COLORFUL AMERICAN SMOKE TREE

AMERICAN SMOKE TREE...

WONDERFUL LATE  FALL COLOR...

...ALTERNATE, ENTIRE, MEMBRFANACEOUS LEAVES

Saturday, 9:30 AM.  46 degrees F at the ferry dock, 42 on the back porch.  The wind is SSW, with occasional moderate gusts.  The sky is overcast and it has been raining, with an accumulation of about .16".  The humidity is 94% and the barometer is falling, now at 29.69".

  The native range of the American smoke tree is very narrow, a few lower Midwestern states, but it is quite hardy north and has been widely distributed by the Arbor Day Foundation. It is seldom really tree-like but rather is a large, multiple-trunked shrub.  

   Unlike the European smoke tree, Cotinus coggygria, which has many colorful hybrids, the American, Cotinus obovatus, is mostly present as the species, and although it has "smoky" flowers they are not particularly effective.  It's main attraction is its great fall color, which ranges from yellow to brilliant orange, and appears quite late in the fall color spectrum.  Leaves are alternate and entire (without teeth or lobes) and are membranaceous, showing threadlike membranes when a leaf is pulled apart.

   The smoke trees are in the Anacardiaceae,  the Cashew Family, and are closely related to the sumacs, and have much of the same fall coloration.  Theoir natural habitat also is quite similar, and they will grow on poor soils and rocky outcroppings.

THE LITTLE TUG THAT COULD

TUG PUSHING BARGE WITH CRANE IN ASHLAND HARBOR

Friday, 9:30 AM.  41 degrees F at the ferry dock, 38 on the back porch.  Wind variable and light.  The sky is overcast, the humidity 87%.  The barometer is falling, now standing at 30.01". Despite appearances, it should be a decent weekend weather-wise.

   We were sitting in the truck yesterday at the Ashland power plant boat ramp, eating ice cream cones, when this barge loaded with large stones and a crane was pushed across the harbor by a little red tug (seen at the rear of the barge).  It was an almost comic sight, like something out of a child's story book.

   But the work is real, and the building of a new breakwater for the Ashland marina is the result of negotiations between the city and a contractor working on a pollution abatement project funded in part by the federal government.  

   The short version of the story is that the contractor said it was no more expensive to build a new breakwater than to remove the old one, which was part of the project, and they would be happy to do so.

   The city accepted the offer and the new structure is being built.  The tug and barge are evidently transporting materials for the new breakwater to the worksite.

   Perhaps the story should be called, "The Little Tug That Could."

TAMARACK: DRAMATIC BEAUTY DURING THE SEASONS

TAMARACK IN FALL COLOR

Friday, 8:30 AM.  40 degrees F at the ferry dock, 35 on the back porch.  Wind N, with strong gusts.  The sky is overcast, cloudy, and it is raining.  The humidity is 89% and the barometer is rising, currently at 29.47".  We have received another .3" of rain.
   Tamarack, also called American larch, Larix decidua, in the Pine Family (the Pinaceae) is an iconic tree of the northern landscape and of eastern mountains.  It's natural habitat is cold swamps, but it also spreads to drier sites farther north.  It is the only deciduous conifer I can think of, its needles turning from bright green to gold and finally to bronze in the fall.  It is one of the last trees to change color, and thus stands out distinctly in the landscape.
   Tamarack is one of my favorite trees at all stages of its growth, which is very fast.   Planted in a wet spot it will help immeasurably to dry it out.  It's young female cones are small but very beautiful, looking much like tiny roses.  It is spire-like when young but spreading and irregularly shaped in old age.  It grows extremely large so must be used with care or removed at some time, so it is very difficult to use in the smaller landscape. the tree pictured being in the Ode back yard.
   Once the tree has lost its needles in the late fall it stands like a skeleton in the landscape, picturesque and relatively un-obstructive to views.  For sheer dramatic beauty during the seasons, there are few trees to compare it with.  The European and the Japanese larch are also used in landscaping but I see no particular advantage to them over the native.

BLACK WILLOW: PICTURESQUE, BUT DON'T PLANT IT IN YOUR BACK YARD

BLACK WILLOW ON S NINTH ST

Wednesday, 8:30 AM. 45 degrees F at the ferry dock, 43 on the back porch.  Wind E, calm with occasional moderate gusts.  The sky has a very low overcast and it is raining, we have gotten there-quarters of an inch so far.  The humidity is 93% and the barometer has fallen to 29.44".  The rain should let up later in the day.

   The black willow leaves have finally turned to their golden yellow fall color in the last day or two.  Black willow, Salix nigra, in the Willow Family (the Salicaceae) is a large, rather squat, multi-trunked tree quite common in Bayfield, as I suspect it was much planted in years past to stabilize eroding hills and stream banks.  It typically has large, multiple trunks that spread out from the base of the tree and often break off.  The tree is weak-wooded but persistent, and often reaches great size and age, becoming quite picturesque. Typically it has a black, heavily ridged older bark.

   The willows are notoriously difficult to identify correctly, but this one is pretty distinct.  It has a rugged, gnarled beauty and can be a very appealing photo object when leafless.  In the right situations it will spread out over a considerable area.  Enjoy it where you see it, but don't plant it in your back yard.

   

CITY OF BAYFIELD'S FIRST HERITAGE TREE

CITY OF BAYFIELD'S FIRST HERITAGE TREE

Tuesday, 9:00 AM,  48 degrees F at the ferry dock, 45 on the back porch.  Wind E, calm with light gusts.  Humidity 79%, the barometer is falling, now standing at 30.29".  Everythibg is wet but it has quit raining.

   The City of Bayfied Tree Board has designated the first Bayfield Heritage Tree.  It is a red oak, Quercus rubra, located on the west side of South Second Street, just north of Manypenny Ave.  Probably planted about the time the brick paved street was plated, it is 42" in diameter at breast height, and about 75 feet tall.  It appears sound and healthy.  

   The street was just restored, the brick pavers taken up and relaid, and new curbs installed, all done with care around the tree.  Tree Board members fertilized the tree with Jobe's fertilizer stakes at their September meeting and the tree has been well watered and received plenty of rain.

   The intent of the Heritage Tree program is to memorialize trees that are important historically, environmentally or horticulturally, and to educate the public concerning their importance.  Trees so designated will receive extra care to help ensure their health and welfare.

   This first Heritage Tree will be dedicated as part of next spring's Bayfield in Bloom kickoff event.

THE APPLE OF MY EYE

OUT-OF-THE-WAY APPLES

Monday, 7:30 AM. 44 degrees F at the ferry dock, 40 on the back porch.  Wind W, calm with light gusts.  The sky is overcast and it is raining lightly, off and on.  The humidity is 86% and the barometer steady, currently standing at 30.4".  Rain is predicted for tomorrow night and Wednesday.

   I have a monthly tree board meeting this morning followed by a rehab session in Ashland, so things are hectic.

    Every year about this time, after the majority of the tree leaves have been shed, my eye picks out apple trees that are remnants of old orchards or are the result of volunteer seedlings growing up in fence rows and abandoned pastures.  The best of these are colorful and laden with fruit, often very unusual in appearance and productivity.  The tree pictured was spotted along Old Hwy. K in the Town of Russell.  It looks like a yellow transparent from a distance, but the apples are probably hanging on the tree too long for it to be actually that.  

   I probably should try to get one and see how it tastes.  I am sure the apples have been through a hard frost but they do not look affected by it.  Some old varieties, like the Spitzenberg, actually needed to be frozen before they were edible.  

   There are probably many apples out in the countryside well worth propagating, maybe some new champions to be found. This one is the current "apple of my eye."

READING THE LANDSCAPE.

EUROPEAN BUCKTHORN, LEAVES AND FRUIT

 MULBERRY

LILACS

Sunday, 9:00 AM.  42 degrees at the ferry dock, 38 on the back porch.  Wind variable, calm with very light gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 72%.  The barometer is steady, now standing at 30.34".  Rain is predicted again for Wednesday, but today will be truly beautiful.
   This is the time of year to separate, so-to-speak, the sheep from the goats; or at least the native from the non-native trees and shrubs in the northern landscape.   Except for conifers, most of the native woody plants should by now have lost their leaves, although some will still  be clothed in their typical fall colors.
   Look around, up and down the streets in your neighborhood, and note the trees and shrubs that still have green leaves; you will see lilacs, roses, perhaps white mulberry, and invasive plants  such as buckthorn.  These are all or mostly plants from Europe.
   Look more closely and you will find trees and shrubs native from further south in North America, such as red mulberry and black locust. These plants are hardy north but their leaves do not color and abscise in the same fashion as trees and shrubs that have evolved further north in North America.
   There are many northern Asian trees and shrubs which have evolved in the same way and have the same fall leaf color characteristics as our native plants and have been introduced here, so just because a tree or shrub has colorful fall leaves does not in itself mean that it is a native.
   These are some of the visual clues to "reading the landscape" as we walk our neighborhoods or drive our roads.

RAINY NIGHT

RAINY NIGHT

I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT

By 

Eddie Rabbit

I wake up to a sunny day
'Cause I love a rainy night
Yes I love a rainy night
Well I love a rainy night 

Saturday, 8:30 AM,  48 degrees F at the ferry dock, 46 on the back porch.  Wind N, calm with occasional moderate gusts.  The sky is cloudy and overcast, the humidity 90%.  The barometer is rising, now at 29.76".  We received a third of an inch of rain yesterday into this morning; it should clear tomorrow and rain again on Monday.
   Yesterday was a rain day, spent by us on a quick trip to Duluth for a doctor's appointment  (all's well on that count). We needed the rain.
    I can report that there is little color left on US 2 except for a few sugar and red maples reluctant to loose their leaves, and red oaks now mostly brown.  The other exceptions are the golden yellow needles of the tamaracks, which brighten swamps and ridges. Our tamaracks are just beginning to turn, and Bayfield itself is still very colorful.
   We drove back in rainy darkness, with one headlight out.  Not the best of situations, but as the song says, " I love a rainy night."

RED OAK ACORNS

RED OAK ACORN

YOUNG RED OAK TREE WITH GREAT FALL COLOR

RED OAK LEAF

ACORNS...SQUIRRELS  LOVE THEM

Friday, 7:30 AM. 45 degrees F at the ferry dock, 41 on the back porch.  Wind S, calm with light gusts.  The sky is partly cloudy, the humidity 85%.  The barometer is dropping sharply, now at 30.22".  Rain is predicted for today.

   Any discussion about tree nuts has to include red oaks, Quercus rubra.  Trees with a wide range, they tolerate dry conditions and acid soils. In fact,their fallen leaves add to soil acidity.  The trees are large and in good years produce lots of acorns, which are a mainstay in the diet of not only squirrels but also deer and grouse.  This has been an exceptional year for red oak acorn production, the nuts I have examined being large and unparasitized.

MORE ON NUTS: OHIO BUCKEYE

OHIO BUCKEYE FLOWER (Google file photo)

OHIO BUCKEYE PALMATELY COMPOUND LEAF

OHIO BUCKEYE ON N SIDE OF  MANYPENNY AVE., BETWEEN  FOURTH AND FITTH STREETS

BUCKEYE FRUIT; A PRICKLY HUSK...

...COVERS THE BUCKEYE NUT

Thursday, 8:00 AM. 43 degrees F at the ferry dock, 36 on the back porch.  Wind SW, calm with light gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 83%.  The barometer is rising, now stranding at 30.22", predicting a nice weekend following rainy weather tomorrow.

   We have a few Ohio buckeye trees, Aesculus glabra, in the Buckeye Family (the Hippocastanaceae) as street trees in Bayfield, and they so far have proven hardy here.  They make nice small street trees, although some people would object to the nuts, which in past times were fine objects for little boys to throw.  The "buckeye" is the state tree of Ohio, and many Ohioans carry a buckeye nut in their pocket for good luck.  As a former resident of Ohio, I certainly do.  It is said to have the power to cure rheumatism if so carried.  I won't be drawn into that debate.

   The buckeye blooms nicely in the spring, an upright, compound, creamy white blossom.  The leaves are palmately compound, with typically five leaflets. The horse chestnut, Aesclus hippocastaneum, a much larger tree, is in the same family and has a quite similar leaf and nut (the latter without the distinctive "eye").

   For more on the Ohio buckeye and other buckeyes, use the blog search engine to find earlier posts.

BLACK WALNUT TREES

BLACK WALNUT TREES ON CORNER OF SIXTHE ST AND MANYPENNY AVE....

...WITH LARGE, PINNATELY COMPOUND LEAVES AND ALTERNATE BRANCHING...

TENNIS-BALL SIZED FRUIT, THE HUSK ENCLOSING...

YOU'VE GOT TO GET THERE BEFORE THE SQUIRRELS  

...A SHELL WITH NUT INSIDE (google photo)

Wednesday,  9:00 AM.  50 degrees F at the ferry dock, 46 on the back porch.  Wind SW, calm with light gusts.  The sky is mostly overcast and cloudy, the humidity 84%.  The barometer is still trending down, now at 29.91", predicting rain on Friday.

   As we stated yesterday, it has been a good year for nut production, and the remnant trees of a walnut grove on the corner of Sixth Street and Manypenny Ave. have dropped a lot of walnuts on the ground. Most folks are familiar with the walnut shell and nut, but many may never have seen the nut still enclosed in the tennis-ball sized husk in which it grows on the tree.  

   The husk will ripen after it falls from the tree and split open, revealing the nut still in its shell.  The ripened walnut husk will stain anything it touches, so gloves must be worn when handling it, or fingers and and hands will be stained brown.

   Walnut trees grow very large, up to 150 feet in hight.   The roots emit a toxin which kills many other plants, and is particularly  poisonous to tomatoes and many other garden plants. The dark brown, highly grained wood is very valuable for furniture, gunstocks and veneer, so mature, straight trees are prone to theft by rogue woodsmen.
   The native range of the black walnut is the east-central US, mostly east of the Mississippi River and excluding the farthest northern and southern states.  Since it is not a far northern species, the Bayfield trees were probably planted.  It seldom forms colonies, and is mostly present in nature as an individual or small grove in a mixed forest environment.  It prefers deep, well-drained limestone soils but will tolerate many different soil types.

   The leaf of the walnut is pinnately compound, with seven to eleven leaflets, and is very long. The fall leaf color is a clear golden yellow.  The tree has opposite leaves and branches.

   Walnut trees, Juglans nigra, in the Walnut Family (Juglandaceae) are valuable trees for both fruit and wood, but are difficult to use in the landscape.

   

AMERICAN CHESTNUT TREES

CHESTNUT...

...SPINEY CHESTNUT HUSK...

... OPENS WHEN RIPE TO REVEAL ONE TO THREE SWEET, EDIBLE NUTS

YOUNG AMERICAN CHESTNUT TREE ON CORNER OF TENTH ST. AND MANYPENNY AVE, ...

CHESTNUT LEAF, NOTE FALL COLOR AND SHARP, CURVED TEETH...

CHESTNUT MALEFLOWERS

Tuesday, 8:45 AM.  50 degrees F at the ferry dock, 46 on the back porch.  Wind ENE, very blustery.  The sky is partly cloudy, the humidity 80% and the barometer rising some, now at 30.1".  It looks as though we will escape a killing frost for a while yet.

   This has been a very good year for nut production.  The young American chestnut (Castanea dentata), in the Beach Family (Fagaceae) on the corner of Tenth St. and Manypenny Ave. has produced well. It is a relatively rare tree, as it is not infected with the blight that has destroyed millions of these native trees in the last century (use the blog search engine to find prior posts regarding the American chestnut).

  Bayfield is fortunate to have a few of these young chestnuts, as well as some older, native trees.

   

   

'AUTUMN BLAZE' RED MAPLES

TWO RED MAPLE 'AUTUMN BLAZE' MAPLES TOWER OVER THE  ODE BAYFIELD HOME,
AS VIEWED FROM TENTH STREET...

...DITTO, AS VIEWED FROM OLD MILITARY ROAD

Monday, 8:30 AM.  53 degrees F at the ferry dock, 46 on the back porch,  Wind WSW, calm with light to moderate gusts.  The sky is partly cloudy, trending to overcast.  The humidity is 66% and the barometer is more or less steady, at 29.77",  It is much warmer today but the weather is quite unsettled.

   We have twin 'Autumn Blaze' red maples (Acer rubrum  X 'Autumn Blaze') in our front yard.  They were planted as seven-foot saplings in 2000. They are magnificent trees, always true to their blazing red fall color.  They have grown very quickly, about two feet per year on average.  They have not shown any predilection toward disease or insect infestation.  For fall color, rate of growth and lack of problems they would seem hard to beat.
  According to the Morton Arboretum, the original hybrid between the red (Acer saccharum) and silver (Acer saccharinum) maples, is  Acer X freemanii 'Jeffsred',  'Autumn Blaze being one of several selections of the original cross. It has the strong branching characteristic of the silver maple, and its red autumn coloration.  It is less susceptible to iron chlorosis than the silver maple and will eventually reach fifty or sixty feet in height and slightly narrower in width.

   There is a potential of them being over-planted, which is always a problem with popular plant introductions, so give it some thought before you purchase them.  And remember, they get very large and will change the ecology of your landscape as they grow.

IT DIDN'T BOTHER BUDDY

BUDDY POINTING A GROUSE

GOLDEN DAYS

Sunday,  9:00 AM.  39 degrees F at the ferry dock, 30.43 on the back porch.  wind SW, calm with light gusts.  The humidity is 88%, the barometer 30.43" and falling rapidly, predicting unsettled weather for the week ahead.

   Yesterday we took a little drive looking at the considerable color that is still with us, and some of it was outstanding, such as the gold of  a maple and aspen woods along Star Route between Bayfield and the Settlement.

   We also stopped to let Buddy run down the seasonally abandoned Bloom Road, where we encountered a male grouse on each side of the road, both  drumming to assert their dominance simultaneously.  Buddy did what pointers do, and pointed both in succession.  I did not walk into the woods to flush either of them.  I did not have my twenty gage shotgun along as I am not supposed to shoot it, since  my pacemaker is on my right side and I shoot right handed.  I am not happy about that, but prefer to think of what I still can do, rather than of what I cannot, and we will see what the future brings.

   It didn't bother Buddy, as he doesn't expect me to hit a grouse anyway.

MOUNTAIN MAPLE: ANOTHER NATIVE NORTHERN PLANT TOO LITTLE USED IN THE LANDSCAPE

MOUNTAIN MAPLE, SPRING FLOWERS...

...AUTUMN LEAF COLOR...

...DITTO...

...DITTO

Saturday, 8:00 AM.  38 degrees F at the ferry dock, 32 on the back porch.  Glad the tender  plants are all inside.  Wind variable, with light gusts.  The sky is partly cloudy, the humidity 64%.  The barometer is high and steady, now at 30.47".  It will be a nice weekend.
   Joan and I went for fish fry at the Village Inn in Cornucopia last night, the first time in a long time.  It remains our favorite local restaurant.  Their fish is caught daily by Halvorson's Fisheries and is delicious.  Patsy's bar in Washburn serves a larger filet with a tastier batter, but you can't beat the meal and overall experience at the Inn.

   Mountain maple, Acer spicatum, in the Maple Family (Aceraceae) is an understory shrub of the far northern forests.  It has slightly three-lobed, toothed leaves and opposite branching, and blooms nicely in spring, the spikes of typical maple flowers standing upright on the branches (thus the species name).  This one and several others can be found in the woods on the south side of Ninth Street, between Old Military Rd. and Wilson Ave.  It's green leaves turn spectacular rose to orange in the fall, the shrubs almost lighting up the woods where they reside.  

   It is a wonderful addition to any northern landscape, but is little grown by nurseries, and thus seldom used in landscaping.

   

THE "LAST HURRAH" OF FALL

BLUFF THAT SEPARATES THE ONION RIVER AND PIKE CREEK WATERSHEDS,
LOOKING SOUTH ALONG HWY. 13

SAME BLUFF, LOOKING NORTH

Friday, 8:30 AM.  35 degrees F at the ferry dock, 32 on the back porch. Wind NW, very strong. The sky is partly cloudy, the humidity 61%.  The barometer is mostly steady, now standing at 30.36".  It looks like it will be a cool but pleasant weekend.

   With the chance of a freeze predicted, I brought in what tender plants I could manage from the back porch and decks last night.  A few others got covered and the banana was left on its own.  It looks OK this morning.  It was windy last night, so cold air did not collect in pockets and it was not a killing frost, but it won't be long before we get one.

   Cold temperatures and wind have stripped many of the trees; maples, ash, poplars, etc. of their leaves and the color has faded to mostly the bronzes and browns of oaks, punctuated by the vivid greens of the pine, fir and spruce.  There is still fall color, but it is quite subdued.

   This weekend will be "the last hurrah" of fall.

BLUEBERRIES SHOULD BE AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE DESIGN OF A NORTHERN LANDSCAPE

THE BLUEBERRY BARN..

LARGEST BLUEBERRY FARM IN WISCONSIN, ON SUNSET VALLEY ROAD..

BLUEBERRY FIELDS IN FALL...

...ICONIC PLANTS OF THE NORTHLAND

Thursday,  8:00 AM.  48 degrees F at the ferry dock, 44 on the back porch.  Wind W, very gusty.  The sky is partly cloudy, the humidity 68%.  The barometer is rising sharply, now at 29.82". It was a gorgeous sunrise, that I was unable to photograph because the sun is rising behind a big white pine in the neighboring yard.

   When we think of blueberries we usually think only of the deep blue fruit, luscious and full of antioxidants.  But even though the blueberry flower is insignificant,  the blueberry plant is beautiful in the landscape, especially enmasse, clothed in their brilliant fall foliage of red and orange.

   Blueberries should be an important element in the design of a northern landscape.

   

FALL COLORS CAN ALSO BE GREEN AND GOLD

WHITE PINE  NEEDLES, SECOND OR THIRD YEAR NEEDLES TURNING YELLOW AND FALLING

FALLEN NEEDLES OF LARGE WHITE PINES ON CORNER OF 9TH AND OLD MILITARY RD.

Wednesday, 8:20 AM.  44 degrees F at the ferry dock, 37 on the back porch.  Wind SSW, calm with light to moderate gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 86%.  The barometer is more or less steady, now at 29.87".  It's getting time to bring plants in off the porch, and roll up the rugs and store them for the winter

   This is the time of year when pines loose their older needles.  Species vary as to how old needles are when they fall from the tree, but suffice it to say that needles will be two or more years old when they drop from the tree, sometime in the fall.  I often get questions about what is wrong with the pine trees...it is all quite natural.

   Pine trees can be quite colorful when the older needles turn brilliant gold, and they can make an impressive statement when fallen on the green grass.

   Fall colors can also be green and gold.

ONE SHOULD NEVER PULL EVERY WEED

LAST ROSES AND HYDRANGEAS OF SUMMER IN THE BACK YARD

SILVER MAPLE ON RITTENHOUSE AVE.

RED MAPLE ON S. NINTH ST.

VIRGINIA CREEPER GROWING ON ALBERTA SPRUCE IN HEREB GARDEN

Tuesday,  45 degrees F at the ferry dock, 42 on the back porch.  Wind W, gusty.  The sky is mostly overcast but clearing.  The humidity is 81% and the barometric pressure is 29.7" and rising.  The color is still spectacular but the weather is iffy.
   The color spectacular continues, often with some real surprises, like the silvelr maple on Rittenhouse Ave. that has a fine green-gold color, and the Virginia creeper growing on an Alberta spruce in the herb garden that proves that one should never  pull every weed.