Our Tamaracks

Larix laricina

After the foliage season here, we have Stick Season. That is when the woods are dark, without leaves. The trees are sticks. This season lasts until winter — whenever the snow first comes. But right in there somewhere when all the trees are sticks is tamarack season. These are northern larch trees. They are also called American larch, eastern larch and hackmatack. Long after the oaks and maples have given us their beauty, these tamaracks seem to be on fire. After this bright foliage display, they lose their leaves and appear to be dead. I was going to cut mine down the first year I was here because I thought I had a bunch of dead trees! Thank goodness I didn't. They were back the next spring with vibrant new green leaves. These trees are great for making canoes. They grow quickly and spread easily. As John restored the ancient stream beds and regraded the land here to prevent anymore flash floods, he carefully saved every tamarack tree he could see. We now have over a dozen of the trees between the house and the upper field. These are photographs of three of them.

Come drive our roads during tamarack foliage season. The mountains are wild with their color.

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