Am I Seeing What I Think I'm Seeing?

[Stan]

Trees? UFOs?

Heck, I thought you were referring to the rocks and I don't even take meds.

Those rocks, they keep cropping up all over the place. You're hiking along and the next thing ya know they're all underfoot ... worse than a cat at mealtime. I've just come to accept 'em ... sometimes I take some home and keep 'em as pets ... you know, some smart dude once found out you could sell the small ones for holiday gifts.

 

[Mark Schaefer]

Yes, a thread like this starts every year. This one was better disguised.

Stressed trees (edges of cliffs, along highways, open sunny meadows, overly wet areas, unhealthy trees, etc.) generally do turn earlier than healthy trees of the same species that are deep in the forest. I know of trees along the rim of the Kaaterskill Clove in the Catskills that turn at the end of July almost every year. I haven't seen anything yet this year that would suggest its earlier, later, better, or worse than normal.

In certain areas of the Catskills there are quite few birches that are rusting out, leaves shriveling up and falling. It has been happening for several years now. Perhaps it is the related to the anthracnose referenced in earlier posts or some other blight. It may also be affecting the basswood and beeches. The maples don't seem to be affected much; from what I could see or what I thought I was seeing. I don't know - I agree with Yogi Berra. I don't even take vitamins or aspirin let alone meds.

 

[Neil]

North of Montreal at about 1200 feet elev. the trees began turning at the beginning of last week. I think the onset is a combination of daylength and the conditions.

 

[snowshoe]

This is normal for NW Jersey. Every year about this time the birches start turning. I think the main reason for it is the lack of rain. Wich is typical for this time of year. Dry season. It has been dry for a good month. This tends to effect the birches on the ridges and exposed areas. I am sure the gypsy month problem this year has not helped. I would not get to exited yet. Look at last year. We thought it was going to be a good winter and it was one of the worst as for lack of snow and cold. Lets try to think opposite and hope it is a very warm and rainy winter.

 

[pilgrim]

From today's (8/18/2006) Conway Daily Sun:

[size=+1]Mount Washington logs first snow of season[/size]
David Carkhuff
[size=-2]
MOUNT WASHINGTON—On the second weekend in August, Mount Washington shrugged off summer and shivered in the first official snowfall of the season.
"It wasn't much, just a few flakes, but it was enough that a few people up here noticed it," said Tim Markle, chief meteorologist at the Mount Washington Observatory.
The Aug. 12 cold snap on Mount Washington ushered in the season's first official snowfall, leaving a trace on the 6,288-foot summit. The near-record low temperature from that day of 31 degrees narrowly missed tying the record from 1957 of 30 degrees on Aug. 12.
Although "you could probably count the number of snowflakes that fell on your fingers," Aug. 12 became the first official day of snowfall for the upcoming winter season, Markle said.
Some years snow will persist throughout the summer at the summit.
In some years, "we've had snow every month of the year. The most snow that we've picked up in July was 1.1 inches in 1957. We actually average .2 inches of snow every August," Markle explained.
This year, snowfall subsided in early June and didn't return until Aug. 12.
"Back on June 7, the summit had a trace of snow; and the last measurable snowfall for the summit was May 24, .3 inches of snow," Markle recalled.
On the Aug. 12 weekend, a long period of entrenched fog gave way to wintery conditions. Between 2 and 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon of that Saturday, observatory staff recorded the snowfall during an overcast period with scattered showers. About an inch of ice accumulated on unsheltered surfaces.
"It was a pretty interesting weekend, to say the least, to have the light icing," Markle said. "It definitely was a drastic change in the weather pattern, if only for a day or two.
"The Aug. 12 record low was 30, and we got down to 31. At least by record keeping this event won't make any notes in the record books, but nevertheless it was an interesting day on the summit," he added.[/size]

 

[woodstrider]

I've noticed some...

"colour" up in the Catskills this last week- but I think that it is from the lack of rain.

 

[forestgnome]

Every August this disgussion comes up about weather or not the leaves are turning early, and if it's going to be a colorful autumn or a dud. Many, including Mrs. Forestgnome, disagree with me, but I think it happens at the same time every year, and that it's equally brilliant and beautiful every year.

Looking forward to the magic of autumn!!!

Happy Trails

 

[KevCon223]

Thank God, it looks fall will be coming this year. No more bugs, no more seasonal hikers (wait, there the same thing), cool temps, and snow won't be far behind!!

 

[Whiteman]

It's just plain brown (and a comment on toads)

I was on Cabot today, and it looked like every single deciduous tree was brown. And from a distance, it did not look like just leaf edges; everything looked brown (of course, I did not bother to check the trees right around me carefully, I was just looking across the ridges.)

My personal theory it was very wet, then very hot (good for that fungus, I guess), then sharply drier. That's a lot of stress. Forget about reduced color, there won't be any color other than brown up in the Pilot Range.

And now on to toads: Is there something going on with these guys this year? I've never seen so many. There were places where I had to be careful not to step on the little guys (really little guys, like the size of a pea). My maximum concentration was three scattering from under one step. Lots of medium and big ones, as well as little tree frogs. Is there something in the air?

 

[forestgnome]

And now on to toads: Is there something going on with these guys this year? I've never seen so many.

In the 1960s/70s, when I was a kid, my family camped at White Lake every August, and there would be tons of the tiny toads in the road. We kids would get out of the car and scoot the hords of them off of the campground road so we could drive to our campsite. Some of my family still camps there and they reported that they are back in the same numbers, completely covering the roads in the early morning or night. It's probably just another one of nature's cycles that humans panic over, but I'm happy to see them back. I've seen many more in the forest lately than in prior years.

Happy Trails

 

[IndianChris]

It's been a cool summer. Can't remember a summer like this where the temps got below 60 sometimes at night here on the island. My guess is that the winter will be COLD

 

[snowshoe]

It has been a very warm summer. We had a few cooler spells but again this is very typical

 

[NewHampshire]

Up on the Crawford Path today I saw quite a few trees already sprouting yellows and reds. And around the Clevland Scenic stop there is one tree that has a small patch of fire red leaves already....its funny because the rest of the tree is firmly green....just one good size patch is red!

Brian

 

[marty]

There were many white birches with that rusted out color along the Drake's Brook Trail on Sandwich Dome. There were a lot of leaves falling whenever the wind was blowing. Just seems early

 

[LivesToHike]

We have black birches dropping yellow leaves already in Merrimack - my neighbor's corner maple was dropping brown leaves 2 weeks ago...

...and yes, I took my meds this morning!

We just returned from AZ & NM, where, surprisingly they had standing water in places. Hot and dry, my foot!

--- LTH

 

[1ADAM12]

When i was in the Adirondacks this past weekend the birtch trees were starting to turn already. Seems a bit early if you as me

 

[Tuco]

Lots of trees on my property already dropping their leaves. Time to get the kids to work already