As I journeyed back through the Jackson Property, I see the familiar trees from the identification game we played only two weeks before. On the same trail, I notice lots of differences from our last trip. There is more snow, similarly icy but definitely more prevalent. Coming off of some of the leaves of the trees are small icicles, and the weather is definitely a little colder, though the skies have cleared up some since our earlier visit. I walk through the grove of great red oaks (Quercus rubra), with white pine (Pinus strobus) and american beech (Fagus grandifolia) spread throughout.
As I am walking back to my chosen location to sit and observe, a tree I remember from last time catches my eye: the scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). I remember these specifically because of their vibrant red-orange bark towards the top of the trees making them very distinctive. Though I did research into why exactly the pines get their color, I was unsuccessful and instead found information on their flakey bark and how it creates a good environment for insects, especially pine moth larvae (Lepidoptera spp.). Among the pine species, the scots pine, the red pine, and the austrian pine are the species that are most often targeted by moths because of the shelter their bark provides, among other things. Young pine moths, especially in early spring, feed extensively on the shoots and the bases of the scots pine branches. This can continue for 2-3 months, until eventually the needles turn brown and the branches die, causing obvious damage to the trees. In addition, you can see locations where the pine moths infest the trees because the trees will ooze lots of sap from those areas, giving the appearance of candle wax dripping down the sides of the trees. Though I looked and saw some evidence of this in the form of sap on the trees, it is impossible to know whether or not this was caused by moths without any closer inspection.
As I continue on the path, I reach my location to observe, at the edge of the lake looking into the trees and the late afternoon sun. Overhead I can hear birds and I identify a group of annoying gawking crows (Corvus spp.) flying overhead. Finally I sat down to observe the lake and the trees. The water was partially frozen and the different thicknesses are distinct. I’ve always had the childhood dream of skating on a frozen lake in the backcountry somewhere, but this lake has nowhere near thick enough ice to skate on with the recent warm weather and there’s the issue that I don’t know how to skate…
