Category: Out in the Woods

Out in the Woods

White birch bark shows dark, horizontal lenticels. Photo: Kevin McKeon Birch Trees’ Dark Lines Explained By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist The first thing a white birch tree says to us is, “Look at the wonderful dark lines on my bark!” What’s up with these lines? In fact, they have to do with respiration, not decoration. We’re all somewhat familiar with the photosynthetic process plants use to make their food. During photosynthesis, red and blue light wavelengths from the sun…

Out in the Woods

Roadside winterberry in Springvale Photo: Kevin McKeon A Feast for the Eyes and the Birds By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist On late fall and winter walks along many of Sanford's well-cared-for trails, especially near wetland areas and ditches, we often see the bright red berries of our native winterberry, Ilex verticillata. It’s a popular home-garden shrub too, with many varieties developed for their showy fruit that display color well into winter in our garden and border areas. Winterberries are…

Out in the Woods

Needle ice pushing up soil particles Photo Credit: Thomas Bresson-Wikipedia Needle Ice By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist On our trail walks during early winter, we often see small areas of ice crystals poking above the ground, looking like groups of tiny icicles. We also hear them crunch underfoot. These are ice crystals formed just beneath the soil surface called needle ice. James Carter, former professor of geology and geography at Illinois State University, describes its formation in the following…

Out in the Woods

Sugarloaf Hill, as seen from Boivin Way Trail, 100 meters from the Sanford/Lebanon boundary. Photo: Kevin McKeon A Derailment Gave Sugarloaf Hill Its Name By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist In 1794, Eli Whitney developed the cotton gin, which both increased production and enabled the use of lower quality, short-stapled cotton. This latter item led to the great expansion of southern cotton fields that supplied slave labor-produced cotton to his child labor-run mills in New England. He became known as…

Out in the Woods

A Witch Hazel branch, showing both blossoms and nut capsules, at the McKeon Reserve. Photo Credit: Kevin McKeon Witch Hazel By Kevin McKeon, Maine Master Naturalist The cool autumn weather beginning in October brings witch hazel into bloom. The persistent spidery yellow blossoms belong to one of those rare plants that also hold buds and fruit simultaneously. It was sometimes referred to as the “witch-of-the-woods” because it bloomed out of cycle with most other plants and shrubs. Its flowers can…