Rolandvue,3rd Week December: Paper Wasp, Bald-faced Hornet,Dolichovespula maculata

The box elder on Wagner at the corner of Wagner Lane has been host to a Bald-faced hornets nest for many years.  The nest moves from place to place in the tree being renewed annually, impressive engineering. The queen from the old nest overwinters and starts the new nests, raises some workers who then enlarge the nest and switch to raising the next reproducers about mid-summer.   There can be intrigue in the colony worthy of a soap opera with death of the original queen.  These hornets are black with the white markings that account for the name.

As usual there are pluses and minuses to the large football shaped nests.  The hornets are pollinators, they attack other insects which can damage gardens so can be beneficial.  They are minimally aggressive but have a painful sting if approached, and can cause an allergic reaction.  Some suggest removing the nest if near children (by a professional).  See some of the youtube videos for precaution.
There has been no problem with the local nest so the pluses out weigh the minuses.

The picture is from a similar nest near the Goucher track which is in a dogwood, closer to the ground. The box elder is a maple family, can be sugared like a maple, and  might be favored by the hornets since they eat sap as well as other insects.  The Kousa dogwood might provide food as well. The nest is layered up from vegetable matter mixed with saliva. It might be more tempting to move the one near the field, but at least the queen over-winters, might be cautious even in this season.

We see a lot of the paper wasps building their umbrella shaped nests under the eaves of the house, a different species. They have similar  benefits, and hazards. They are more brown and yellow versus the black and white hornets.

Bald-faced Hornets Nest similar to the one high in tree on Wagner Rd.

Rolandvue,2nd Week December: Christmas Fern

The other common evergreen seen in the neighborhood and along Towson Run is the christmas fern. It has two associations with the season.  It is still green into Christmas and the leaflets or pinnae have the shape of Santa's boot or the fireplace stocking. The internet has a nice key for Maryland ferns but there is not much for the forager except for the Ostrich fern, but no fall fiddleheads.  It is mainly the ostrich fiddlehead which is considered a delicacy. But the Christmas fern is sometimes grown just for the winter color not nourishment.  The best foragers can say is that it may not kill you. References do say there is protein in these winter fronds, enough to sustain deer at yet they are not heavily browsed.

The identification is by the growth pattern, single scattered clumps and not colonies or  by the overall leaf shape whether tapered or semi-tapered.  Finally it is "once cut". Mother nature took one scissor cut between pinnae.  She sometimes cuts again at right angles, twice cut,  and sometimes one more cut at right angles to that making "thrice cut".  The fruit bearing fronds have died back leaving the sterile fronds for the winter. It is native to the east coast of the United States. It likes shade to partial shade.


I will try to get a close up of the leaflet, at a distance in looks smooth or entire but the description is a finely serrated edge. Meanwhile the sensitive ferns at the corner of Cloverlea have disappeared  at the first frost and the ostrich fern is just the black residual fruiting bodies.

Close-up of the boot leaflets,thorns may prevent browse?

Christmas fern green in December and boot leaflets

An unknown twice cut fern,imagine paper scissors at right angles

Rolandvue, December Bonus: Weeping Willow, Terry Pratchett

It is a cold rainy day, nice to be curled up with a Discworld book by Terry Pratchett.  Recall that we recently added a weeping willow to the neighborhood tree list, (located at the top of Cloverlea hill.)  In Pratchett's memory I am adding his foraging advice.

One wizard asked why anyone would want to harvest willow bark.  The head wizard replied that it was an analgesic.  Okay, said the first, but wouldn't it be easier to take it by mouth?

Here is the weeping willow at the top of Cloverlea, looking particularly sad at this point in winter. There are supposed to be aspirin compounds in the twigs, not sure about extraction process.

Rolandvue,1st Week December: Ground Cover,Strawberries,Garlic Mustard,Creeping Charlie,Celandine

Whether you walk along Rolandvue or down Towson Run, the remaining color is persistent green from hardy plants which have survived the early frost.  It blurs the definition of evergreen, many will survive under the snow, but may have different methods of avoiding frost.  The ground plants are often considered edible, like the garlic mustard, but the nutrition may be borderline at this time of year.

During a holiday celebration a family member with a small herd of cattle was saying that hay bales had to be put out in the cold weather, the cows could not subsist on grazing alone.  Salt licks and good mixed hay were necessary.  So even with the healthy green color there may not be the usual amount of vitamins in the greens.  Our local wildlife seem to ignore them, no sign that garlic mustard is heavily browsed. This would be difficult times for a real forager. There may be a symmetry between the fall greens and the spring ephemerals.  Both benefit by the sunlight reaching the ground through the bare limbs of the trees.

The three plants illustrated are the most common.  We now know that the strawberry is the mock or false strawberry having seen the yellow flower and tasted the bland fruit.  The garlic mustard still has the odor when the leaves are crushed, as does the ground ivy or creeping charlie, the more minty smell.  The garlic mustard was specifically introduced as a potherb which survived the winter. It may be more a flavoring than a main course.  It is invasive and even nature centers encourage harvesting.

winter garlic mustard

wild strawberry winter

creeping charlie,minty smell, more vine like

This last plant puzzled me at first, until I broke a stem and saw the orange sap.  We saw this earlier,the greater celandine, with the pod seeds and yellow flowers. The danger would be putting it in the cress family, mostly edible, while celandine is moderately toxic. This,like the others will winter over under the snow.  There are recipes for teas and infusions but would have to be viewed with caution.  Even references to medicinal uses say that the effects are reduced in the winter as the plant concentrates on antifreeze.

We just saw the yellow color in the bark of the Oregon-grape, now the yellow sap in celandine, both have the compound berberine which may relate to the yellow pigment. Celandine is related to poppies while the Oregon-grape is closer to Barberry,not sure about more distant relationship.

greater celandine,orange sap, probably toxic

Rolandvue,4th Week of November: Oregon Grape Mahonia aquifolium? Club Mosses

 We have been watching for an excuse to mention the Oregon-grape, a favorite since it is a long way from home and only scattered in the neighborhood.  The specimen along north side of Rolandvue was probably planted in distant past, the one near the beech end of Wagner may be from seed.  Fellow walkers have suggested it is just a variation of holly.  The name aquifolium does mean holly-like leaves. The first photo shows the bright yellow color just under the bark, said to be typical for Oregon-grape indicative of one of the chemicals produced, berberine .(One reference notes that the bark can be harvested from the same plant for thirty years without damage).

So the Mahonia identification seems fairly certain even though we have not seen the spring flowers or the purple fruit.  There is a fruiting structure growing the last week or two.  The internet does not show this structure very definitively.  There is a variation , Mahonia japonica which produces a winter flower with something like this appearance.  Someone may have this in their garden and the birds have spread the two specimens.  There should be fragrant yellow flowers followed by blue berries.

The berries, though tart can be made into wine or jelly.  Extracts of the roots or the bark are used for medicinal purposes, particularly for GI complaints.  The leaves show signs of stress, nibbles, for a non-native it follows the thought that every leaf tells a tale.  The last photo is a close-up of one element of the inflorescence, now arching but tending toward pendant.  It is more like the japonica.

 The last two photos were taken down by the lake on one of the Friday walks.  No one knew the  seasonal timing of the plant so can not say it tells much about the calendar.  They were about four inches high and looked like miniature xmas trees. The club mosses once were a dominant species as large trees but now are "of minor ecological and economic importance."  There are enthusiasts who grow them for decoration.  They can be added to wreaths.  One species makes a powder which flashes, used in early photography. They are easily missed, prefer moisture and warmth so may be gone in a few days.
The specific identification is difficult but I like the sound of "Selaginella". Another name is resurrection plant, having the ability to roll into a brown ball when dry, returning to a green state with moisture.

possible club mosses,four inches tall

club moss seen near lake Roland,? selaginella

Rolandvue,3rd Week November: Death or Dormancy, Porcelain Berry Vines




The luxuriant vines of a few weeks ago have become dormant. At this stage the vines would be difficult to identify but we know this area was covered with porcelain berry, a relative of the common grape.  By extension from the grape vine literature the vine though appearing dead is still physiologically active. The residual nutrients from the leaves had to be transported down to the roots.  The roots will remain active until the spring.  This may be the best time to harvest some roots at the point of maximum energy storage, though there are no references to using porcelain berry roots.  Were we trying to grow these plants this would be a time for continued added nutrients and watering.

Dormancy is a winter survival behavior, there is less water in the tissues, more protein, and cell membrane changes preparing for frost.  There is some respiration going on but no photosynthesis. There are stored carbohydrates for the first month of spring and the early budding.  The vascular system is "plugged" to help prevent freezing. But some bud cells are present ready for the warmer weather.  Budding can be forced artificially but probably not of interest for these invasive cousins of the grape.