The Three Laughers of Tiger Glen
The Sound of Laughter Among Friends
Tag: Cornell University
Baker Lab with Autumn Trees
Double Irony
Baker Lab
Baker Laboratory dates back to World War I. With 200,000 square feet of space, the lab is home to Cornell’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department, the Chemistry Research Computing Facility, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, and the Advanced ESR Technology Research Center (whew!!).
Trees on a Knoll
On the right, on a knoll, is a European beech tree (Fagus sylvatica). The Latin name holds a double irony. Standing, alone, high above East Avenue on the Cornell campus (sylvatica means “of forests”) as a memory of the forests growing above Cayuga Lake is a being once worshiped as a god. In Celtic mythology, Fagus is the god of beeches.
A maple is on the left, genus Acer of unknown species. I recognize it from the shape.
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
Little Red Maple
First to flower, first to turn
Red Maple (Acer Rubrum)
The Red Maple (Acer Rubrum) is tolerant of diverse conditions, making it a perfect choice for this spot on the short of Beebe Lake.
Maple Syrup
Even though it is not a “Sugar Maple, early spring, the sap can be boiled down to syrup.
Turning Tree
The first to flower in spring and the first to turn in autumn.
From the Top Down
This maple turns from the top down and is already bare for most top branches.
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
Lib Slope Hickory
the largest and brightest yellow canopy on Libe Slope.
Libe Slope
Cornell University is on a west-facing hill above Cayuga lake. Libe Slope is between the West Campus and Quadrangle / Libraries.
Besides the exercise of walking the 18 degree incline several times each day, Cornell students and alumni remember The Slope for autumn color.
Built in 1868, McGraw Hall has the honor of having the first of Cornell’s towers. The building is built of Ithaca stone and is home to the American Studies Program, Department of History, Department of Anthropology, and Archaeology Intercollege Program. The first floor of McGraw Hall houses the McGraw Hall Museum, a collection of roughly 20,000 objects from around the globe used for teaching by the Anthropology Department.
Hickory
This is a Pignut Hickory (Carya glabra), the largest tree according to a 2009 Campus Tree Inventory (see link, below).
This hickory grows south of the Johnson Museum and among the autumn glories, it is the largest and brightest yellow canopy on Libe Slope.
Contrast
I remember this hickory for the contrast between the canopy and trunk, the way the clumps of yellow hang from dark boughs. An overcast day is the best to capture this spectacle. October 20, 2012 provided both bright sun and dark, rolling autumn clouds. I waited on the north side, sheltered from the glare of the sky, for these perfect moments.
Leaves and Nuts
The pignut hickory is native to these Eastern United States. It is known to favor moist slopes and this specimen has thrived on The Slope. The ground beneath it is thick with nuts.
One week later as Hurricane Sandy approached the east coast
Just one week later, late afternoon on a sunny Friday as hurricane Sandy approached the east coast the hickory has fewer, tawny golden leaves.
Wonderful Flow of Limbs among Gold
References
A Photo Tour of Key Buildings at Cornell University by Allen Grove
Websites
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
Edible
nonmigratory?
Thursday last, grandsons Sam and Rory and I visited Sapsucker Woods, enjoying a late summer morning from a wooden observation platform over this watery swamp. “Look, hot dogs!!”
“Typha is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in Australia as cumbungi or bulrush, in Canada as bulrush or cattail, and in New Zealand as reed, cattail, bulrush or raupo.”
“Many parts of the Typha plant are edible to humans. Before the plant flowers, the tender inside of the shoots can be squeezed out and eaten raw or cooked. The starchy rhizomes are nutritious with a protein content comparable to that of maize or rice. They can be processed into a flour with 266 kcal per 100 grams, and are most often harvested from late autumn to early spring. They are fibrous, and the starch must be scraped or sucked from the tough fibers. Baby shoots emerging from the rhizomes, which are sometimes subterranean, can be picked and eaten raw. Also underground is a carbohydrate lump which can be peeled and eaten raw or cooked like a potato. The plant is one championed by survival experts because various parts can be eaten throughout the year. Plants growing in polluted water can accumulate lead and pesticide residues in their rhizomes, and these should not be eaten.”
“The rind of young stems can be peeled off, and the tender white heart inside can be eaten raw or boiled and eaten like asparagus. This food has been popular among the Cossacks in Russia, and has been called “Cossack asparagus”. The leaf bases can be eaten raw or cooked, especially in late spring when they are young and tender. In early summer the sheath can be removed from the developing green flower spike, which can then be boiled and eaten like corn on the cob. In mid-summer when the male flowers are mature, the pollen can be collected and used as a flour supplement or thickener.”
Click me for another Sapsucker Woods posting.
Reference: text in italics and quotes is from the Wikipedia, “Typha.”
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved.
Fragrant
Native Americans used it as a herbal remedy for a variety of ailments.
Thursday last, grandsons Sam and Rory and I visited Sapsucker Woods, enjoying a late summer morning we clambered onto a wooden platform over a watery swamp.
Look closely for flowers and buds of the White Water Lily native to New York State.
Although the young leaves of White Water-lily reportedly can be boiled and served as a vegetable, the main human use of this plant appears to have been medicinal. Native Americans used it as a herbal remedy for a variety of ailments, including colds, tuberculosis, bronchial complaints, toothaches, and mouth sores.
The many names for this plant: American White Waterlily, American White Water-lily, Fragrant Water-lily, Fragrant White Water Lily, Fragrant White Water-lily, Sweet Water-lily, Sweet-scented Water Lily, Sweet-scented White Waterlily, Tompkins County, Water, Water Lily, Waterlily, White Water Lily, White Waterlily, White Water-lily (Nymphaea odorata ssp. odorata)
Click me for another Sapsucker Woods posting.
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved.
Scarlet
nonmigratory?
Thursday last, grandsons Sam and Rory and I visited Sapsucker Woods, enjoying a late summer morning we came upon many scarlet beauties.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is also known as Bog Sage, Cardinal Flower, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Finger Lake Region, Hog’s Physic, Indian Pink, Red Bay, Sapsucker Woods, Scarlet Lobelia, Slinkweed, Water Gladiole.
Click me for another Sapsucker Woods posting.
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved.
Soft Landing
nonmigratory?
Thursday last, grandsons Sam and Rory and I visited Sapsucker Woods, enjoying a late summer morning. From the north side on Wilson Trail, these Canada geese landed on the pond.
In North America, nonmigratory Canada goose populations have been on the rise. The species is frequently found on golf courses, parking lots, and urban parks, which would have previously hosted only migratory geese on rare occasions.
Owing to its adaptability to human-altered areas, it has become one of the most common waterfowl species in North America. In many areas, nonmigratory Canada geese are now regarded as pests by humans.
They are suspected of being a cause of an increase in high fecal coliforms at beaches. An extended hunting season, deploying noise makers, and hazing by dogs have been used to disrupt suspect flocks.
A goal of conservationists has been to focus hunting on the nonmigratory populations (which tend to be larger and more of a nuisance) as opposed to migratory flocks showing natural behavior, which may be rarer.
Click me for another Sapsucker Woods posting.
Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved.
Common and Beautiful
Happy June First!!
False Solomon’s Seal, scientific name Maianthemum racemosum, is common in the Finger Lakes Region. I found this specimen during a walk with the grandchildren in a local fen among the post-glacial terrain of the Finger Lakes Region.
False Solomon’s Seal is a common, widespread plant with numerous common names and synonyms, known from every US state except Hawaii, and from every Canadian province and territory (except Nunavut and the Yukon), as well as from Mexico. What name do YOU know it by?
Because it resembles plants of the highly toxic Veratrum genus, this species should not be consumed unless identification is positive. The plant becomes fibrous and bitter after it completes flowering and seed-setting, but the tender young shoots can be stripped of their leaves, simmered in water and eaten. Their delicate flavor is somewhat reminiscent of asparagus. The ripe fruits are edible raw or cooked but may be poor in taste. They can be laxative if consumed in large quantities.
Ojibwa harvested the roots of this plant and cooked them in lye water overnight to remove the bitterness and neutralize their strong laxative qualities. Native Americans boiled the roots to make tea for medicinal purposes, including to treat rheumatism, kidney issues, and wounds and back injuries.
Reference: “Maianthemum racemosum” wikipedia
Images and captions Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved
Dragon Day 2013 Cornell University
Cornell University Dragon Day 2013
A series of group and individual portraits from the 2013 Dragon Day Parade on the Cornell University Campus. I am happy to report this tradition resumed 2022 after a 2-year pandemic enforced hiatus. This tradition was and is celebrated for over 100 years.
Cornell University Dragon Day 2013
Michael Stephen Wills Photography 