Fire on the Dock

This is an intentional fire on the dock, in a specially designed 'fire pit' that floats in a space enclosed by our dock.

Photo: D Schultz

It makes for a unique centerpiece for socializing on the water. We love it.

Photo: D Schultz

Dale and Patricia (see Patricia Brace), local performance artist and PALZ citizen scientist, worked together on creating this piece of practical art. He restructured our dock to enclose "exhibits" that would feature beautiful stump gardens or a fire pit. The metal pit, of re-used materials, was created and welded by Patricia using one of the forms from her recent solo art show.

Illumined

Sun-yellow flower:

Delicate, snapdragon-like,

Infused with sunshine.

Busy Bumblebee

 

Fuzzy bumblebee

Seeking pollen and nectar

Late in the season.

Free BTUs

A pile of work awaits us in order to harvest the "free" BTUs from this source, provided by our horrible April snowstorm. It looks more appealing and picturesque than it really is! Free is never totally free, of course - it's only free in terms of cash outlay. We are having to put a lot of energy into harvesting this so-called 'free' energy.

We're so very lucky to have a log splitter available to us from a friend who no longer needs to split wood - something we should be aiming for too.

Still, I can only hear my Mom repeating the proverb "Waste not, want not," as we grew up, instilling in us the value of using resources at our disposal. There are some suggestions that this saying originated from the older 1500s version "Willful waste makes woeful want" Proverb - I am proudly conscious of not wasting resources willfully, but harnessing them whenever I can, no matter the effort needed.

Lakeside Serenity

 

Fall's tranquility:

Mirrored skies, blazing colors

Breath-takingly still.

Interloper

We finally found the culprit that had been calling from within our house at inappropriate hours of the day (midnight, 6am):

This beautiful miniature little creature, a Spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) must have come inside on the potted Amaryllis plants we'd brought inside about a week ago. Little did we know we had a stowaway, but then I don't think it was the intention to get free shelter and meals, so an interloper (something "involved in a place or situation where they are not wanted or are considered not to belong" -  Oxford Languages) is a better descriptor.

Strangely, the reigning cats did not seem intrigued, and Dale and I had both inspected the plants for tree frogs a few times in the past week, after being woken by its calls at ungodly hours.

The calls inside the house were not the usual spring mating call, so we didn't recognize the species by its vocalization, but we suspected it was a tree frog. We're glad to have found it alive and well at last.

Look at how tiny this tan beauty is - maximum length is 1.4"

It hopped away without seeming weak or impoverished, so I hope it was finding insects and larvae in the potted soil to feed on.

All's well that ends well ...

Dead Body

Don't panic, it's not gross - it's a beautiful oil beetle, the short-winged blister beetle. I love the crinkly texture of this metallic blue insect. 

The cheeky larvae of these beetles sometimes hitch a ride on bees to get to a food source. Nuthatches have been observed rubbing blister beetles (and their secreted toxins) around their nest holes to deter predators and competitors, such as squirrels. (Naturally Curious)

Winterberry

This radiant shrub is eastern North America's native holly, Ilex verticllata. It's different from conventional hollies since it's not evergreen, and the leaves lack sharp teeth.

Winterberries are dioecious - there are separate male and female plants. The berries form on the female trees, which is what we are used to seeing in fall and winter. We probably never notice the male shrubs!

Fall Mosaics

Fall color mosaics

Reflected or tangible

Impressive, indeed

 

Witchy Things

Our native witch hazel (Hamamelis virginica) has such spidery looking flowers that blend in well with all the autumn leaves that they are easy to overlook. Plus, they hug the twigs and branches closely.

They have a 2 year reproductive life: 1-2 seeds remain in a brown capsule all through the winter in a dormant phase, and then get ejected 20-30 feet from the parent tree the following summer/fall. It then takes another year before they germinate.

The unique combination of fruits and flowers on the same tree at the same time is apparently described by the Latin name Hama (Hamamelis), meaning 'at the same time,' and melis/melon for fruit.

This delicate looking flower is pollinated by moths, and the plant tolerates browsing by deer.

Impressive Con

On my third venture (solo) out onto the lake around sunset, I thought I'd succeeded in seeing ... the ancient Atlas comet I had been seeking! But it turns out that what I saw was actually a contrail fragment - bah! What a bummer. It still looked pretty impressive, but the angle of the tail trail just didn't seem right.

A pretty impressive con!

So, another venture out to view the night sky was needed, to restore my pride, and to actually, definitively SEE the 80,000 year reappearance of the comet with my own eyes. I also decided I needed a witness this time, to verify the sighting, and make sure I wasn't on the wrong track again! We drove to the dog park near the Carroll quarry, and waited for darkness. This time we did see the beautiful comet, using binoculars. It wasn't very bright, and I didn't get ANY photos, but it looked to me as if it had a mini milky way trailing along behind it. So, that's a wrap, and I can now put the comet chasing to bed - goodnight!

Here's a much more fabulous capture of what I saw, captured on the West coast by my talented daughter, Lucy

Photo: Lucy Schultz

Comet Chasing

I had a few unsuccessful attempts at seeing Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS,  having completely zoned out on the best day to see it. Instead, I had a special time of solitude on the lake - oh wait, a honking goose shared it with me. It was as still as glass, and I hardly drifted off course at all. Quite gorgeous.

The stillness was magical. Instead of a comet, I got to enjoy the twinkling golden yellow of Venus, as well as the brilliance of the super moon behind me in the east. I'm okay with that.

Dale joined me the following evening, but still no comet sighting. The moon on my back shone beautifully though!

Photo: D Schultz

Wrapping Up the Season

Our survey team, PALZ, has covered a big area of Lake Arrowhead's shoreline this summer. So proud of my team and their commitment to ensuring the health and diversity of our lake. Impressive!

Our sectorized (waterproof) maps, produced by Ross and Bunny Wescott, have been invaluable in this endeavor. They are such a joy to have, and have made our lives so much easier, and our work more organized and directed.

Fall Wonder

How is it that every year I'm incredulous at the gloriousness of fall and its incredible color spectrum? It's always awesome, always newly amazing.

Beauty Inherent

Beauty inherent,

Whether native or foreign -

Words convey judgement.

Two invasive plants looking beautiful in the depths

Sundries

Here are a few pics that might be interesting: this first one is an upside-down Taplight leaning on some glow-in-the-dark pebbles. It almost looks like an alien craft.

This is the inside bottom end of an acorn squash, looking almost heart-shaped, so I helped it out with a red marker

 

      

Sleepy Bee

The Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) is known to have slumber parties on the flowers they visit. This one was stationary on these asters for so long that I realized I could go inside and fetch my camera and it would still be there on the same flower --- et voilà! Sluggish indeed!

Apparently males don't return to the hive so are driven to find warmth near the flower's center.

Orange is the New ...

... abode for Dallas! She's moved to Orange, MA with L & R and is so happy in her new home, without her "cousins" Fluffalo and Peep. The 3 hour car journey was traumatic for her - she looked like a drooling demon, salivating and throwing up for the first 30 minutes of her transfer. She looked so ragged and disgusting in this state that one could easily have mistaken her for a ferocious, diseased black cat - I didn't want to embarrass her with a photo of that ugly mess, so here she is instead, schmoozing up to me in her new palace.

She's relaxed and even frisky again, and loves looking out the window at her new realm. What a lucky, lucky cat - she seems so settled and content. Have any of you read the story from long ago (1958) called "Boats Finds a House"? Dale still has his childhood copy!

It's a delightful story about a cat called Boats who is looking for a house after retiring from life on a ship, and eventually finds one. It's (almost) Dallas' pre-emptively written autobiography!

Darkness falls from their deck

A lovely little lantern lights the way

I Saw It, I Saw It, I Saw It

The northern lights! Ahhhh, a phenomenally mind-blowing sight, and something I've been wanting to see for a very, very long time. We saw it clearly with our own eyes, not merely through what our cameras could capture.

Whilst shopping in Biddeford after a long day of home repairs and travel, we got a text from a friend that we should go and look outside - the northern lights were visible! We started rushing home, and were lucky enough to see it clearly as we headed home - a vast area ahead looking reddish, and then a reddish/pinkish shaft and some green curtains with a bit of shimmer to them - magic!

We tried to take it all in as we drove home (in a rush), but we eventually decided to pull off the road, and stop to LOOK while we were seeing it. I tried taking some pics, but though they weren't great, the scene before us was stupendous. I think I was trembling with excitement so much that the extra care needed to take night shots totally eluded me. By the time we reached Limerick, we were no longer seeing colors, but we decided to head straight to the Sokokis Lookout anyway. It seems as if the whole of southern Maine had the same idea - the lines of cars double-parking, up onto curbs, doing U-turns, reversing, or waiting halfway across the road for a spot was chaotic, but we were there at the tail-end of the viewing window, so managed to find a good parking bay - it was practically over by the time we got there, and most cars were leaving.

But still, I saw it, I saw it, I saw it, without a doubt.

Sparkly Morning

We got some rain! And the next morning was sparkly like a freshly cut diamond - magnificent! 

Turtle Sighting

I came across this turtle with a domed shell sunning itself towards the end of September. Its sluggishness and reluctance to get back into the water reminded me that I'd come across one of these Eastern musk turtles (Sternotherus odoratus) previously. Their shells aren't as flattened as Painted turtles, which are very commonly seen on our lake. I was initially concerned that it had become entangled in a rope fragment, so I kept trying to get closer - it turned out to be a robust, stretchy Spatterdock stem.

Also very obvious from the photo is the drop in the lake level that is clear from the coloration differences, making tide lines on the stump. The lowering was scheduled for Sept 9 to allow for dam repairs (again!), but the dearth of rain recently means that as of this writing, October 11, we are still not back up to our normal level.

First Anniversary

Today marks the first anniversary of my second knee replacement - It's made a world of difference to my capabilities. I'm so glad to have had it done, but also happy that it's behind me.

Nicely healed, and able to kick ass!

Color Changes

 

Green Tentacles

Ghoulish tentacles

Like green fingers beckoning

In water's dark depths

Freshwater sponge

Hawthorn

Such exquisite fruits! Hawthorn is also referred to as thorn-apple on maine.gov's broadleaves page, which is interesting since my first observation of these made me think of crab-apples.

I wasn't 100% sure which Hawthorn species this was since it is new to me, and most apps seemed to point to Crataegus coccinea, the scarlet hawthorn, which is considered 'absent' in Maine. So my best guess was the Eastern, or Bigfruit/ Large seeded hawthorn, Crataegus macrosperma. I posted a query on Native Plant Trust's page, and they agree with my ID! The fleshy fruits are edible, and can be used in jams.

I also read that the flowers smell like dead fish, and specifically attract midges, which pollinate them. It has large thorns on the twigs (it's in the rose family) and may also be known as mayhaw.

Bliss

Pleasure in stillness

Looking-glass tranquility,

Solitary bliss.

 

Mask

 This exquisitely marked Watershield leaf looks so much like a tribal mask!

The combination of pathway patterns eaten through by insects and the changing colors of the season have created a magnificent work of art.

Magic Kingdom

This floating island covered in sphagnum moss looks like a miniature magic kingdom - I wasn't able to capture the fairies with my camera, though.

The perfect little mushrooms gave some extra interest and height to the varied colors and textures of the sphagnum moss.