Did I mention watching where we step? STOP!!!
We are in the white pines, a relatively small two acre plot of pines
which were planted about 54 years ago or so.
In that time, they have grown into pretty big kids, averaging sixty feet
in height and a foot or so in diameter, commonly referred to as DBH or diameter
at breast height. All of which means we
shouldn’t have to watch our step because they are difficult to step on.
But these mature trees have produced a dense undergrowth of
little white pines—a cute family of fast growing seedlings creating a blanket
of little guys numbering in the hundreds per square foot, all living in a thick
bed of pine needles and oak leaves furnished by the surrounding adults. Thus the reason for watching our step.
A recent stroll happened to coincide with an annual
migration of cute little critters, seldom encountered, but frequently heard by
anyone enjoying the evening concerts of our common Wood Frog. One step could have crushed as many as fifty of
these little guys as they were returning from their spring hatch at a nearby
ephemeral pond to their summer through winter abode….yes, beneath the needles
and leafy ground cover of our little white pine forest. I can spend hundreds of hours in the woodland
without seeing one of these wonders, but on this one stroll, we could count
many thousands heading home on migration.
And they will stay in their home in the pines throughout the coming
winter and into early spring, when they will awaken from their “hibernation”
only to return to the “home” pond to complete the reproduction cycle.
How do these little guys who can fit on a dime survive our
cold winters? Would you believe they
produce a glucose within their little bodies which prevents them from freezing? More can be discovered about these and other
close relatives in our woods simply by delving into the internet.
Next, we walk through the hardwoods. A whole different story ensues.
