The Local, Part II, which includes a headslap moment

John and I were sitting on the front porch, watching the thunderstorms roll in and out, and I had this moment. I realized that the beech that I have loved from the first time I saw the house is not just any beech. It's a Copper Beech. How could I have missed that? 

To be fair, a Copper Beech looks different in the fall than in the spring. It's more purple/green, less copper. But you can see as it's leafing out in the image to the left that it is indeed copper. Another favorite tree, and she was right here waiting for us. Yay.

So on to the local hike from the previous post.

In the last post, I mentioned the drifts of yellow violets. 

But there's more. These tiny white and purple flowers are also in drifts. . .four petaled tiny wonders that remind me of forget-me-nots. 

Then there is the six-petaled star-shaped flower. They have tri-lateral symmetry, though in sixes, rather than threes, like the well-known trillium. Also in drifts along the forest floor.

 Beautiful tiny flowers. You can tell how small they are compared to the oak leaf on the floor next to them.

Enter the edibles. These strawberries form colonies along other areas on the path. My experience with wild strawberries is that they are lovely, but not really very tasty. I can't wait to try these to see if they break that rule.

Closeup of strawberry flowers 

I was shocked to see these guys. How could I have missed them in the fall? These are lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium). Maine is famous for these. Like their relatives, the American cranberry, they grow quite low to the ground. Native populations are harvested by locals using hand-held wooden tools that look like a small box with a handle and combs on the front. The blueberries can be bought at various little local grocery stores. And they are delicious, with decidedly intense flavor. The best blueberry ever.

Lowbush blueberry colony

The flowers are bell-like, and quite beautiful. Bees love them. One of my research areas at Penn State was on their relative, the Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinum coryumbosum), and it's relationship to a fungal symbiont that helps them to thrive in acid nutrient-poor soils. It's always nice to see an old friend, even if it's a distant cousin.

 The wet fecund nature of these environs is not for everyone. I love the density, variety and richness of life here. And I love the water falling from the sky. But it comes with some decided challenges. 

Things grow everywhere

I will endeavor to tell you The Truth about those in coming posts!

A clearing along the way