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moths, blueberries, and acorns
Monday, June 17 2024
location: rural Hurley Township, Ulster County, NY
On this afternoon's walk up the Chamomile Headwaters Trail, I crossed (as I usually do) over to the Stick Trail prematurely by going down the escarpment between them. The top of that escarpment (as with most of the forest of late) is covered with a thick sedge understory, which I've said may be a consequence of all the light reaching the forest floor through the moth-eaten canopy. But there are other plants on the forest floor that are benefitting from this additional solar energy as well. One of those is the blueberry, which likes to grow in the understory of dry upland forests. It's rare for me to see any blueberries, as the bears get them the moment they appear. But today I found a few. It made me wonder if perhaps the blueberry crop is especially big this year due to all the additional sun. If so, the opening of the canopy by the gypsy moths will be something of a mixed blessing for the bears, as the oak trees are unlikely to produce many acorns after being robbed of their solar panels. I noted today, by the way, that our big tree of heaven immediately east of our house appears to have gone completely untouched by the gypsy moth. Since they come from the same part of the world, the tree of heaven has ways to deal with that particular pest. It might have something to do with the tree of heaven's pungent smell. But it could be many other things as well.
This evening Gretchen and I dined on leftovers, including (for Gretchen) nearly-week-old fixing for tacos and (for me) bok choy with tempeh. I also boiled up a pot of rice to have with these things.
Blueberries that the bears had yet to find on the escarpment above the Stick Trail at least a half mile from home. Click to enlarge.
Overturned bluestone among the sedges of the dry upland forest. This is typically done by bears looking for delicious critters living beneath them. Click to enlarge.
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