thanks Don,
you've reminded me of the year I lived in the Northeast Kingdom, the area north of St. Johnsbury, VT, and began my affair with larch. After the hordes of leaf-peeper carrying buses finished clogging the narrow, two-lane mountain roads in rural New England [a ritual that begins about now/soon if i recall (and truly rips those folks off in terms of leaf color other than green)], I loved the second fall, the fall that was solely for the locals. This fall was the splendor of larch in full color. What made this fall special was that it came at the perfect time for the locals. By then, we were beginning to have more-frequent steel blue skies and the autumnal buzz in northern New England stirred by over-population had died down. When you sought out the larch, you would often have a body of water at your feet. From that spot you would witness blue on the ground, blazing yellow at mid-frame and then another band of blue overhead. It was quiet and vivid. I posted an old image of a day similar to this on the ENTS web site here: http://tinyurl.com/llegs7 neil On Aug 27, 12:08 am, DON BERTOLETTE <[email protected]> wrote: > WNTS/ENTS- > > While larches may not be familiar to most Westerners or Easterners per se, to > Northwesterners and Northeasterners they may. Per the > snippet below from "The Wild Marsh", it stands out on paper (only > deciduous conifer) and in the woods (as a conifer losing yellow needles in the > fall). A hint of seasonal change could happen this soon, or as late as the > beginning of September. > > By mid-September, larches in Yaak Valley, Montana can be expected to start > their change in color, per Bass on page 272: > > "The larch are starting to glow > at their tips- the needles on the uppermost branches turn yellow first, with > the wave of gold progressing steadily downward through each tree, each forest, > then, as autumn progresses, an amazing thing to witness in any one tree, the > color gold washing through the entire tree, guilding it, much less to witness > that slow, beautiful fire happening to an entire mounainside" > > By mid-October, larch needles are > still intact. Per the October chapter, page 287, > > "The larch and aspen and > cottonwood hang golden for as long as they can, as do the drying brown leaves > of the alder and blood red leaves of the red-osier dogwood. They're able to > hold steady, even in their won dying, though as the winds of autumn increase, > more and more of them swirl through the woods, in patters like smoke, gold > whirling spirals and dervishes that for a moment or two seem to take on the > shape of a man, or a deer, before the leaves settle down randomly into the > autumn-dead grass, like gold coins spilled from someone's pocket." > > The aspen and cottonwoods are first > to 'spill their coins', but on page 288: > > "The larch hold their needles > longer, holding them all the way to the bitter end of autumn. The broadleaves > of the other deciduous trees flap and twist and rattle in the wind and are > wrested free, day after day, but the larch needles hang in there, until their > cool gold wave is all the color-besides the blue-green of the spruce, fir, > pine, and cedar-that is left. > > The larch have been gold now for so long that you have almost become > accustomed > to the beauty, have almost come to believe it is your unending due. A few > trickle off, steadily, through out the Fall, bur for the most part they hold > on, these strange, reluctant, dinosaurs, with one foot in the prehistoric past > of the ancient conifers and another tentative foot in the relatively modern, > sunnier and somewhat daring camp of the deciduous trees. > > When they do let go-usually in late October- it is one of the great sights, of > this landscape. > > It will have been increasingly windy, all through October, but finally the > wind > is too much- or rather, just enough. Sometimes, at night you will hear it when > it comes roaring through, and the sound and excitement of it will lift you > from > your bed, just as the needles are being lifted from their branches. > > The big wind often brings rain just behind it as well, which helps peel the > needles from the trees; but some years the wind is dry, though no matter: > still > the air is filled, suddenly and finally, with what must be literally tons of > flying gold needles, gold needles like darts or tiny arrows; and if you go out > on the porch at night, you will be able to feel the needles striking you but > will not be able to see them in the darkness. They will land in your > hair, though, will coat your arms and feet, and in the morning, when you rise > and look outside, the world has been transformed, sculpted in gold, with every > sleeping, inanimate shape pasted with gold needles, and all roads and trails > pave with gold". > > While leaves of planted larch are not yet turning in > Anchorage, the alpine vegetation on the Chugach Range at the edge of town are > turning from a vibrant green to a golden yellow. Canadian geese are > gathering in the early > mornings and practicing formations, tracking skills (I’m guessing!), and > honking > volumes and cadences. The average highs and lows have been in gradual decline > for several weeks now…not time to pull snowthrower maintenance yet, but… > > -Don > > _________________________________________________________________ > Get back to school stuff for them and cashback for > you.http://www.bing.com/cashback?form=MSHYCB&publ=WLHMTAG&crea=TEXT_MSHYC... --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
