September 08, 2021

Mushrooms

Notes and Changes since last report

• It was 81°F, mostly cloudy, and windy at 1:00 PM on September 8, 2021.
• There were no major rains since the last trail report - it had been a hurricane a week for a while.
• The creek had calmed down, and so had the wildlife...
• This week's trail report covers the Wappinger Creek Trail side of the trail system.

The Trails

• Although it was warm, the sun was not out much over the Old Hayfield, and birds and butterflies were few.
• Invasive oriental bittersweet was sprawling across the side of the Sedge Meadow Trail. Its fruit, when ripe, would be the familiar orange and yellow highlights in autumn wreathes.
• In the Sedge Meadow, even the goldenrods were starting to look subdued.
• Clusters of bittersweet nightshade fruit were in various stages of ripeness along the edge.
• The back Old Hayfield was a little more lively, not having been recently mowed.
• Here, Goldenrods were still bright and along the side...
• ... invasive autumn olive fruit was ripening.
• The leaves are silvery below, covered with little scales that are hard to see without a hand lens.
• Somehow spotted knappweed had slipped by mention until now - it's been out for a while.
• In the back of the field, Japanese barberry berries were ripening.
• Finally a native to our region: thimbleweed. This strange anemone has popped up in a few locations along the trails this year.
• And finally a great spangled fritillary. Interesting was the white area on the hindwing margin.
• At half that size, but twice that of a pearl crescent, a meadow fritillary paused to try to get some sun.
• The Wappinger Creek had calmed down since last week but was still full.
• A jaunty mushroom had grown up along the side of the trail down the slope.
• Down in the floodplain, wood nettle was going to seed.
• The seeds really stand out compared to those of other nettles.
• Invasive Japanese stilt grass was starting to flower. Too late to pull it and just leave it now...
• Our native zigzag goldenrod was doing well now.
• The view from trail marker 10 was much calmer than last week.
• On the way out towards Cary Pines Trail, those capsized puffballs from a few weeks ago were completing their mission by puffing.
• Just past the trailhead, a pair of huge mushrooms was on its side.
• The scaly cap and stem, with pores instead of gills below suggests Old Man of the Woods.
• Next week: the Cary Pines Trail the side of the trail system.

Sightings