HOAR FROST is what results when weather conditions are just right. It usually forms when the air is dry, skies are clear, and temperatures drop so quickly that the surfaces of leaf litter, grasses, even snowfields cool more quickly than their warmer, moister interiors. The warmer, moister air migrates outward toward the dry air but the freezing cold exposed surfaces cause the water vapor to condense directly on them as ice crystals. Once the process begins the crystals grow until the air and ground temperatures equalize and the moist flow ends.

The name originates from Old English where hoar is defined as “showing signs of old age.” It was thought to make trees resemble a white beard through its feathery or hairy appearance.

For some reason Hoar frost is a common sight along the Mill River. I'm guessing the liquid water is always warmer than the supercooled air over the fields making the perfect conditions for this crystal enrobement.


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RECENTLY WE WALKED THE TRAILS IN ARCADIA. It was shortly after a heavy rainfall that brought the water level of the Connecticut River up high enough to block adjacent roads, including Pynchon Meadow Road through the fields. When the water level was still high the temperature dropped and ice formed around every tree, twig and blade of grass that was surrounded by water. Slowly the water receded creating a series of stepped layers in the ice skirt. And the ice was remarkably transparent. Eventually the paper thin "skirts" were suspended in the air as the water level dropped far below them. While we were walking we kept hearing crackling, tinkling sounds as the skirts warmed in the sunlight and broke away shattering on the ground below. It was magical.

This fall I was understandably upset when so many trees were cut down on the site of the new North Common TCB project. I walked among the horizontal trunks one evening and was just shocked to look at the cross sections that betrayed the ages of the fallen. I took some pictures because I knew it would not be a simple affair to count rings right there.

The tree in the photo below was 165 years old. It began growing on "Hospital Hill" approximately one year before construction of the State Hospital began. Somehow it evaded being cut back then and it grew to tower behind the main hospital building for its entire life. There was another tree I photographed that had over 220 rings. That tree was growing on the hill when Thomas Jefferson was elected president (but only after 36 ballots of the electoral voters!).

So many trees around us have histories that we cannot imagine.

CALLING A PRAYING MANTIS a "bug" is a bit crass I guess. They're actually strikingly beautiful insects. They have slender streamlined bodies in a variety of glistening greens. They move with calculated caution and predatory stealth. If you get close to them they turn their heads to look directly at you, as if to say 'yes human, I see you clearly…" Provoke them a bit more and they'll start swaying their bodies side-to-side the same way hawks do with their heads when hunting. They're both measuring how far away their prey is, and exactly when to strike at you. No fear in them at all.

This 5-6" beauty was sitting in my driveway in September when I opened my garage door. I decided I had to move her since I needed to use the car. I coaxed her onto a shovel and carried her to the tall weeds beside my house. She was more than willing to scramble into a tangle of branches. What struck me immediately was how perfectly she blended into the environment. If I hadn't know she was there I'm sure I would never have seen her, despite her enormous size compared to most insects. As I walked away she opened her wings and like a miniature helicopter lifted off from the weeds and glided downslope to the woods and fields below.

Tags: Mantis

ABOUT 200 MILLION YEARS AGO dinosaurs the size of kangaroos walked through mud beside Lake Hitchcock leaving footprints with tail-drag marks in the mud. We can still see those tracks today as fossils in the exposed rock layers. Last week a field mouse skittered across the snow down by the Mill River leaving its tiny tail-drag marks in the snow. From the time-standpoint of the known universe which is 13.8 billion years old, these two events were separated by the briefest of moments in time.




Photo © Beth Lovejoy 2021

Tags: field mouse

Carolina Wrens amuse me endlessly. There's something about their bulbous bodies and perky up-angled tails that's sort of comical. The fact that they can dart and zip around in the air proves they are nonetheless very aerodynamic. We have a couple of Wrens that frequent our feeder each day. They avoid a crowd and usually show up when the bluebirds, sparrows and (damn) starlings are elsewhere. (BTW…it's not that I dislike Starlings, but they are gluttons of the highest order. And they're bullies). Wrens on the other hand are quite polite and very tidy eaters!

Tags: wrendogs, cats, bears, coyotes, birds

Recently I was on a walk with friends and we came upon a plant somewhat unique to the Connecticut river valley. It's also found in coastal regions in eastern MA too. Square Pod Water Primrose, aka Seedbox is a plant that favors rivers, lake shores, marshes and wet fields. We found it in the old Pine Grove golf club on a slope near a small pond. It's easy to spot in winter because of the distinctive square seed pods that look like little boxes on each branch end. I guess this refutes the old claim that you'll never observe right-angles in nature! It's also a lovely little wildflower in summer. We found it at the red dot located on the map image below.

Tags: Seedbox