Foxes Return, one year later from first post

A quick cellphone video of the foxes,almost one year from the previous video.  It is breeding season which may account for the behavior.  The vixen will be digging several breeding earths under woodpiles and sheds.  The two today are probably a pair, with the female being darker and the male slightly (20%) heavier.

Cubs are born May to July, if this is the same pair as last year, must be getting at least 2-3 years old.  One type of behavior is dominance/ hierarchy, established early in life(by 8 weeks).  The subordinate approaches with body low, wriggling at the feet of the more dominant.  That was not at all visible with this pair suggesting more breeding behavior. Apparently they live in groups of up to ten equal vixens and dogs(male), but we have never seen more than two together.

Foxes will "surplus" kill, taking more animals than they can eat, making them more of a nuisance to farmers raising chickens.

All Five Senses

We saw a fox run across the yard, almost to the patio, before turning to head for a neighbor's garden.  A little later, as the sun was setting, we took a walk around the block and could smell a mild skunk-like odor.  Not seeing many skunks recently this was probably the fox spore, more intense on the foggy night.

The next night, a little later, almost dark there was a strange intermittent noise moving in circles in the field at the end of Cloverlea.  It was like a crow or a bluejay, but on the ground able to go quickly through the hedges.  There is a similar call on youtube under "fox,calls" used when they are playing or fighting.  We could not see the fox but suspect that was the culprit.

On the foraging trips Victoria emphasizes using all the senses.  Pausing to listen, eyes closed may help, can be interesting.  For example a thicket of woods may seem pristine but  if there are nearby traffic noise, pollution may be a concern.  Some plants and seed pods can have a rattling noise.

Touch can help with leave identification, waxy, rough, sandpaper, various qualities. Taste may be left for last, but smell is underutilized.  One to try is the spice bush at the corner of Cloverlea and Rolandvue.  The growth pattern is shown in the first picture and the stippled bark in the second.  It can be identified even in winter without the red berries. Break a twig to show the green undersurface and smell.  The ground at the base has creeping charlie,crush a leave and see if there is a fragrance. If there is a spice smell, probably ok to experiment with chewing on the twig.

Burning Bush ( Euonymous alatus)

Walking along Towson Run in November, the woods are dotted with bright red leaves, bushes about five feet tall.  The leaves are elliptical with pointed ends, opposite and on corky twigs.  My  guess is that this is the more invasive form of Burning Bush.  There is a cultivated example at the corner of Cloverlea and Rolandvue.  The wings on the twigs were not obvious but these disappear apparently as the bush ages. (alatus is "wing")

Popular as an ornamental, the sale of the plant is prohibited in areas of New England due to invasive tendencies, making the ID more likely.  The red-orange berries hang down below their dark capsule. Nothing in the foraging manuals about the berries, but no notes as to being poisonous either.  The plant was used in Chinese medicine. The leaves are dark green in the spring and summer, with small yellow flowers in the Spring.

Puffballs ,The Devil's Snuffbox (Lycoperdon sp)

We found these along the old rail line parallel to Towson Run, near the ruins of the old mill. The opening in the top indicates maturity.  Squeezing the sides of each mushroom elicits a smoke out the opening, actually fungus spores. Remember this from childhood?

V. sliced one in half to show the mottled interior color.  They are edible only when younger and all white.  They may not have the characteristic opening at that stage and have to be distinguished from the poisonous Amanita sp.  This is probably beyond the usual warnings since Amanita is deadly. Leave it to the experts.

Not surprisingly, given the maturity and the spores, these were absorbed or gone one week later,unless a more adventurous forager harvested them. This was the common season for fruiting puffballs, August to November.

For latin scholars, another common name for this mushroom is "wolf-fart".  "Lyco" is wolf in Greek and "perdon" is Greek for "to break wind."  Puffball is a term used for many large round mushrooms so again the scientific name is helpful.  There have been giant puffballs around, Calvatia sp , but also very transient.

Lion's Mane or a Fungus Among Us (Hericium)

This was on a dead tree along the driveway at the top of Cloverlea Road,larger than the usual specimen described on the internet. White when young it begins to yellow with age. It is said to be edible in the white stage with a consistency and taste of seafood. As it yellows becomes less palatable. (usual precautions)

The spikes on the front are typical, and apparently little else that appears the same as long as it is up off the ground.  There are five or ten other common names so this is another case where the latin in helpful.

You cut it off at the tree base, wash out the sawdust and bugs with a salt solution and saute it in butter and herbs. It may have some medicinal uses still being studied. They are cultivated on dead wood for commercial purposes.

Native, but a long way from home, Mahonia aquifolium, Oregon-grape or Oregon grape

We found this plant on the west side of Rolandvue going up the hill from Towson Run. It is native to the Pacific northwest, but widely planted with many cultivars.  The middle of the photo shows one pinnate leaf with 13 spiny,shiny leaflets.  Latin names are not always included but here aquifolium means holly-like leaf which is pretty descriptive.

It is about one meter tall, a typical height.  There should be yellow flowers in the spring followed by clusters of blue fruit.  Mahonia is not related to true grapes but the fruits appear somewhat similar. The berries can be used for jelly or fermented into wine but are said to be tart, mixed with other berries or with sugar. CCF says a very good wine. Parts of the plant can be used as dyes, possibly as medicinals. The size 14 foot in the picture is for scale,"I meant to do that".
The hyphen in Oregon-grape is apparently illegal, as far as taxonomy, but helps to underline the not true grape aspect.

Box Elder Bug or Halloween Bug, end of Wagner, black and red bug

These little guys were following their script.  It was a south facing hillside along the far end of Wagner Rd.  They gather the end of fall for warmth, around the time of Halloween, this was exactly Halloween Day.  Typically near box elder but sometimes other maple species, check. There are a mixture of stages, adults more black, younger mixed red and black,check. They were not threatening or biting just a little yuck factor.  Do not know the timing, these were there during the sunny part of the day for at least a week.


Their next step it to find a warm spot for the winter, sometimes the nearest house. They can find a path through small cracks.  There is a pheromone associated with the gathering and a smell with crushing.  Elimination methods are a shop vac, soap spray , or insecticides.  For the long term you can get rid of the box elder but miss the shade. Sort of expected to find a praying mantis nearby.

Elm keys or samaras above the bend in Wagner

Still uncertain of the exact type of elm or whether the two trees are the same.  The seeds or keys are similar but  distributed differently. Sine they are maturing in the fall this would tend to eliminate Slippery elm and rock elm which mature in the spring.

One or both may be the chinese  elm introduced after the spread of Dutch elm disease fungus killed most American elms.

The Thayer reference is almost poetic about eating the samaras of the Siberian elm,maturing in the spring.  I will research any experience with these smaller seeds.  The outer coat can be rubbed off leaving a sunflower like seed.

The first photo shows the more westerly tree with a collection of samaras near the branch. The second is the tree to the east, more sparsely distributed seeds, but this may be random. The seeds themselves are similar. Add to your cereal or salad?

Glasswort aka Pickleweed(Salicornia) Gordon Pond loop

Looking across the marshes around Gordon Pond( Henlopen Park),there are broad patches of pink and red adding color to the fall grasses. At least some of the red is due to the Glasswort, changing from green to red during the fall season. This may correlate with an increase in the salt content of the plant.  References note glasswort as a succulent halophyte,growing in salt environments.

The ashes of the plant can be used to make one form of glass. Since the plant is high in salt content, it could be a source of sodium carbonate for soap as well as glass. Th shoots can be eaten raw, cooked or pickled. An oil can be extracted and the seeds ground for various uses.

The variety shown had a woody stem with the shoots compared to chicken legs.

Unknown (check photos first)

Not sure why this had not been seen earlier, may be seasonal.  From the brownish color,lack of chlorophyll, and the location over the beech roots, I am pretty sure this is Beech Drops or Epifagus americana.

It is related to indian pipe which has been seen. It is parasitic on the Beech roots, not sure if there are any advantages to the tree.  The root ball is small and superficial. Flowers are small and typically bloom August to October. No leaves. There are undocumented variety of herbal uses, cancer treatment and for skin ulcers. One source notes a bitter astringent taste.

The pictures are from RE LEE Park, but beech drops are growing just off the beginning of Rolandvue, between the road and the stream. Find the big beech tree then look on the side toward the stream.  Just before the first house.

Persimmons, Diospyros virginiana, Henlopen Park

This is a little different circle, not Rolandvue, not Bellona, but the bike trail circuit touching Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, and Gordon Pond.  The puzzle initially was the fruit from the trees at Silver Lake, bordering on spoiled, bright orange but still a little tart.

Inquiring locally and at Charm City Farm, the suggestion was to wait for the first frost, almost a dark appearance to the fruit when it would be sweeter.  Someone made the analogy to ice wine. Persimmons should be a winter harvest. All the fruit along that bike path will be dropped by the frost.  Some of the lower fruit will be browsed by deer.  Coincidentally persimmons were available commercially, larger and bright  orange to yellow, not dark.

The difference may be species specific.  Commercial fruit is usually asiatic varieties.  The native virginiana persimmons may be the ones best taken later. The actual identification of the persimmons along the bike route is unknown.  The Silver Lake probably were planted and likely were asian.  A wind storm with salt spray the week before might also have caused the fruit to drop early. The trees in Henlopen Park may be native, upper fruit sparse but intact.

By history persimmon was eaten in a steamed pudding, possibly balancing some fruit harvested early.

Rumor has it that there is a persimmon along Rolandvue but I have yet to find it.

The photos show the fruit and the leaves of the Silver Lake tree, deeply furrowed park and sparse leaves in early October.

Weed with Sassafras-like leaves

Brief note about this plant along Towson Run above the Bellona Bridge.  I am pretty sure this is giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida, for the usual three lobed leaf.  It can be variable up to five lobes.  Will try to add the flower. Can be up to 12 feet tall.  Just as allergenic as common ragweed.  See the nasty looking pollen online, sharp spines under the microscope. Leaf margins are serrated. This plant was only two feet, will watch for its big brother. Below tried to highlight the characteristic hairs on the stem and frequent branches.  The leaves did have a rough sand paper feel, a grain, can be stroked distal but not as easy proximal.

White Snakeroot (Eupatorium rugosum)

This plant was found on a walk in Robert E Lee park.  Did not seem common but apparently toxic to goats and cattle, then toxic even fatal to humans who eat the meat or drink the milk of the animals.  Said to be a common cause of death for settlers moving westward who were not familiar with the plant.  There are stories online about heroic efforts of pioneer doctors to diagnosis the milk sickness.  Said to cause the death of Abraham Lincoln's mother.

It has similar small white flowers as boneset but a much longer leaf stem or petiole. Three prominent veins are seen on the upper leaf surface. The disease is rare now that pastures are more controlled, and milk from any one cow is diluted. There did not seem to be any mention of deer eating the plant in the fall and thus becoming toxic. Symptoms are shaking,staggering, vomiting, intestinal pain.  In the twentieth century the toxin was identified as tremetol.

The picture shows the leaf with the marks from a leaf miner, and the flowers with a couple of reasons to take the photos outdoors.  Finally there is the plant in its natural setting.

The last photo was almost one month later.  Is this the late stage flower of the white snakeroot? There are discussions on the net about misdiagnosing boneset, in fact this plant is sometimes called tall boneset. But the leaf shape seems consistent with white snakeroot.   There are few stock images as the plant goes to seed,so some uncertainty.

More detail on the leaf miner, many varieties, gets bigger,bigger track as larva grows, then molts and flies away at the large end of the trail.

Red Admiral (Admirable) or Vanessa atalanta butterfly

There was a group (flock?) of  these butterflies around a dead tree at the edge of the parking lot.  Better images on line.  They are apparently not uncommon along the east coast, breeding twice in the south once in the north and often more late in the year.  That might have been the behavior we were seeing.

They also apparently feed on the sap of trees, so they may have been feeding even though the tree looked at least dormant if not dead.

So a strategy of breeding late in the year before migration south, and being able to feed on trees.

( and a group of butterflies can be called a swarm but more technically is a kaleidoscope, will cousin Ted know that one?)

Struggling through Nabokov's novel Pale Fire, noted a reference to this butterfly(he studied butterflies as a hobby).  It may have originally been the Red Admirable, later corrupted to Admiral.  Like Admirable better.

Joe-Pye weeds (Eutrochium)

I was going to pass over the tall reddish-purple flowers on the western corner of Cloverlea/Rolandvue when the neighborhood's youngest naturalist (? second grade) happen to point them out.  He said they were hardy native plants, he has some planted in his yard.  They are a prominent feature of that corner and have been for the month of August.  Attractive for butterflies.

None of the three foraging books mention Joe Pye weed as a herb.

.  The name comes from an indian healer who used the plant frequently in colonial days. The whorled leaf pattern is typical of the Eutrochium.   Leaves are lancet, stems speckled to purple. Variations include one with a hollow stem and one with vanilla smell to the crushed leaves, plus one variety growing to 12 feet tall.  Pictures show an over view, the flower and the whorled pattern or leaves, all arising from one point on the stem.

Arbor vitae or Eastern White Cedar :Profusion of Cones

It seemed like a heavy crop of cones along the driveway of 1009 Cloverlea Rd this year.  NPS. Gov has a couple of explanations.  The older trees bear more heavily, these are over fifty years old.  The trees bear in cycles of approximately five years, more some years than others. There may be more cones in years after stress.  How stressful was 2014?

The flat leaves are seem in the picture.  There is a history of using the inner bark and the leaf tips for tea to prevent scurvy.  The tree is said aid to have saved the lives of French explorers in Canada,Cartier and his men.  On the other hand the oil extract is said to be toxic.  None of the three foraging references mention eating the nuts, best left for the birds and squirrels. The photos show the height of the tree, emphasizing the age.  Under certain,usually stressed conditions these trees can last over a thousand years.  Then a close up of the nuts or cones, numerous this year.  Finally a mid-angle view.  No indication they can be used as Pine Nuts.

Won't get into the "not a cedar" thing.

Mulberry Tree: Horizontal lines on the trunk. Wagner Road

We have both the more native red mulberry and the introduced white mulberry in the area(introduced for the silkworm).  Somewhere there was reference that the red might show horizontal lines on the trunk, cannot find it again in google.  From a distance this first photo from a tree at the end of Wagner, north side showed horizontal markings and a possible "a Hah" moment.

Closer view it looks more like a woodpecker such as the yellow-bellied sapsucker making a line of holes.  Possibly the red Mulberry might attract more woodpeckers than the white but that may be a stretch.  Will watch for other criteria.

Black Nightshade, another nearby Solanaceae: Solanum nigrum (Wagner Road)

Only twenty steps from the ground cherry is a scattering of a relative, Black Nightshade. Not much in volume but an interesting name.  At least this week the moth-eaten leaves were a clue, not unusual.  It resembles a tomato plant and has the small white flowers with green berries.

There is a long discussion in Thayer about its lack of toxicity, at least when the berries are ripe and black but quoting others saying the berries will bring torpor and death. Will go back to this a few times before trying when ripe and quote "the greatest garden fruit ever". These were on the north side under the yews.

Jewelweed or Touch-Me-Not

Jewelweed is all over the neighborhood with the orange flowers and ripening seeds. This photo is from the end of Wagner Road.  The dew is beading on the leaves, due to the oil on the surface of the leaves.  If no dew you can spray with a water bottle. The seeds are getting ripe enough to "pop" when touched.  A nature experience for kids of all ages.  The oils are said to be good for poison ivy, rub on after an exposure.

Pellitory of the Wall, Parietaria officinalis, sine Wall

This may be more tentative than usual, but at least in the differential diagnosis.   It is in the nettle family but without stinging cells. A tolerant plant sometimes found in walls, thus the name.  It looks similar to some Amaranth species.

 Some in the group of plants are very allergenic, "the asthma weed", and the allergy may extend to some of those who would consume the plant.  The whole plant has been used to clean glass and copper.

This photo was north side of Wagner Rd 50 yards from the dead end.  The overall shape of the plant is shown and then a close up of the stem with the unusual flowers arising from the leaf axils. There are various medicinal reports but here even the exact identification is somewhat in doubt. One possibility is Pennsylvania pellitory, seems to have the green stem.

There should be male and female plants, have to return and look for the male plant( this may very by species).

Webworm on Box Elder (Hyphantria cunea) Child Height

This is the north side of Wagner Rd near the dead end.  This is probably the fall webworm.  The tent caterpillars tend to be in the spring.  Here the web is on the end of a hardwood deciduous tree branch.  The caterpillars are marked with yellow not easily seen in the photo, will go back with magnification.  The webworm is supposed to be mainly a cosmetic problem,not a threat to a healthy tree.

This is a native to North America which has spread to Asia and Europe, reversing the usual trend. The winter cocoon will produce a white moth in the spring.  Bagworms form a more solid woody case made of silk and local materials.

This stage is said to last about six weeks, and is low enough to the ground to easily see the movement of the caterpillars.  The photos show the end of the branch location at a distance and then a view of the caterpillars magnified, you have to be there for the motion.

Princess Tree (Paulownia tomentosa)

This is on the Bellona/Charles/Rolandvue circle, somewhat outside the usual range but an ID puzzle.  After a little research I think this is a young fast growing Princess tree, with the large opposite leaves typical of the early stage.  It will become a fast growing tree.  Each tree can shed millions of seeds making it a non-native invasive.

The tree was introduced and spread from asia by the East India Company.  It has attractive flowers in the spring, comparable to foxglove. Its fast growth is a plus but makes it susceptible to storm damage. The general advice seems to be to cut it down before producing seeds.

There may be a larger specimen off of Rolandvue to the north near the entrance to Cloverlea.  This is ID at a distance however.  It is a large "weed", will wait for fruiting to start.
There is another grove of the same large weed on the west wide of Mays Chapel near the golf course.  Is this a reason to call a nature 911?

Update.  Somebody did not like this plant, ? Princess Tree, both on Bellona have been cut down so no chance to observe the progression, flowers or fruit.  Will check the Mays Chapel group. The fruit/nut photo is from NPS.gov since no fruit seen here as yet.

September update.  One hundred feed further up Bellona is an older tree starting to bear seed capsules( 4th photo).  These are typical of the Princess tree, will flower in the spring.  The leaves will drop without changing color. The fine hairs that lead to the tomentosa name are visible on the capsules.  So aside from checking texture and smell, have to check the surroundings.  There can be older seed pods on the ground from previous seasons, not noted as yet. So this small tree was lost before any fruit, but pretty much identified by its neighbor. According to the notes, this tree will be back, re-grows from the cut stump.

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) Beginning to ripen

We met the Spicebush frequently along the old railroad bed above Towson Run.  There appears to be a group closer in the V where Cloverlea Rd meets Rolandvue(100 yards up Cloverlea).  Today the berries are just turning from green to red.

The leaves are alternate, oval, pointed at the ends, entire, and bright green.  When crushed they do seem to have a citrus, spicy smell.  Did not try the twigs.  The overall shape, small understory bush with multiple trunks seems typical.  A couple of the red fruits seemed spicy.
In the spring there should be yellow flowers prior to leaf growth.  Leaves may turn yellow in the fall. It is a native perennial.

Since this is a solo ID without  the Guide I may go back a couple of times, check where the fruits grow off the stem, taste the twigs, before actually sampling the fruit.

The photos show the overall shape of the bush, the fruit and what appears to be typical leaves.  The internet has pictures of interesting caterpillars eating these leaves, not noted in this group.  Also missed were the male plants, only the females bear fruit, another item to check.

Update: Another picture two weeks later (9/8/15), ripening berries with one bluish black. Still pretty solid, not much interest in adding to steak as yet.