oak gall – Michael Stephen Wills Photography

Treman Early Autumn Walk IX

The post discusses various unique kennings, their meanings, and reflects on the term “Swan-Road” symbolizing a serene river.

October 1, 2023September 29, 2023 MichaelStephenWills1 Comment

Below Lucifer Falls this quiet water flows beneath a bridge linking Gorge and Rim trails. The reflection of blue sky between river trees brings to mind the kenning “Swan-Road.” To me it is more fitting than the established meaning: “The Sea,” also associated more appropriately with Whale-Road.

The seldom used English verb “ken.” The Oxford English dictionary proposed the word was borrowed from Norse based on a confluence of meaning, i.e. to know. When it is turned into a noun with the -ing ending, it is a phrase that brings to mind and object described.

Other kennings from : “Whale road = sea (e.g., a place where whales travel); Treasure seat = throne (e.g., the source of treasure or reward, or the role of the king in rewarding his men); Ring giver, ring breaker = king (e.g., the person who bestows rings, or breaks off a piece of his golden bracelet as a reward); Sword sleep = death (e.g., a “sleep” caused by a sword wound); Rapture of heaven = sun (e.g., the sun, brightest of heavenly objects, the joy of heaven); Weaver of peace = wife (e.g., a person whose grace and mildness instills peace, or one who creates domestic tranquility); Earl’s defense = Beowulf (e.g., the one who defends Hrothgar); Mead seats = benches in Heorot (e.g., the places where people sit and drink).”

Click Me for a master work of English poetry that employs kenning forms, “The Porcupine” by Galway Kinnell.

References:

–text in italics and quotes is from the eNotes.com, “Beowulf.”

–Kinnell, Galway. “The Porcupine.” The Hudson Review 20, no. 2 (1967): 219–22.

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Treman Early Autumn Walk V

a drift filled stream bed

September 27, 2023September 26, 2023 MichaelStephenWills4 Comments

Wisconsin Glacial Episode was only the latest of a series of ice wall incursions. For this walk I went off the path to bushwack, following a drift filled stream bed, evidence of multiple glacial incursions with subsequent changing the stream bed of Enfield Creek. Here I am walking on glacial deposition to the north of the current creek bed. A park ranger informed us of this location, it is difficult to comprehend or imaging a 50 foot hill of material deposited in this way. The creek does bend at this point and the deposition is easily seen from above.

Enfield Creek flows to the right of the deposition.

The surface of the hill is hummocky, typical of glacial deposition.

Eventually the former stream bed intersects with a work road sloping back down to the Gorge Trail. It was here I found the oak apple gall of yesterday’s posting.

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Treman Early Autumn Walk IV

Oak Gall

September 26, 2023September 26, 2023 MichaelStephenWills12 Comments

This is an Oak Apple gall. An adult female wasp lays single eggs in developing leaf buds. The wasp larvae feed on the gall tissue resulting from their secretions, which modify the oak bud into the gall, a structure that protects the developing larvae until they undergo metamorphosis into adults.

“Oak galls have been used in the production of ink since at least the time of the Roman Empire. From the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century, iron gall ink was the main medium used for writing in the Western world.”

“Gall nuts are a source of tannin in the production of iron gall ink. Tannins belong to a group of molecules known as polyphenols and can be taken from different parts of plants such as leaves, pods, fruits, and gall nuts.”

“Along with gall nuts, other important ingredients in the production of iron gall ink include iron sulfate and gum arabic. The reaction between the tannins from the gall nut and the iron produces a complex that gives the iron gall ink its color. The gum arabic makes the ink more viscous and helps bind the ink to the writing surface.”

“According to recent research, traces of iron-gall ink have been found on the Dead Sea scrolls and on the ‘lost’ Gospel of Judas. Iron-gall ink may have been used for 1,800 years, but it does not withstand the test of time well. Over the course of centuries, the ink fades, and discolours and damages the paper. Iron gall ink is manufactured chiefly by artists enthusiastic about reviving old methods or possibly forgers of old documents.”

Reference: text in italics and quotes is from the Wikipedia, “Oak Apple Gall” and “Oak Marble Gall.”

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Treman Early Autumn Walk III

Cultivated vs Wild

September 25, 2023September 22, 2023 MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

“Dennstaedtia punctilobula, the eastern hayscented fern or hay-scented fern, is a species of fern native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland west to Wisconsin and Arkansas, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to northern Alabama; it is most abundant in the east of its range, with only scattered populations in the west.”

Hayscenter Fern ( Dennstaedtia punctilobula), spreading by underground rhizomes, this hardy fern native to the Finger Lakes Region of New York State, can quickly take over a space, crowding out weeds and other plants with plentiful yellow-green fronds.

“It is a deciduous fern with fronds growing to 40–100 cm (rarely 130 cm) tall and 10–30 cm broad; the fronds are bipinnate, with pinnatifid pinnules about three times as long as broad. It occurs in damp or dry acidic soils in woods or open woods, from sea level up to 1,200 m altitude.”

“Dennstaedtia punctilobula can exhibit varying degrees of phototropism. The common name “Hay-scented Fern” comes from the fact that crushing it produces an aroma of fresh hay.“

“The presence of D. punctilobula influences the dynamics of the understory vegetation of many forests in the eastern United States. An abundance of highbush blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis) in open areas encourages new tree seedlings. Where the effects of herbivorous animals (such as deer) reduce the abundance of R. allegheniensis, D. punctilobula, which is not browsed by deer, takes over. Where D. punctilobula becomes common, the growth of tree seedlings is restricted.”

Reference: text in italics and quotes is from the Wikipedia, “Dennstaedtia punctilobula.”

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved Michael Stephen Wills

Treman Early Autumn Walk II

Cultivated vs Wild

September 23, 2023September 27, 2023 MichaelStephenWills6 Comments

Today I walked the Gorge Trail to below Lucifer Falls, crossed the bridge and returned via the South Rim Trail, a trip of over 5 miles according to the Apple IPhone 14 Pro Max used for these photographs.