Tag: Tompkins County

Spring Ritual

Feeding Apple Trees

MichaelStephenWills

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

Ad Astra

To The Stars

MichaelStephenWills

A mass of lavender asters produced for a painterly, restful esthetic. Over the years I have tended beds of these wildflowers. The sunlight of late August/early September here in the Finger Lakes is especially clear and this is when these asters bloom. This were caught on a clear September evening with the sun just behind a stand of large Ash trees.

Click Me to visit this image in my fine art gallery

“Symphyotrichum novi-belgii (formerly Aster novi-belgii), commonly called New York aster. Symphyotrichum, a genus in the family Asteraceae, whose species were once considered to be part of the genus Aster. Plants in both these genera are popularly known as Michaelmas daisy because they bloom around September 29, St. Michael’s Day. The Latin specific epithet novi-belgii (literally “New Belgium”) refers not to modern Belgium, but the 17th century Dutch colony New Netherland which was established on land currently occupied by New York state (as Belgica Foederata was the Latin term for the United Netherlands at the time).“

Reference: Wikipedia “Symphyotrichum novi-belgii.”

Copyright 2023 Michael StephenWills All Rights Reserved

Wild Carrot

have you ever noticed the black petals in the center?

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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

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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

MichaelStephenWills

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.

A nice lady offered to take the photo….challenged to keep it straight.

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.

Pollywogs!! Catch and release

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!!

Taughannock Gorge with the kids

and ice cream!!

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The waterfall and gorge comprise an example of a hanging valley, formed where Taughannock Creek’s stream-carved valley meets the deeper glacially carved valley that contains Cayuga Lake.

The gorge has continued to retreat westward from Cayuga Lake as easily eroded shale near the fall’s base is worn away by the stream, which supports erosion-resistant siltstone and sandstone found in the upper portions of the gorge.

Pollywogs!! Catch and release

Annual freeze and thaw cycles also act upon small faults in the rock, causing large sections to occasionally break away, further expanding the gorge.

Taughannock Falls’ main cataract is a 215-foot drop (66 m), making it 33 feet (10 m) taller than Niagara Falls. It is the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains. The waterfall is located along Taughannock Creek, which flows through a long gorge with cliffs up to 400 feet (120 m) high.

Enjoy!!

Lake Treman

formed by a 1930’s Dam on Buttermilk Creek

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Lake Treman from the dam.

Buttermilk creek flowing into Lake Treman.

Dam on Buttermilk creek that forms Lake Treman. Here is stunning Civilian Conservation Corp (1930’s) work in this 36-foot-high stone dam that is not only a spectacle to observe but also serves as part of the trail that encircles Lake Treman. The man-made lake’s wooded shores and placid waters are a stark comparison to the gorge’s rocky cliffs and surging water

August 2023, Buttermilk Falls New York State Park, Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York.

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Wild Ducks

On Lake Treman.

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Two species of wild ducks rest on a fallen tree trunk.

That is a female Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) on right.

Wood Ducks mainly eat berries, acorns, and seeds, but also insects, making them omnivores. They are able to crush acorns after swallowing them within their gizzard.

August 2023, Buttermilk Falls New York State Park, Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York.

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved

Thin Leaved Sunflower

The flowers attract many kinds of insects, including bees and butterflies.

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Thin Leaved Sunflowers (Helianthus decapetalus)

As with other members of the family Asteraceae, Thin Leaved Sunflowers are composed of ray florets. The scientific species name “decapetalus” is inaccurate on several counts. The flower is composed of 8-12 (not only 10, as in “deca”) of these ray florets, not petals. These ray florets are part of the flower reproductive organs, a flower petal is adjacent to, not a component of, a flowers reproductive parts.

The flowers attract many kinds of insects, including bees and butterflies, some of which, such as the painted lady and the silvery checkerspot, use the plant as a larval host. The seeds provide a source of food for birds. Muskrats eat the leaves and stems and use the stems in the construction of their lodges. Here we see a honeybee gathering nectar and pollen.

August 2023, Buttermilk Falls New York State Park, Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York.

Copyright 2023 Michael Stephen Wills All Rights Reserved