there is nothing. Life is sometimes dull. And if we don't pay attention there will be no advancement. With dullness we can be spectators in life. I try to break out of dullness by participating in life and not spectating. We learn not by listening in a seminar but by doing. If we do what we learn that is good. If we ignore what we learn it is a waste of time. the Bible is like this. I learn a lot from books sermons etc. yet I hadn't done much. These past few years I decided to go with doing over listening.

After this we head home.

Devotions at Black Willow Forest

2010-05-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

I came to these woods along the Missouri river to have devotions. I read the 3 chapters of Titus. It was good just sitting and watching the wind go through the leaves. I saw an Indigo Bunting. All blue. But time marches on and I had to leave. I had been near here before and I definitely want to return to this site. God is good and I enjoy being still in the handiwork He has made.

The goodness of God continues to be with me. Thank you Lord for your wonderful works to the children of men.

Willow will dominate an area that is prone to flooding. Another species that thrives here is cottonwood. Willow has an edge on Cottonwood in flood areas. Cottonwood has an edge on the amount of seeds it puts out. I was looking at the sky near here yesterday and it was full of contwood seeds. It almost looked like it was snowing.

Purple Martin Houses

2010-05-26T21:58:00.000-05:00

Purple Martin's eat a lot of mosquitoes. For this reason man has built houses to have these birds close by.

Hike Before the Storm

2010-05-26T21:47:00.000-05:00

Starting our hike we come across what looks like some watercress.

Not realizing a storm was brewing we go deeper into the trail. The bank is eaten away further down and we inch by but have no problem getting through.

Beautiful fluffy colouds are moving in.

Now the storm is starting to make itself known. Jill is a good trooper and hikes out while it is pouring down rain. She had fun and that is the main thing. Because we will again find ourselves in another hike with bad weather.

Revisit Lightening Strike tree

2010-04-30T22:10:00.000-05:00

A revisit of the Kentucky Coffee Tree that was struck by lightening shows that the tree is effectively dead. There are a few leaves on a couple of branches But the tree is a goner. The last post showing the photos below was on 22 May 2009.

Here is a Kentucky Coffee tree that was recently struck by lightening. The bark that peeled off the tree is on top of the grass. There is a dead squirrel next to the tree that apparently was killed by the strike.

Why did the lightening go down the trunk in a spiral?

How much of a chance does this tree have in surviving this strike? I have read in books that trees can survive but it will be a tree that I want to revisit in future years.

Notice the feather compound leaves. They are double compound.

New Growth Kentucky Coffee Tree

2010-04-21T22:17:00.000-05:00

Hathorne Flower

2010-04-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

New Growth Shagbark Hickory

2010-04-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

New Growth Paw paw

2010-04-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

New Growth Paw paw.

First Responce to Spring

2010-04-05T03:39:00.002-05:00

Forsythia and Asian honeysuckle first to leaf out this spring. April 1, 2010

Setting Sun

2010-04-04T22:36:00.000-05:00

I took these photos walking around the block after supper. The sun in the west through trees provided a partial view of the sunset, while the clouds looking to the east reflected the setting sun well.

Black Walnut Buds

2010-04-04T10:29:00.000-05:00

Black walnut buds.

We have this hope of Christ waiting for the promise of the Father. Let us live ready for His coming just as this bud waits for spring.

River Birch Bark

2010-04-03T03:22:00.000-05:00

March photo of River birch bark. Papery and colorful.

Shagbark Hickory Bud.

2010-04-02T06:45:00.000-05:00

Shagbark hickory bud.

Camouflaged Red Tailed Hawk

2010-03-29T18:33:00.003-05:00

I was out of gas in my work truck and came to the gas pumps. One pump was slow and that was the only one open. I took this as on opportunity to search the sky for the Red tailed hawk that frequented the area.

I saw what looked like a clump of leaves with my binoculars. I took my camera and zoomed all the way to get the shot. After taking the photo I looked at the screen zooming in again as far as I could and I realized I got a photo of the hawk!

It was worth waiting for the diesel.

One Days Moon Travel

2010-03-26T17:50:00.000-05:00

Here are two shots of the same area at the same time 2 days in a row from close to the same place. the photos were taken in early March when I was riding my bicycle to work.

May be Scarlet Oak

2010-03-22T21:37:00.000-05:00

In my tree searching I have run across an oak that may fit into the Scarlet or Pin oak. Scarlet has hairy end buds while Pin oak does not. I don't know if I can find a bud low enough to inspect to tell the difference between the two trees. I have never found a Pin oak in the wild.

Kentuckey Coffee Tree

2010-03-18T18:36:00.000-05:00

Here is a Kentucky Coffee tree I ran into a while back. From a distance I didn't notice the bark of the tree.

These are the distinctive seed pods.

Hummingbird Video

2010-03-16T18:14:00.000-05:00

Persimmon

2010-03-16T02:58:00.000-05:00

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I found some Persimmon that had been cut by a brush hog, now growing back from stump sprouts. This is the first time I have IDed this tree as a sapling. The large lenticles on the stems stand out.

Lean to the Light

2010-03-15T06:34:00.002-05:00

Here in a stand of Cottonwood is one stem that is leaning. Why? It is looking for light. We need to look for the light of Jesus. I see this often int the woods. But without the light of Jesus we are finished.

I can do nothing without you Jesus. You are the strength of my life. It is in You that I grow. You are the source of my strength.

Fox

2010-03-13T10:28:00.002-06:00

I saw this fox this week driving back to my office. I thought it would be gone by the time I dug my camera out of my pack. But the fox was not in a hurry.

A couple of days later I stopped at this area and came across some feathers. So I see why the fox was here. It probably was looking to see if anything was left to eat. My guess is this was a kill by the fox earlier.

Common Persimmon Diospyros Virginiana

2010-03-08T18:14:00.004-06:00

There are other persimmon around this area. This seems to be the largest one. They can grow past 20 inches diameter though this one is just bigger than 12 inches. I live near the northern edge of its range so height and diameter growth will not approach the record.

No other tree is like a Persimmon, so I always enjoy seeing them. The blocky bark is very distinctive. The fruit is good if you catch it at the right time in the Fall. If not it will be bitter.

Hornberam Ostrya virginiana

2010-03-07T03:19:00.001-06:00

During this hike I noticed that the understory is dominated by Hornbeam and Gray Dogwood. These 2 photos are of Hornbeam. The tree does not grow large and the bark is shredy.

The wood of this tree is hard, seeds grow in a bladder that rattles. Children probably used them as toys. The leaves resemble elm leaves.

Site Index

2010-03-06T12:39:00.004-06:00

I went back today and measured 4 trees. The U tree that is a Shingle oak.
Circumference 55 3/8
Height 63 feet
Canopy 34 and 56'
Total points 129

The Persimmon is larger than others I have measured for the diameter. Its height is not that tall. This gives me an indication that the site index of this area is not good.

An Ash tree is the reason I am here at this location. I want to watch how this tree grows next to a dominate tree. This area not haveing a good site index will not show good growth characteristics for the Ash. But I still will come back from time to time to see what is happening.

This photo is of the U tree which is a Shingle oak.

Curved Shingle Oak Revisited

2010-03-04T02:57:00.000-06:00

I revisited the curving Shingle oak. And noticed the preponderance of galls growing in the branches. This is common in Shingle oak around here. This tree does not branch out much but grows upward because of being hemmed in.

I did not find any advanced regeneration of Oak in this area. Advanced regeneration is saplings growing up under the mature trees. They will be able to advance and take dominance when the mature trees die off.

One way Oak regenerates is from sprouting from stumps. Buds that are dominate near the base of a tree may sprout. The younger a tree is the more likely that the tree will sprout. Trees from sprouts have an advantage because of the mature root system to draw on to grow. If this Oak dies or is damaged the likelyhood of sprouts from this stump are low because of the mature age of the tree.

Below is the photo of the curved tree 21/Dec/2007

Tomorrow I will tell you of the next tree I stopped at. There are 5 trees I will describe and at the end I will show a video as I walked through the woods to see these trees.

morning Moon

2010-03-03T17:53:00.002-06:00

Here is the moon I saw on my bicycle ride to work this morning.

Bottomland Video

2010-03-02T20:14:00.004-06:00

Bur Oak Grows Slow

2010-03-02T02:59:00.001-06:00

Here is a tree (center of photo) I measured back in 2002. The difference in the circumference was less than 2 inches. This is seven growing seasons growth. I saw only an inch and 3/4 of growth increase. The tree is growing slowly at this point and for the next 50 years the rate of growth will slow even more.

I had the tree growing 4' in this 7 years but the way I used to measure trees was not accurate enough.

Bur Oak
Tree height 64'
Circumference 97.75
Canopy 65' and 60'
Total points = 177.4

Extra Long Limb Tree

2010-03-01T17:39:00.005-06:00

The big tree in the background is the object of this photo. The flush of brush/saplings would hide this tree in the summer. One thing that brought this tree to my attention is the extra long branch that extends to the right. I try to visualize why a tree grows the way it does. Up to now I don't have an explanation for the extra long limb growth.

It could have a broken top and this branch attempted to gain dominance. I don't remember that when I measured the tree. I do notice that the dominate part of the tree leans to the left in this photo and may have been another branch to the right that has broken off.

Now I have a reason to return to the tree to see if there is a scar of the missing branch to the right. This tree is not far from my bench I rested at Saturday. So I will be revisiting this tree at some point.

Chinquapin oak
Height 50 feet
circumference 92 & 3/4 inches
Canopy 52 and 64 feet.
Total points = 157.6 points

I am not so much concerned to find the biggest tree where I live but to monitor and watch the growth of trees over the years.

Spot for Devotions

2010-02-28T14:08:00.003-06:00

Hiking through crusted snow I cut over a hill and encountered a trail. I recognized this trail as the one where a bench was that would serve as a place to rest and meditate. Getting to the bench I pushed off some snow and sat down on cardboard. Cardboard serves as insulation. I had a good time of prayer and meditation. This was the primary reason I started hiking in the woods years ago. God is very merciful to me and continues to help me through life.