Airport Day was hosted by the East Hill Flying Club, the pancake breakfast was in the hangar.
A Day At The Airport
Tag: 2023
A Stunning Find
After living here since 1986 I discovered this Cayuga Heights park on a warm early September day, 2023.
Plaque inscription: “Here may you too find the love of beauty, goodness, truth. This was the wish of Jane and Jared Newman when they presented Sunset Park to the village of Cayuga Heights in January of 1938.”
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
Fruit of the Starflower
A member of the primrose family
These dark blue berries at the end of a slender naked stalk that arises from the leaf joint at the top of the plant were encountered on a late August day in Fillmore Glen, Moravia, Cayuga County, New York State. Lysimachia borealis is a perennial wildflower commonly known as Starflower. After blooming in the spring, as a member of the primrose family these are some of the first flowers to appear, the fertilized flowers develop into this round purple fruit. To confuse identification, the plant is also known as Trientalis borealis.
“Lysimachia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some butterflies and moths, including the dot moth, grey pug, lime-speck pug, small angle shades, and v-pug.” Chipmunks eat these fruits as a minor portion of their diet.
“Bees of the genus Macropis are specialized to pollinate oil-producing Lysimachia plants. These bees use exclusively Lysimachia floral oils for building their nests and provisioning cells. Lysimachia floral-specific chemicals are strong attractors for Macropis nuda and Macropis fulvipes bees that are seldom found in other plant genera.”
Do not confuse this with another “starflower,” Borago officinalis, from which an oil is produced commercially.
Reference: text in italics and quotes is from the Wikipedia, “Lysimachia.”
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
Charles Atwood Memorial
We learned so much from this new sign
This year, 2023, an informational sign was installed next to the Charles Atwood memorial at the foot of the stone stairs leading to the Gorge Trail.
Charles Atwood The Father of Fillmore Glen
“From Botanist to Physician and Pharmacist: born in Summerhill, Cayuga Coun ty, New York State, Charles Atwood graduated from Cornell University in 1878 with a degree in Botany. He then obtained a medical degree in 1881 from the University of Iowa. He moved to Moravia, Cayuga County, to set up practice. In addition to being a physician, he was one of the first pharmacists to be licensed in New York State. A Passion for Plants. Although Dr. Atwood worked full time as a pharmacist, he retained his passion for botany. Atwood was very interested in the parcel of land that became Fillmore Glen Park, due to the rich botanic life found there. Atwood worked long and hard to establish Fillmore Glen State Park to preserve not only its plant life, but also the cascading waterfalls and unique geological formations.”
“Atwood’s Quest to Promote Fillmore Glen. June 1919: Dr. Atwood jointed the Moravia Chamber of Commerce and in October became the first representative to the Finger Lakes Association. April 1921: the Moravia Chanbmer of Commerce and the Finger Lakes Association pledged to name the local park after Millard Fillmore, the 13th president of the United States, who was born in Summerhill. They planned a dedication ceremony for July. April, May, June 1921: Businessmen of Moravia organized a volunteer force to clear underbrush, remove dead trees and create walking paths for the July event. July 4, 1921: Ten thousand people came to Moravia to enjoy the dedication ceremony, band concerts, speeches, vaudeville acts, athletic events, dancing, fireworks and a parade. October 1923: With the Moravia Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Atwood submitted a proposal for the glen to become a state park. April 1924: The state legislature created the New York State Council of Parks. Dr. Atwood was appointed a commissioner for the Finger Lakes Region. June 1925: Fillmore Glen officially became a state park with 39 acres. Seven different parcels totaling 144 acres were added in 1926. The park has continued to grow to its current size of almost 1,000 acres. October 1928: After Dr. Atwood’s death in June, several hundred people attended the dedication of a memorial to honor the ‘Father of Fillmore Glen.'”
Reference: text in italics and quotes is from the new Charles Atwood Sign.
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
First Blooms
Floriography!!!
“Like other ericaceous plants (i.e. of the heather family -Ericaceae), most rhododendrons prefer acid soils with a pH of roughly 4.5–5.5; some tropical Vireyas and a few other rhododendron species grow as epiphytes and require a planting mix similar to orchids.”
“Rhododendrons have fibrous roots and prefer well-drained soils high in organic material. In areas with poorly drained or alkaline soils, rhododendrons are often grown in raised beds using media such as composted pine bark. Mulching and careful watering are important, especially before the plant is established. Rhododendron species have long been used in traditional medicine.”
“Animal studies and in vitro research have identified possible anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities which may be due to the antioxidant effects of flavonoids or other phenolic compounds and saponins the plant contains.”
“In the language of flowers, the Rhododendron symbolizes danger and to beware. Floriography (language of flowers) is a means of cryptological communication through the use or arrangement of flowers.”
“Meaning has been attributed to flowers for thousands of years, and some form of floriography has been practiced in traditional cultures throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. Plants and flowers are used as symbols in the Hebrew Bible, particularly of love and lovers in the Song of Songs, as an emblem for the Israelite people, and for the coming Messiah. William Shakespeare ascribed emblematic meanings to flowers, especially in Hamlet. Interest in floriography soared in Victorian England and in the United States during the 19th century.”
“Gifts of blooms, plants, and specific floral arrangements were used to send a coded message to the recipient, allowing the sender to express feelings which could not be spoken aloud in Victorian society. Armed with floral dictionaries, Victorians often exchanged small “talking bouquets”, called nosegays or tussie-mussies, which could be worn or carried as a fashion accessory.”
Reference: text in italics and quotes is from Wikiedia, “Rhododendron.”
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
August Scenes
Grandfathering Around Tompkins County
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills /all Rights Reserved
Spring Ritual
Feeding Apple Trees
A spring rite of ours is caring for three apple trees. We provide each, a Cortland, a McIntosh, a Delicious, with 15 fertilizer spikes ; 45 in all.
I am way past using a hammer to pound in each. The preferred method is to drive a space into the ground beneath the drip line (the other reach of the branches), lift the handle and drop the spike into the ground, remove the spade and tamp down the ground.
These helpers are now experts in the dropping and counting. Then, enough is enough, time for play.
And lunch….
Copyright 2024 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
Wild Carrot
have you ever noticed the black petals in the center?
Found in a meadow of the Brock-Harvey Forest Preserve. The function of the central dark florets of D. carota has been subject to debate since Charles Darwin speculated that they are a vestigial trait.
It has been suggested that they have the adaptive function of mimicking insects, thus either discouraging herbivory, or attracting pollinators by indicating the presence of food or opportunities for mating.
One study in Portugal found that the dark florets contributed to visitation by the varied carpet beetle, Anthrenus verbasci, and that higher numbers of dark florets correlated with increased visitation, whereas inflorescences without dark florets had fewer visits. Replacing the dark florets with one or more freeze-killed A. verbasci, who are similar to the florets in size and shape produced similar results to those observations of inflorescences with intact florets..
This specimen was found among many others in a meadow of the Brock-Harvey Forest Preserve
Click me for another post from this forest preserve.
References
Wikipedia, Daucus carota
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
Meadow Fritillary
An August morning
The range of the Meadow Fritillary covers eastern British Columbia east through southern Canada and the northern part of the US to Newfoundland, south to north central Oregon, central Colorado, northeast Tennessee, and northwest North Carolina.
This species is found throughout the Northeast and New England. It is said to have significantly expanded its range southward in recent years. Adult Meadow Fritillaries feed on nectar from a variety of plants, including Black-eyed Susans, dandelions, and Ox-eyed Daisies.
The Meadow Fritillary’s flight pattern is usually described as rapid, low, and jerky.
This specimen was found among many others in a meadow of the Brock-Harvey Forest Preserve
Click me for another post from this forest preserve, “Grand Views.”
References
Wikipedia, Boloria bellona
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
Taughannock Gorge with the kids – part 2
Several possible sources have been proposed for the name Taughannock, all of which describe Native American origins. One translation suggests that the name is derived from a combination of Iroquois and Algonquin terms meaning “great fall in the woods”. An alternate theory suggests that the name may refer to a Lenni Lenape (Delaware) chief named Taughannock who died near the falls during a battle.
During the second half of the nineteenth century, steamboats, railroads and Victorian hotels were built in the region to serve tourists who traveled to view the falls. By 1925 the hotels were failing due to a decline in tourism, and New York State began acquiring land to form a park.
J.S. Halsey built a two and a half story hotel in 1850, known variously as the Cataract Hotel or Taughannock House (or simply as Halsey’s Hotel) at the Taughannock Falls Overlook.
Visitors could reach the hotel by taking a train to Cayuga Lake, take a steamboat across the lake to Goodwin’s Point, then finally board a stagecoach to reach the hotel. The hotel site today is the location of the park visitor center and parking lot.
Enjoy!!
Michael Stephen Wills Photography 