Pam – Page 126 – New England's Narrow Road

The Silky Milkweed Pod

While walking by the lake a week or so ago, I came across some milkweed pods. As a kid, I loved to find these as much as I did the white dandelions so I could blow the silky seeds away. There is something about watching things float off into the sky that is enormously amazing to children, and many adults too!
This time, I didn’t touch the pod, but took a few pictures because it looked so pretty in the sun. The pod was open and the seeds, attached to the long silky fibers, were being swept out by the breeze.

I don’t recall seeing the milkweed plants earlier in the year, but the pods always stand out.
Before writing this article, I was searching for info on milkweed plants and found a page at Squidoo which has all kinds of information about the usefulness of this plant.

Did you know that besides attracting Monarch butterflies, the silk is used to stuff pillows, vests and other things? Also, part of the plant is edible and it can me used for medicinal purposes. I didn’t know any of that. Once I read about the plant, and how to save the seeds, I began to wish that I had kept some of those seeds to grow milkweed in my own yard.

Visit the Many Uses For Milkweeds page to learn more and watch the video which shows the changes milkweed plants undergo.

Butterflies Choose Plants for Medicinal Qualities (scientificamerican.com)
How To Create A Butterfly Garden (brighthub.com)

Black Bears Leave Their Mark

markings on a tree — Are These Bear Claw Markings?

While walking in the woods with my cats, I came across some signs that the bear or bears had been looking for food.
I know that black bears will tear up dead trees looking for bugs to eat and there are quite a few dead trees in my woods that look as if that is just what happened.
Then I came across this tree where the bark had been stripped off and was lying all around the base of the tree. Upon closer inspection, I also found these horizontal markings in the wood on the tree.
I know there is at least one bear that has a trail of sorts through the woods in that area. I’ve found a valley full of very large boulders back in the woods and have seen the bear myself at the top of the hill, standing in the road.

dead tree bark on the ground — Bark Scattered At The Base Of This Tree

Just this summer my neighbors older kids were up the road in the “bear area” picking blackberries when they were frightened by a baby black bear that came trotting out of the bush.
Knowing that the mama was surely close by, they screamed, dropped their berries and high-tailed it home!
So what do you think, or know, about these markings? They are on a standing, dead tree and are noticeable in many various spots on the tree running horizontally and reaching up about 5 feet. Am I correct in assuming that a bear left these gouges in the tree while ripping off the bark? My other guess would be that insects living inside the tree, underneath the bark, made little tunnels in the wood.

Easy Halloween Ghost Cookies

Easy to make, Halloween ghost cookie treats.

This ghost cookie recipe has been a favorite among the kids in my family and their friends at school. “Recipe” is not really the right word, since there is no baking involved, just some melting of white chocolate and spreading it on the cookies- use Nutter Butter or cookies with a ghostly shape.

My son is going on 13 and it’s the age where he’s a bit big to go trick-or-treating, but still wants to get all that tooth-rotting candy. It’s a dilemma for kids who are still kids at heart and yet are bound to get the “aren’t you too big for trick-or-treating?” comments at the doorways.

It’s also the age where many of his friends are beginning to go out for Halloween on their own. That is a judgment call and each parent should know if their kids are able to be responsible enough to do so. It also depends on how safe the neighborhoods are. We used to do a kids Halloween party with fun games, which I think is even more fun that begging for candy from strangers.

One thing we will do, is make our yearly Halloween cookies and take them to school to share with his friends.

Organic Halloween Goodness – Cookie Rush (mysweetgreens.com)
Halloween Witch Crafts: Tabletop Ghosts (cathiefilian.blogspot.com)
Twelve Trick-Free Recycling Techniques for Halloween Sweets (1800recycling.com)
Halloween Facts and Trivia (socyberty.com)

New England’s Foliage, October 2010

I have seen this red tree in the afternoon sun and it is breathtaking! But I happened to have my camera in the early morning when the sun was not hitting it.
It’s still pretty and the orange tree beyond is also nice.

Fall color in New Hampshire — Red and Orange

The Fall colors are at their peak right now and will most likely be less after our rainy and windy nor’easter that is coming through tomorrow.
The picture below was taken by the lake, also in the early morning. I was worried about this Fall, but it has turned out to be just as spectacular as all the others. I guess the hot, dry summer didn’t affect it.

fall foliage — Early morning by the lake

The photo below is one of my favorite type to take. The bright red and yellow leaves against a blue sky. How perfect!

Fall leaves against a blue sky — Foliage season sky

I hope you’ve enjoyed this wonderful season as much as I have.

Just an afterthought: This post is an old one and the photos were taken with my camera and not a smartphone. I didn’t even have an iPhone until 2016! I did a lot of walking in New Hampshire and it was a beautiful place for that. I always brought the camera. I also knew nothing about blogging and it shows in my early posts. So, forgive me. I’m trying to go back and update some of these older posts. I did have some lovely photos of the Fall season.