The White Pines

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.