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Winter is coming, but fall is already here
By adamg on Thu, 09/25/2014 - 11:02pm
What made these trees turn so much earlier than the rest of them along the Needham Line tracks? Spotted this afternoon from across the Charles in Millennium Park in West Roxbury.
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Comments
Low laying areas are the first to have frost
..and the lower temps in general that seem to affect the reaction.
Those are red maples (acer rubrum). They are often found along wetlands and turn earliest.
I first noticed the sequence last year as it was the first time I ever paid detailed attention.
Yankee has a useful foliage color progress infographic.
http://www.yankeefoliage.com/peak-foliage-forecast-map/
dry late summer fall?
The birch in my front yard is in full blown senescence. I have this theory that the dry summer and fall have timed this year this year, apparently through hormones.
indeed
Dry conditions - whether weather induced or resulting from local site conditions like slope & soil type - can trigger early fall coloration.
And while yes, red maples - a.k.a. swamp maples - are among the first local trees to color each year, among all local red maples, those that are in our lowest elevations (see CR's post, above) along with any that have been experiencing any kind of environmental or mechanical stress, will blaze away before their kin.
In most years I see the poison ivy color up before any maples, though. Has anyone else noticed there seem to be less of that around this year? I've been under the weather, so maybe I haven't seen more due to my recent sedentary ways (er, lack of "ways"). Or maybe it's just coloring up late? But if it's true that there's less p.i. around, that would be troubling. It's a critical food source for wildlife.
What wildlife can actually eat....
... poison ivy?
Did somebody say: GOATS?!?
The city brought in goats this summer specifically to eat the poison ivy in an urban wild off West Street in Hyde Park.
OK, granted, there aren't too many wild goats around here.
Yet.
Any naturally-occurring wildlife?
No free-range goats roaming Boston, yet....
(Do wild turkeys eat PI?)
A lot of bird species eat it,
A lot of bird species eat it, too. Probably turkeys, I don't know. (Hello, TLF??) I've read it's a preferred food source for a number of avian species. It wouldn't surprise me if snakes eat the berries, too, since they eat so many others. Although, I have not even a single bit of anecdotal evidence for that claim.
With a quick search, I just found this:
Poison Ivy and Wildlife
Poison ivy is an important food source for wildlife. More than 60 species of birds eat the fruits from poison ivy. Poison ivy produces low-quality fruit, which is low in lipid content. Migrating birds in the fall eat some of the berries; however they feed mostly on high-quality fruits, those with high lipid content. This leaves berries for the winter resident bird species to feed on when other foods are scarce. Distribution of poison ivy is aided by birds. Many seeds go undamaged through their digestive systems and are in this way distributed around the park.
Small bees and flies pollinate the flowers in the spring. Insects feed on the plant, and caterpillars from moths feed on the leaves. Larval insects spin silk to roll and fold the leaves of poison ivy over to enclose them for the pupa stage.
It's from here: www.nps.gov/acad/naturescience/poisonivy.htm
You can
You.
You can eat poison ivy. The oils only effect outer skin layers, so it will go through your GI tract without incident. This question was asked on Fark.com years ago which led to the delightful phrase: "He's likely to have trouble, however, when the oil hits the anus".
http://fark.wikia.com/wiki/When_The_Oil_Hits_The_Anus
not trying this anytime soon
Wow. This is the craziest thing I have seen all day. I guess I just lack the gene to try eating uncommon things.
By the way, my daughter is just getting over an episode of poison ivy right now.
wow
Love it! Thanks for this. I needed that laugh.
I think some people can get p.i. rash in their lungs, too, when it is burned along with fall leaves, or maybe from brush-clearing with controlled fire. My uncle had it so bad he was hospitalized & on a respirator for a week. Hate to think what the rest of him looked like
Deer browse on poison ivy.
Deer browse on poison ivy.
Not the earliest tree, but
Not the earliest tree, but the latest,the bradford pear. Alas , my man , I lost mine the other day and it is gone. All that is left is a patch of newly seeded loam to mark its former home. When the leaves turned a leathery copper , and the rising sun bounced iits shine, wow , it was majestic.