Fall is in the air (10/9/2022)

Fall is in the air here in Yorktown. The weather has been unseasonably cold. The past two days we have recorded the coldest high temperatures ever (54 degrees Fahrenheit or 12 degrees Celsius). We first had the affect from hurricane Ian and then it seems Ian may have combined with a cold front and turned into a Nor’easter to give us two days of cold drizzly weather.

This has me somewhat worried about my tropical plants on the benches outside. So much so that I pulled my Fukien Tea inside for the past few days. It is my understanding at least that they do not do well in temperatures below 60 degrees. I really need to finish constructing the greenhouse. I completed that this weekend, except for benches and some finishing touches. More about that in my next post.

In the meantime, what else is there to do but somehow enjoy this cold weather and spend time outside in the woods behind our home. It is cold enough to really knock down the tick, mosquito and in particular the chigger population. If you are not from the southeastern and the lower mid-western U.S.A., you might be unfamiliar with chigger, but they are almost microscopic mites (spiders) that crawls up your legs and loves to lay eggs in your skin in areas where the skin is restricted by clothing. This includes the elastic bands of underwear, socks and alike. Bites where the eggs are deposited itch for days if not weeks. Chiggers seem to go dormant when the night-time temperatures go under 55 or even 60. This is usually by mid to late October in our area, so we go to go out in the woods and forest bathe at least two weeks earlier than other years. I expect they will be gone till next summer. Of course, we could spray ourselves with all kinds of insect repellents, but honestly, I try to stay away from that stuff if I can help it.

I find it nice to reacquaint myself with the woods I have avoided since spring. I have missed it. The ephemeral ponds are dry now; we had an extremely dry year, and they are waiting for a good rain to raise the groundwater level and fill up. At least I had a chance to walk into the middle of a dry pond to admire a resurrection fern which would be unreachable when the pond is full. Tree leaves haven’t started turning yet so everything looks green. We had a little rain, and a few mushrooms are raising their heads and so are a few Indian pipes. Indian pipes are parasitic, like mistletoes but on the roots of trees. So much fun exploring again. For the rest little has changed. It is just good to be out there to pick up the sounds and smells of the woods.

Fall is in the air, and it is nice to be able to enjoy it again.

Resurrection fern growing on an oak tree (most likely an overcup oak) in one of the ponds behind our home.  This fern is known to be an epiphyte or a plant that grows on another plant. 

Another epiphyte, Indian pipe or better a parasite.  This one has no chlorophyl and lives on the roots of trees.