Nature Through the Seasons Near the Towson Y

 Again this month there is little color around the campus.  The holly berries are still present, both gold and red.  We were assured that these are the friendly American hollies.  Remember there are the scattered  male hollies without berries but essential to the display. There was a question about evergreen and conifers.  Making the point that not all conifers are evergreen, we have larch, bald cypress, and dawn redwoods in the area that shed their needles. And not all evergreens are conifers as we see near the Y with the English ivy and the Hollies.  But the specific question was " is grass evergreen?"  Online I do not see any of the grasses among species listed as evergreen at least in this area.  Let's watch the grass over the winter. One grass expert in the family raises and sells hay.  Keeps up to date at an Ohio State extension course every summer.  The course is known as "Hay U".  He says that despite the green appearan...

 Though there is a lot of activity within the trees this month, preparing for the winter, outside  there is the color change and the leaf fall.  What to be mindful of?  Some trees, tulips and elms have already lost most of their leaves in the first week of November.  Here are some variations on color, some suggesting the identification of  the tree.  Color is  "overdetermined", humidity, temperature, light, many factors. maples, bright yellow to red Large maple, possible silver maple, below is red oak, dull red but holding most of its leaves So driving in western Maryland (Rocky Gap)  you might expect the dull red trees on the far hill to be oaks.  The remaining yellow-green to be maples.  At the Y we are dealing with a small sample however. There have been recent online comments about Ginkgo trees shedding their leaves all at once causing a golden carpet beneath. Below is from Roland Park but there may be Ginkgo trees closer. Hills...

 One change is some aggressive pruning in the west flower bed.  You can see the scrubs that were in the background this summer.  They are a lower growing type of dogwood.  They seem to be identified by color with the white type forming colonies from rhizomes which would describe the summer appearance. Most of the stems here are grey or white but there are a few red and yellow.  These are sometimes chosen for their winter color. The photo shows the leaf veins curving parallel to the leaf edge.  The twigs are opposite as in the MAD Horse mnemonic.  There was a little discussion, these are probably the "grey" or white variety of dogwood.  The red and yellow are more dramatic, bright red long twigs in the winter, not just the stems. ( The suggested identification for the three small trees just west of the south entrance is Prunus serrulata possibly the Kwanzan cultivar.   It would be ornamental, not bearing fruit.  Mentioned here because als...

There are a few changes here in early September.  There were a scattering of funnel spiders on the yews near the front entrance.  You can see the horizontal web easily when highlighted with dew.  The spiders are usually shy but this one posed briefly for a picture. On the south side English ivy is going to seed.   And also on the south fence is the Japanese autumn clematis, or more poetic "virgins's bower".  Comments heard about this are: non-native, invasive in some areas, displacing the native clematis.   In the over-grown flower bed west of the parking lot is a cardinal flower.  How did he get here?  A random act of kindness by human or animal? The ragweed which was one small plant early August is now producing a fine crop. There are still a few bindweed flowers, this one to the west side. The porcelain berry is maturing, growing everywhere.  If the question is " Daddy what's that vine?" it is probably porcelain berry. Along the fence on n...

 There are fewer dramatic changes.  At least six trees are making seeds.  A good time to make identifications.  There are the maples, the ash, the box elders (also maple), the hornbeam, the lindens and the tree of heaven.  The seeds could also identify which subtype of maple or ash. Hornbeams are along the north exit, linden on the north side, box elders on the east fence, maples and ash scattered near the southeast corner.  There are also some acorns forming which might identify which oaks are which. There are a couple of new trumpet-shaped flowers.  The showy white flower in the overgrown flower bed is a mallow, relative of hibiscus.  Comments are about toxicity (trumpet shape in general) but probably not this species.  Also comments on tendency to turn toward sun, probably a general orientation but not active turning like sunflowers.  Scattered hear and there are field bind weed flowers.  These are similar to morning glories and ...

Since last week there is a ragweed plant growing up at the edge of a rough garden near the playing field, incase anyone wants to point out ragweed.  The purple flower nearby is one of the thistles.  The leaves of one of the maples have a yellow pattern interspersed with green.  The author of "How Plants Work" says this may be an indication of abnormal minerals in the soil.  Or another suggestion is too much phosphate around the roots.  Every leaf has a story. There is a hearty little mulberry tree trying to grow up through the pavement .  At the far northeast corner we missed a unusual tree which is mentioned here, probably a paper bark maple.  It is not a native but in an overgrown area (poison ivy) so not in the recent plantings at the time of building the Y. One ragweed plant so far, not a hazard, just an example Something going on with this maple, possible chlorosis indicating abnormal minerals or too much phosphate in soil? One of the thistles in ...

This is a smaller group just to the north of the last parking lot pavement.  On the right side near the lot is an oak, behind that two redbud trees ( one more like a bush).  Behind the redbuds are two more white pines and behind the pines is a large old hickory of unknown type.  East of the hickory is a small lonely oak with leaves unlike the other oaks we have seen.  It is a little like the blackjack oak in the Maryland Tree Key. Oak with a little different leaf The hickory would normally be my favorite if tree but it is covered with poison ivy. View of north area with the large hickory left Hickory nut, unknown type, This may be one of the oldest trees on the property The Linden or Lime Tree at the north end. This may be the only tree with this pattern of seeds. Large heart shaped leaves. Linden or Lime Tree Leaves of the redbud at the north end In the middle of this north group, near the parking lot is a linden.  Comments are often about its other name "lime ...