December Almanac

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Winter

Marcescense

I so regret things I have overlooked in the woods. One huge regret is overlooking my beech trees. There are so many out there and I love how they don't drop their golden leaves in the winter. A perfect winter day is being in the woods during a snowfall and hearing the beech leaves rustle in the cold wind. 

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Summer

Beech trees are an important part of December's field guide from VTEcostudies. The trees are more easily identified in the winter than the summer because of the leaves. And I found there is a name for not dropping leaves: marcescense, which means not dropping their leaves in the winter. Besides beech trees, red oak trees do this, also.

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Summer

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)
Seeds

VTEcostudies did not explore the beech trees' problems. In New England, they seldom become tall any longer because of beech bark disease (BBD). It came from Europe to Nova Scotia and into New England in the 1920s. I always search for any large beech trees every winter. I have not found any. 

This photo of mine may be BBD on one of my trees. It has not been confirmed.

Perhaps beech scale

But there are two wonderful things that are associated with beech trees: beech drops and beech rooter. Beech drops are really special. I have them here but cannot find my photos! They are very small parasitic plants that grow on beech roots. They do not harm it. It's a joy to find.

Beech drops by Katja Schulz
Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC
© CC by 4.0

The other is beech rooter. How it came by that name is not known to me, except that it grows near hardwoods. If you're into fungi, more information is here. The name itself simply reminds me of beech trees, so it is another happy sight.

Beech Rooter (Oudemansiella furfuracea)

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

Mourning Cloak Butterflies

These gorgeous butterflies are the first and last butterflies of each season. They tolerate cold well and overwinter as adults hiding in outbuildings and crevasses. They can survive temperatures of -20°F (-29°C) because of diapause (they become dormant and produce more sugars in their body, which acts like antifreeze). 

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

But they are very flighty, making photographing them difficult and perhaps requiring following them about. The photo above with open wings was when one was warming itself in the sun. But you can imagine the happy feelings one gets when one sees these after a long dreadful winter here.

Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)

The caterpillars are just as beautiful and are a hoot. They are extremely gregarious (they hang out with each other) and can skeletonize brush overnight. But that's fine. It's what happens out there. Above, they ate up a nightshade plant. Then one day they all completely disappeared. I never saw a pupa at all. I never found them until they became butterflies.

Pure Green Sweat Bee (Augochlora pura)

Pure Green Sweat Bees

I've always known these solitary bees nest in wood. But I thought it was in trees or bee houses. Wrong. They also overwinter in firewood! I think of all the wood we burned over the years. How many bees did we destroy? The only pure green sweat bees that are alive in winter are the fertilized females. Aarrgghh. They "both nest and overwinter within cracks, beetle holes, and other openings of stumps, snags, and fallen logs." (VTEcostudies Field Guide to December)  Below is a photo of two in Jody's chestnut tree stump.

Pure Green Sweat Bees (Augochlora pura)

Yellow-rumped Warblers

These pretty warblers are migratory but I guess some hang around. I found mine in late summer in Victory, Vermont and here at home. Mine are Myrtle warblers, a subspecies of the yellow-rumped warblers. 

Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata ssp. coronata)
Victory Bog

They don't have to eat  insects, which allows them to stay for the winter and are counted often in the Christmas survey. (Why would they want to stay?) I knew nothing about them until today when I had to do a lot of reading for this post. Sometimes I just shoot photos and let the knowledge lie still. More information on these birds can be found with our state biologist Bryan Pfeiffer's blog or at All About Birds.

Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata ssp. coronata)
at home in Barton

Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata ssp. coronata)
at home in Barton

Myrtle Warbler (Setophaga coronata ssp. coronata)
at home in Barton

I skipped an entire section on mosses for this almanac. I have neglected mosses for too long. After reading Gathering Moss, I feel a need to observe the details that I read. 

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