Category: Birches (Betulaceae)

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Smoke on the Horizon

This fire temperature enhancement of this morning’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite image of remote areas in western Ontario shows numerous large wildfires (indicated in red) burning north of Lake Superior.  Ablaze is an area of taiga, the boreal conifer and mixed forests that cover much of interior Canada.  The trees that grow in these wilderness areas are adapted to the large fires that regularly incinerate vast swaths of timber.  Two of the conifers, Black Spruce (Picea mariana) and Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana), require fire for regeneration and are often among the deciduous White Birch (Betula paptrifera) and Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) that first recolonize burned acreage.  As succession proceeds, these pioneer species are followed by growth of Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) and Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis), both of which succeed Tamarack (Larix laricina) and Black Spruce in the sphagnum bogs there.  (Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration image)
Just to the south of the area currently being impacted by wildfire, the Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) nests only in young stands of Jack Pine in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario.  During much of the twentieth century, this Neotropical migrant was in endanger of extinction, taking refuge during the breeding season in several areas of Michigan where large fires had cleared away climax forest and Jack Pines were allowed to regenerate.  Prescribed fire and block timber harvesting techniques now manage some lands specifically for Kirtland’s Warbler habitat.  The species was delisted from endangered status in 2019.  (United States Fish and Wildlife Service image by Vince Cavalieri)
Naturalized Northern White Cedar Growing in Rock
The Northern White Cedar is most familiar to residents of the lower Susquehanna valley as the arborvitae, an evergreen landscape tree that includes numerous cultivars and hybrids derived from the wild taiga conifer.  In suburbia, this tree is abused, planted in rows to create a fast-growing but short-lived windbreak or privacy screen.  How about mixing it up a little bit by adding some variety to those hedgerows?  Then, think about using these beautiful trees where they’ll thrive.  Northern White Cedar grows like a bonsai artist’s dream among boulders, an inspiration for mimicking their appearance in miniature, and will sometimes naturalize in this rocky terrain under mesic (moist) conditions.  Northern White Cedar is a bog species in its native range to our north, so you can give strong consideration to planting scattered specimens in the wet soils of your rain garden, riparian buffer, or other soggy spot.  Scatter some around, put a few in clumps, and enjoy the pizazz they can add to a dreary winter day!
White Spruce and Northern White Cedar
A look at Northern White Cedars in the susquehannawildlife.net headquarters tree nursery and, in the foreground, a White Spruce (Picea glauca), another common conifer of the boreal forests.  In our area, a miniature cultivar of P. glauca known as “Dwarf Alberta Spruce” is routinely planted as a landscape specimen.  On occasion, these compact plants will revert to their “wild” form and grow full-size branches to begin looking more like their ancestral parents.
The visible satellite image from just before 9 AM shows haze from the Ontario fires streaming into the northeastern United States and the Susquehanna basin.  The dense, river-like band of brown smoke seen barreling through New York and New England will shift south into our region during the remainder of the day, so slow down and take it easy.  How long will these fires burn?  Due to the zero-fire forest management strategies of the twentieth century, some areas of taiga haven’t experienced a burn for over 100 years.  The highly combustible fuel load of dry logs, limbs, and needles accumulates in these parcels with each passing year, adding to the threat of a greater frequency of explosive, far-ranging, catastrophic infernos.  To reduce the proliferation of fuels and to get the boreal forests back on the every-decade-or-so natural fire regime that keeps these biomes healthy and thriving, blazes in remote wildlands that haven’t been subjected to regeneration by fire for many decades are primarily contained to protect people, infrastructure, and unique native assets, but are mostly allowed to burn.  (Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration image)
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Photo of the Day

Luna Moth
Outside susquehannawildlife.net headquarters this morning, we were delighted to find this nocturnal Luna Moth (Actias luna), one of the “giant silkworm moths”, clinging to the side of one of our bee houses.  During hours of darkness, this male is on a mission of radar love, his feather-like antennae used to detect pheromones produced by ready-to-mate females.  Host plants for larval Luna Moths include deciduous trees such as willows, beeches, hickories, cherries, alders, and hazelnuts.  It just so happens that we’ve been growing several American Hazelnuts (Corylus americana) in the garden for the past two years.  We’re hoping they’ll help attract a mate for this colossal beauty.
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Five Favorite Visitors from the Northern Forests

As the autumn bird migration draws to a close for 2024, we’re delighted to be finding five of our favorite visitors from the coniferous and mixed forests of Canada and the northernmost continental United States.

Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers drill evenly spaced holes which they repeatedly visit to harvest “sap” and the insects that become trapped therein.  These surgically small excavations penetrate only the bark and the phloem, a shallow, spongy layer of the trunk that carries sugars from the leaves to other parts of the tree.  Seldom do they puncture the thin, underlying cambium layer which protects the true sapwood.  After healing, sapsucker holes leave linear rows of small scars which are sometimes still discernible decades after a bird’s final visit.  This adult male will probably linger in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed until colder weather renders the tree totally dormant, the flow of “sap” ebbs, and small insects become harder to find.  Then he’ll make his way off toward southern forests of oak and pine for the remainder of the winter.  Sapsuckers work their way north as sugary “sap” begins flowing again in the spring.
Hermit Thrush
The Hermit Thrush is another denizen of coniferous and mixed forests.  In habitats with dense cover and sufficient food sources like fruit-bearing shrubs and vines, some will remain through the winter.  The Hermit Thrush is the only spot-breasted thrush regularly seen in our region from November through March.
Fox Sparrow
Almost the size of a thrush, the largest of our native sparrows, the Fox Sparrow, is currently at the peak of its southbound migration.  While taking a break from their nocturnal flights, some may stray from forest edges to visit suburban feeding stations.  Most leave our area by mid-December, then begin returning north as early as mid-February.
Pine Siskins
Not present every year, flocks of Pine Siskins are beginning to arrive in the lower Susquehanna region.  They are currently most common along the mountain tops of the Ridge and Valley Province where they are feeding on the seeds of the Sweet Birch, a tree also known as Black Birch.  Look for them around niger seed feeders and on the prickly seed balls of cultivated American Sweetgum, but don’t be surprised if they quickly pass us by to spend the winter on the Atlantic Coastal Plain to our south where this native tree grows in abundance.
Female/Juvenile Male Purple Finch
Since late October, Purple Finches have been widespread throughout the region.  These female/juvenile male types are frequently being seen at feeders, particularly near woodlands and other areas with stands of conifers.
Male Purple Finch
Less frequently seen are the adult male Purple Finches in their raspberry-colored plumage.  What a dandy.

While right now is the best time to get out and look for these species from the northern forests, any or all of them could linger into the winter months, particularly where the food supply is sufficient and conifers and other evergreens provide cover from the blustery weather.

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Visit South Mountain for the Brightest Foliage Display You’ve Ever Seen

Where should you go this weekend to see vibrantly colored foliage in our region?  Where are there eye-popping displays of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens without so much brown and gray?  The answer is Michaux State Forest on South Mountain in Adams, Cumberland, and Franklin Counties.

South Mountain is the northern extension of the Blue Ridge Section of the Ridge and Valley Province in Pennsylvania.  Michaux State Forest includes much of the wooded land on South Mountain.  Within or adjacent to its borders are located four state parks: King’s Gap Environmental Education Center, Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Caledonia State Park, and Mont Alto State Park.  The vast network of trails on these state lands includes the Appalachian Trail, which remains in the mountainous Blue Ridge Section all the way to its southern terminus in Georgia.

Pennsylvania State Parks on South Mounatin
In Pennsylvania, the forested highlands of the Blue Ridge Section of the Ridge and Valley Province are known as South Mountain.  Much of South Mountain lies within the boundaries of Michaux State Forest.  Stars indicate the locations of 1) King’s Gap Environmental Education Center, 2) Pine Grove Furnace State Park, 3) Caledonia State Park, and 4) Mont Alto State Park.  A drive on US 30 between Gettysburg and Chambersburg will take you right through Michaux State Forest along an east to west axis while a scenic northbound or southbound trip along PA 233 will bring you in proximity to each of the state parks located therein.  (Base image from NASA Earth Observatory Collection)

If you want a closeup look at the many species of trees found in Michaux State Forest, and you want them to be labeled so you know what they are, a stop at the Pennsylvania State University’s Mont Alto arboretum is a must.  Located next door to Mont Alto State Park along PA 233, the Arboretum at Penn State Mont Alto covers the entire campus.  Planting began on Arbor Day in 1905 shortly after establishment of the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy at the site in 1903.  Back then, the state’s “forests” were in the process of regeneration after nineteenth-century clear cutting.  These harvests balded the landscape and left behind the combustible waste which fueled the frequent wildfires that plagued reforestation efforts for more than half a century.  The academy educated future foresters on the skills needed to regrow and manage the state’s woodlands.

Online resources can help you plan your visit to the Arboretum at Penn State Mont Alto.  More than 800 trees on the campus are numbered with small blue tags.  The “List of arboretum trees by Tag Number” can be downloaded to tell you the species or variety of each.  The interactive map provides the locations of individual trees plotted by tag number while the Grove Map displays the locations of groups of trees on the campus categorized by region of origin.  A Founder’s Tree Map will help you find some of the oldest specimens in the collection and a Commemorative Tree Map will help you find dedicated trees.  There is also a species list of the common and scientific tree names.

Yellow Buckeye
The Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava) is a tree found in the forests of the Blue Ridge Section of the Ridge and Valley Province in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.  You can see it in Pennsylvania by visiting the collection of trees in the Arboretum at Penn State Mont Alto.
American Chestnut
The American Chestnut can be difficult to find due to the impact of chestnut blight, but you can see it in the Arboretum at Penn State Mont Alto.
Shagbark Hickory
Shagbark Hickory is a common tree in the forests of South Mountain.
Sweet Cherry
The Sweet Cherry (Prunus avium), a native of Europe, is naturalized throughout eastern and south-central Pennsylvania and is one of the more than 150 species of trees in the arboretum’s collection.
Sweet Birch
Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) foliage is particularly bright yellow on South Mountain this autumn.  It really “pops” against the backdrop of the evergreen Eastern White Pines and Eastern Hemlocks.  During less-than-ideal years, Sweet Birch leaves can subtly transition from green to drab brown without much fanfare before falling.
Common Persimmon
You might have a difficult time finding a Common Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) growing wild in Pennsylvania, but you can find it in the Arboretum at Penn State Mont Alto.

The autumn leaves will be falling fast, so make it a point this weekend to check out the show on South Mountain.

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Plantings for Wet Lowlands

This linear grove of mature trees, many of them nearly one hundred years old, is a planting of native White Oaks (Quercus alba) and Swamp White Oaks (Quercus bicolor).

Imagine the benefit of trees like this along that section of stream you’re mowing or grazing right now.  The Swamp White Oak in particular thrives in wet soils and is available now for just a couple of bucks per tree from several of the lower Susquehanna’s County Conservation District Tree Sales.  These and other trees and shrubs planted along creeks and rivers to create a riparian buffer help reduce sediment and nutrient pollution.  In addition, these vegetated borders protect against soil erosion, they provide shade to otherwise sun-scorched waters, and they provide essential wildlife habitat.  What’s not to love?

Swamp White Oak
Autumn leaf of a Swamp White Oak

The following native species make great companions for Swamp White Oaks in a lowland setting and are available at bargain prices from one or more of the County Conservation District Tree Sales now underway…

Red Maple
The Red Maple is an ideal tree for a stream buffer project. They do so well that you should limit them to 10% or less of the plants in your project so that they don’t overwhelm slower-growing species.
River Birch
The River Birch (Betula nigra) is a multi-trunked tree of lowlands.  Large specimens with arching trunks help shade waterways and provide a source of falling insects for surface-feeding fish.  Its peeling bark is a distinctive feature.
Common Winterberry
The Common Winterberry with its showy red winter-time fruit is a slow-growing shrub of wet soils.  Only female specimens of this deciduous holly produce berries, so you need to plant a bunch to make sure you have both genders for successful pollination.
American Robins feeding on Common Winterberry.
An American Robin feeding on Common Winterberry.
Common Spicebush
Common Spicebush is a shrub of moist lowland soils.  It is the host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly and produces small red berries for birds and other wildlife.  Plant it widely among taller trees to provide native vegetation in the understory of your forest.
Common Spicebush foliage and berries.
Common Spicebush foliage and berries in the shade beneath a canopy of tall trees.
Common Pawpaw
The Common Pawpaw a small shade-loving tree of the forest understory.
Common Pawpaw
Common Pawpaw is a colony-forming small tree which produces a fleshy fruit.  It is the host plant for the caterpillars of the Zebra Swallowtail.
Buttonbush
The Buttonbush is a shrub of wet soils.  It produces a round flower cluster, followed by this globular seed cluster.
Eastern Sycamore
And don’t forget the Eastern Sycamore, the giant of the lowlands.  At maturity, the white-and-tan-colored bark on massive specimens makes them a spectacular sight along stream courses and river shores.  Birds ranging from owls, eagles, and herons to smaller species including the Yellow-throated Warbler rely upon them for nesting sites.
Yellow-crowned Night Herons Nesting in an Eastern Sycamore
Yellow-crowned Night Herons, an endangered species in Pennsylvania, nesting in an Eastern Sycamore.

So don’t mow, do something positive and plant a buffer!

Act now to order your plants because deadlines are approaching fast.  For links to the County Conservation District Tree Sales in the Lower Susquehanna River Watershed, see our February 18th post.

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