Adventures in Nature

Seljalandsdalur, Iceland - October 9th 2023

Unrelated to anything but my partner and I got a free sapling years back when we started dating at a "State Tree Giveaway" (Loblolly Pine...which barely grows in NJ). So here's the tree on our 3rd and 4th anniversary

Jennings Creek Fire, West Milford, NJ - November 14th 2024

Jennings Creek Fire, NY/NJ. 50% Contained - Nov 14th 2024

Abandoned Turnpike Tunnel, Pennsylvania

Sideling Tunnel West, Pennsylvania - November 9th 2024

Little Bluestem along the Abandoned Turnpike, PA - Nov 9th 2024

Abandoned Highway, Harrisonville, PA - November 9th 2024

I'm so upset, the area I was working on with the tribe this summer is currently on fire. A NY state ranger has died, the fire is 2,000 acres with 0% contained so far

[Image below from the New York Time]

[Image below of Greenwood Lake from Newsbreak]

Bowman Hill Wildflower Preserve, PA ‐ November 3rd 2024

Plant Profile: American Witch Hazel - Hamamelis virginiana

Today's plant is better known for its use as a facial toner but this year I've witnessed a mass-bloom (the yellow dots in the image above) so I want to re-introduce you my ultimate late fall favorite!

Witch-Hazel refers to members of the Hamamelis family, containing about five species, 3 of which are found in the eastern US and the other two in Asia. Our species of focus is the American Witch Hazel, a wide growing, often dominate understory shrub/tree common throughout forests of the American East. The plant has a lovely arching growth habit (Image 2 above), alongside trails in older-growth tall mountain forests, one always can spot witch hazel by a tunnel effect along the trails framed by its branches.

For a quick technical analysis, Witch Hazel has oval alternate leaves that are asymmetrical and have rounded lobes along the sides (image 3 of pressed leaf). The bark is a grey or reddish brown with small lenticels (image 4 of 'trunk') and typically grows in clusters sprouting from deep roots. Typically the plant reaches about 20' in height and 20' in width, as I usually only see specimens this large in very old portions of woodland my assumption is that it takes many decades to achieve this stature.

The flowers themselves are divided into 4 portions with yellow ribbon-like petals present from October-December (image 5, 6, 9). The flowers are extremely fragrant in wet weather and mornings, the scent usually fades in drier conditions. Flowers lose their ribbons and recede into this hardened portion connected to the stem called a calyx (it looks like a rounded pod which can have about 4 seeds in it). The seeds actually shoot out of this pod as a dispersal method around the next fall.

I brought up flowering because like many species in the northeast, there is never a consistent year for these things, while I see witch-hazel flowers every year I don't encounter blooms prolifically unless it's exposed to a lot of sun light. From my experience, a mass-bloom (in which every tree has noticeable blooms like image 1) occurs every 5 years about, I've noticed this in my forest since childhood but others may have more frequent encounters than me.

American Witch Hazel has a large range and is found throughout the Eastern US. The Northern limit of its range is Nova Scotia to Wisconsin staying mostly east of the Mississippi River south until its South Western Limit in East Texas and Northern Florida to the East. Allegedly disjunct populations also exist in Lost Maples Texas and the Eastern Sierra Madres of Mexico but those are fairly isolated from the main range.

There are two other Hamamelis species located within the same range. H. vernalis: Ozark Witch-hazel, which is a common horticultural specimen due to its reddish yellow blooms coming out just before spring and is naturally restricted to the Ozarks. H. ovalis: big leaf witch-hazel is a new species discovered in 2004, found only in one watershed in Mississippi and Alabama; this species has much larger leaves and red mid-winter blooms. Most people are unlikely to encounter these in the wild at all.

Hamamelis virginiana can grow in both acidic and alkaline conditions, though I tend to find the densest populations on protected north facing slopes in mature forests near where water travels. I've also found it on pure rock on mountain top balds in New York before (image 7 above). This is because in the North, American Witch Hazel isn't as limited in habitat as in the Southern portion of it's range where it's generally restricted to only cove forests and bottom lands. generally there is an association with the Witch Hazel and decent moisture.

Speaking of moisture, Early English settlers (shown by Native Americans) used witch hazel branches as dowsing rod to find underground water sources. Sticking branches in the ground, and watching which portion bent upon encountering streams. It's likely the name 'Witch' in Witch Hazel derives either from Middle English 'Wiche' for 'lively' or Anglo-Saxon 'Wych' for 'bend' describing this use. [Info from US Forest Service].

Witch Hazel is also a protector of the forest following disturbance. In a Canadian Journal of Forest Research Study by Taylor Benton, analysis found that where large scale canopy loss was present H. virginiana was found to increase it's basal area growth (think spread) by over 300%. This indicates that in the presence increased light and nitrogen, the dominate understory species are able to protect seedlings by increasing canopy shade!

In my own forest I've noticed this where Ash has died back, the Witch Hazel flowers more prolifically and frequently as well as becoming denser (Image 8 Witch-hazel in flower above a stream)

Now what are the ecological relationships associated with American Witch Hazel? This species specifically provides one of the last insect oriented pollen sources prior to winter (other witch-hazel species often bloom in early spring), so species like the owlet moth which are active in winter, and late season bees get a food source from it. The leaves are occasionally predated by a gall wasp which forms many odd tents on the leaf in favorable conditions.

Propagating Witch-hazel for those crazy like me should be aware it is not an easy plant to start. The seeds require a period of moist cold stratification, then warm, then another cold (think 90 days of fridge, 90 days in warmth, 90 days in fridge) then it'll begin to germinate. If you have a full specimen you can attempt layering (which is covering a low branch in soil allowing it to root). You can take softwood cuttings in spring but they have to be kept frost free the next winter.

Finally Landscaping advice! Witch-Hazel is best utilized in partially shaded non-south facing or moist areas in partial sun. While it loves total shade in its natural environment it really preforms much better in a garden with some sunlight. American Witch-Hazel also is a better performer in the scent category rather than a showy floral display, most horticultural specimens are derived from hybrids between Chinese, Japanese, or Ozark Witch-hazel (image 10 of possible H. vernalis cultivar above) as their coloring is much more interesting compared to our local powerhouse. However it must be said that American Witch-hazel is resilient and has some flower color variation (oranges and pinks) which are absent in other species.

So this has been my plant profile on American Witch-Hazel, please go into the woods and smell the haunting yellow blooms while the mass-bloom is still occurring. Happy Hunting to my Eastern American followers :)!

Pink Sunset in the Forest, NJ - October 30th 2024

Leaves falling in the forest, New Jersey - October 30th 2024

Witch Hazel Mass Bloom, Hedden Park, NJ - October 30th 2024

NYC in Haze, Eagle Rock, Montclair, NJ - October 29th 2024

Tsuga canadensis - The Eastern Hemlock

Hello Everyone, today's plant profile should be familiar to you, I talk about Eastern Hemlock frequently on this blog and it's time I made a post that reflects my admiration.

To start let's deconstruct a common misnomer: While the name Hemlock connects back to the plant Poison Hemlock, Eastern Hemlock is not poisonous, English Settlers felt the scent of the foliage resembled that of the notorious herb. The Latin name Tsuga connects back to Japanese name for Hemlock Trees.

Now the basics: Eastern Hemlock is usually found in mountainous moist (but well drained) regions specifically around coves, canyons, ravines, and streams. The Tsuga family itself are a collection of evergreen conifers with an uncanny ability to grow on extreme slopes. The trunks themselves occasionally protrude from bare rock in bent forms (Image 4 from Kaaterskill falls, NY). Mature trees have pendulous flexible branches to avoid heavy snow loads.

Eastern Hemlocks can be found widespread throughout New England as far North as Nova Scotia and as far west as Minnesota, However as we move southward it becomes increasingly more restricted to the Appalachian mountains eventually ending in Alabama.

In it's native range, identifying Eastern Hemlock from other conifers is fairly easy, the cones (image 5 from inaturalist) are very small and round, while the needles are dark green shiny smooth on one side and a dull light green on the bottom. The needles come out flat upon the branch, almost like it's 2D when you take a cutting. The bark usually has very thick ridges (Image 7) and the tree has a lovely full triangular form (Image 10) at any age. There is only one other Tsuga species within the same range and that's Carolina Hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana), those are generally restricted to the western Carolinas, the needles protrude at any angle from the branch and cones have a type of curled spike. (taxonomy-wise they are not in the same series which is odd)

Eastern Hemlock is a long lived species, prior to the introduction of the Wooly Adelgid it was not uncommon to find groves of large trees way over 120+ feet and over 300 years old together. While more northern populations generally tend to be impressively large (Image 6 from Delaware Water Gap), Eastern Hemlock reaches its largest sizes south of Pennsylvania. Specimens in the Smokies still reach a staggering heights of 170' and ages above 500 years (Image 7 Below: Cheoah by Will Blozan). While this isn't as Impressive as its western counterpart Tsuga heterophylla which can reach an insane scale of 270', it is staggering for a tree which faces much hotter temperature conditions.

Just about all of the old growth Hemlocks in Appalachia have disappeared, but there are still old growth forests in Northern New England where the Adelgid hasn't really taken hold. Old growth groves do still exist in treated/cold winter/protected areas and somewhat thrive, I visited quite a few during my time in Pennsylvania. I believe the current species 'champion' is in the Allegheny Plateau.

So what is the Adelgid? It is an introduced aphid-like insect which appears as a wooly white growth on hemlock branches. They seems to kill older trees while younger trees are able to cope with it for a time, unfortunately these sap suckers have eradicated old growth stands throughout the Southern Appalachia. I made a post about my childhood forest loosing all of their giants years back, let me tell you it is a much different environment.

Ecologically speaking, Hemlock serves an incredibly important role in stream health. Growing on literal cliff faces this tree is also wonderful at preventing erosion. The dark evergreen shade of hemlocks not only reduces stream temperatures but retains moisture in the height of summer (image 8). it protects streams from extreme weather in winter too (Image 9). cooler stream temps serve as favorable breeding grounds for a higher diversity of stream species while also creating a refuge in winter cold.

If one wants to find moisture loving salamanders and newts in the east it is very common to find large numbers under the hemlock canopy. Tree falls of hemlock serve as fertile ground for fungi and mosses to cover the trunk. Birch and maple saplings often gain a foothold on the soft remains of Hemlock trees whose wood degrades very fast.

For human usage Eastern Hemlock has an odd history. The bark itself is very rich in tannins, settlers would use it for tanning leather. After the Industrial revolution it was used for railroad ties but today its often ignored or used as paper pulp because of its poor wood quality. As for less commercial functions Hemlock is not really an ideal tree for our consumption, The inner bark can be used as starvation food and the needles are a useful emergency Vitamin C source, However I will warn you that the needles are the least palatable of the edible conifers....

Due to it's poor wood and remote conditions it's not really unusual that so many old growth specimens survived up until the 21st century. Nearly all Eastern forest compositions are influenced by which lumber is most/least valuable.

Last portion - Landscape Value.

Eastern Hemlock in the wild is a beautiful tree in all seasons, naturally the tree will develop into a perfect form on its own, though with Adelgid it has lost popularity as a landscaping tree some people still maintain their trees with a once-every-three-year spraying. There are also many horticultural specimens worth thousands of dollars which have low growing and weeping forms, it is quite a versatile species.

So this has been my piece on the Eastern Hemlock, If you do choose to explore one of the few old growth groves still with us, please clean off your boots and gear. Happy Hunting!