Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont
Wishing you the beauty, wonder and serenity of nature, through all the seasons.
Mary Anne
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Tag Archives: Trapp Family Lodge
Late Spring in Stowe, Vermont
Spring unfolds more slowly in northern Vermont than it does where I live in the mid-Atlantic. So we were able to catch some late spring action in the Stowe area recently. The show started in the gardens at Trapp Family Lodge, where an Eastern Chipmunk foraged among the Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and Wild Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia),
Eastern Chipmunk with Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and Wild Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia)
while a Groundhog family watched nearby.
Groundhog family in the garden at Trapps
The woods at Trapps and the other natural areas we visited were lush with ferns, with a bounty of other diverse plants peaking through them.
The woods from Fox Track trail at the Trapp Family Lodge
Narrow Beech Fern (Phegopteris hexagonoptera) with Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) and Hooked Crowfoot (Ranuunculus recurvatus)
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) at Wiessner Woods
Pink Lady’s Slippers (Cypripedium acaule) shyly raised their heads for our viewing pleasure.
Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule)
Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule)
Goldthread (Coptis trifolia) had finished blooming, and was setting fruit.
Goldthread (Coptis trifolia) with Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) leaves
Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) shown in the sun’s spotlight,
Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense)
while the delicate blossoms of False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) lit the trails.
False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum)
A White-tailed Deer was unfazed by our visit to her domain.
White-tailed Deer
Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) was in various stages of its bloom cycle in different locations. We often found it close to water.
Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
In the woods, most of the potential pollinators were flies of various species. In the photo below, the fly on the Foamflower is harvesting pollen, a food source for some fly species.
Fly harvesting pollen from Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Bluebead Lily (Clintonia borealis) was just beginning to bloom, often visited by the fly shown here.
Bluebead Lily (Clintonia borealis)
Bluebead Lily (Clintonia borealis) with flower visitor
A Robber Fly, better know for its diet of other insects than for drinking nectar, visited Dwarf Ginseng (Panax trifolius) flowers.
Dwarf Ginseng (Panax trifolius) with Robber Fly
Dwarf Ginseng was popular with another fly visitor who unknowingly gathered pollen on its hairy body for possible dispersal to other flowers.
Dwarf Ginseng (Panax trifolius) with potential pollinator
Near Stevenson Brook in Little River State Park,
Stevenson Brook at Little River State Park
Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophylum virginianum) bloomed a deep violet, pictured here with a flower visitor coming in for a landing.
Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophylum virginianum)
Southern Pygmy Clubtail dragonflies rested on a fern at Sterling Falls Gorge.
Southern Pygmy Clubtail dragonflies
Sterling Falls Gorge
Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) brightened a meadow at Trapps, the yellow nectar guides at their throats attracting a variety of visitors, incuding Bumble Bees, Eight-spotted Forester moths, Bee Flies and a Mustard White butterfly.
Bluets (Houstonia caerulea)
Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) with Bumble Bee
Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) with Bee Fly (Bombylius major)
Bluets (Houstonia caerulea) with Mustard White butterfly
The Mustard White was a new butterfly for me. Its numbers have diminished in recent years because of habitat loss, and possibly also due to the increase of the invasive Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata). Mustard White caterpillars rely for food on our native mustards, such as Toothwort (Cardamine diphylla) and Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata). Toothwort is present along the trails near the clearing where we saw the Mustard White, and Garlic Mustard was nowhere to be seen.
Back in the woods, two crane flies mated, doing their part to ensure that the show will continue.
Crane Flies mating
Related Posts
Cut-leaved Toothwort
Reasons to Love Winter
Stowe, Vermont
Have you been ready for spring since about January 2? Wondering how you’ll ever get through the remaining weeks of winter? The best way I know is to get outside and enjoy what nature has to offer. When there’s enough snow, cross country skiing or snowshoeing are both good ways to keep warm enough to enjoy exploring the beauty of your surroundings. Or go for a walk in a nearby park, natural area, or your own garden.
Thirteenth Lake, Garnet Hill Lodge, North Creek, New York
View from a ski trail: Haul Road, Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont
Cross Country skier in the woods, Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont
While you’re out you’ll almost certainly spot animal tracks.
Raccoon tracks, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, New Hope, Pennsylvania
Fox tracks
Grouse tracks, Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont
If you’re really lucky, you’ll spot the critter that made the tracks.
Ruffed Grouse
White-tailed Deer
You may see evidence of insects or spiders attempting to survive the winter in one form or another.
Braconid wasp cocoon bundle
Well-camoflaged spider on Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum), facing south to catch the sun’s warmth
Mystery cocoon made from a leaf and silk. Could it be a moth? A spider?
Or you may find evidence that some insects have instead become food for birds. In the photo below, the holes in the tree were made by a Pileated Woodpecker, the result of excavating for a meal of carpenter ants or other insects.
Holes excavated by Pileated Woodpecker
With the leaves mostly off the trees, the spotlight is on the beauty of bark
Pealing birch bark
and the mosses,
Moss on tree bark
lichens,
Lichens
and mushrooms that decorate tree trunks and branches.
Common Split Gill mushrooms, commonly found on dead branches, help decompose the wood
Winter buds are a promise of spring to come, showing subtle color and offering a way to identify trees in winter.
Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis) buds and leaf scar
Basswood (Tilia americana) bud
Umbrella Magnolia (Magnolia tripetala) bud and leaf scar
Winter fruits can be as beautiful as the flowers that produced them.
Wild Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)
New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)
Elephant’s foot (Elephantopus carolinianus)
Birds, including some that you may only see in winter, eat some of the fruits.
Dark-eyed Junco
The low angle of winter light flatters the landscape.
View from Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont
Stowe, Vermont
These are just a few of the reasons to love winter as much as the other seasons. Go out and explore while you can!
Related Posts
A Winter Garden Can be a Wildlife Habitat
Wonders of a Winter Walk – The Marsh
Nutritious Fall Foliage: What makes leaves so colorful?
Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
On Halloween, the Red Maple (Acer rubrum) outside our kitchen window gave up the ghost, so to speak. The leaves on the north side of the tree had been changing colors for weeks, but the rest of the tree remained stubbornly green. Overnight, the entire tree was awash in reds and oranges.
It’s the change in day length (or really night length) and temperature that signals deciduous trees and shrubs that it’s time to get ready for winter. They have to drop their leaves to protect themselves from damage that would be caused due to the heavy weight of winter ice and snow storms. As nights get longer and temperatures drop, these woody plants gradually slow and eventually stop replenishing chlorophyll, the substance that is responsible for the green pigment in their leaves.
Alexauken Wildlife Management Area, West Amwell, New Jersey
But what accounts for the array of colors that are revealed as the chlorophyll gradually disappears? The yellow, orange, red, purple, bronze and browns?
These colors reflect some of the same nutrients that are present in the plant-based foods we eat. Many of these chemicals were present throughout the growing season, but were masked by or blended with the green of the chlorophyll.
American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) Leaves in Spring
American Beech (Fagus grandifolia ) Leaves in Fall
The yellows are carotenoids, mainly xanthophylls, nutrients that help to reduce inflammation, boost the immune system and reduce tumor growth. They are present in yellow summer squash, beets, carrots, corn, peppers, green leafy vegetables, and many others. Xanthophylls help plants to absorb energy from the sun while protecting tissues against the sun’s intense radiation.
Alexauken Wildlife Management Area, West Amwell, New Jersey
Carotenes (another group of carotenoids) are responsible for the orange shades revealed in fall leaves. Beta-carotene is an anti-oxidant, visible in the orange color of foods like winter squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. They assist in photosynthesis, and help protect plant tissues from too much exposure to the sun’s rays.
American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) or Ironwood
Reds and purples are anthocyanins, nutrients found in foods like blueberries, blackberries, cherries, grapes (and red wine; yay!), purple cabbage, other purple-tinged greens like red leaf lettuce, some kale and swiss chard, as well as many others that show red or purple colors. Anthocyanins are antioxidants, with anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-cancer properties. Plants may also benefit from anthocyanin’s antioxident effect, and the dark colored pigments help protect from sun damage. They continue to manufacture these chemicals until the leaves fall.
Maple-leaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)
Brown and tan colors show the presence of tannins. They tend to be bitter or astringent tasting, and as a result discourage browsing by herbivores (plant-eaters) so they may provide some protection to plants. Tannins are found in foods like grapes, wine, tea, and chocolate, though, so you can see that this protection isn’t foolproof.
Spring Lake at Roebling Park, Abbott Marshlands, Hamilton Township, New Jersey
There is overlap and blending of colors based on the mix of chemicals in the leaves. These bright colors may also signal to birds that there is fruit available for consumption.
Yellow-rumped Warbler with Poison Ivy Fruit
These nutrients, along with others that are obtained from the soil, like calcium and potassium, break down and return to the soil as the fallen leaves gradually decompose. During this process, animals may still take advantage of the nutrients. Red-banded Hairstreak caterpillars, for example, feed on fallen leaves, especially those of sumacs, contributing to the process of decomposition, and the cycle of life for the next generation.
Red-Banded Hairstreak
A few days later, and the leaves on our Red Maple have almost all fallen. We’ll watch them gradually break down, nourishing the soil, and the plants and animals that rely on them.
Haul Road at the Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont
Resources
http://science.jrank.org/pages/5303/Plant-Pigment-Carotenoids.html
http://www.usna.usda.gov/PhotoGallery/FallFoliage/ScienceFallColor.html
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