August 2021 - More Summertime

....And more wildlife encounters:

John and I have lived in this house full-time for 22 years now, and another ten years before that as weekenders.  I've hiked the same fields and woods here for all of those years, but experienced a first just a couple of weeks ago.  

Zoey and I were on our regular morning off-leash hike through the meadows at the top of our street.  She happened to be a few feet in front of me as we approached the boundary between two large open fields - a boundary defined by a stone wall that has since been overgrown by shrubs and saplings.  My view of the field into which we were crossing was momentarily obscured by those shrubs, but I knew something was up when I saw Zoey suddenly take off running towards the left and out of view as she cleared the opening.  

We've encountered hikers, mountain bikers, hunters, turkeys, deer, pheasants, and even horseback riders in those fields over time (and of course skunks, as I reported last month), so in the split second before I was able to round the corner, I figured that she was off to greet and/or chase after one of those familiar targets - but then something else came into view.

What I saw emerging out of the woods about 75-100 yards away was a black bear, and Zoey was running right towards him.  Having only seen a bear in this area once before, my initial reaction was along the lines of "hey, how about that - a real bear!"; it was kind of like watching a movie.  I'd say that Zoey got within about 50 feet of him, but she fortunately stopped and came running back to me when I yelled to her (good girl, Zoey!).  

As for the bear: he stopped about the same time that Zoey did, then quickly turned around and went back into the woods from where he had come.  Maybe he has a thing against Labradoodles, or maybe he's like most black bears who generally just don't have much interest in dogs or humans, other than our bird feeders and trash cans (or backyard swing sets, like this 2017 video from East Granby).  As mentioned, this was only the second time that I've seen one around here, and in truth, my relatives in Connecticut have had more sightings in their neighborhoods than I have.

They say that making noise when you're out hiking in the woods is a good practice, so as not to suddenly come upon and startle a bear.  From now on, I think I'll put a bell on Zoey, and I'll make sure to sing loud and clear on my morning walks.  I'm just glad that we don't have alligators around here!

The red arrow shows more or less where the bear emerged from the woods. 
Sorry, I didn't have time to take a picture of him - he fortunately didn't hang around to pose for me.

Here's the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website, with recommendations about how to handle black bear encounters, for those of you that live in bear country: Black Bears.

July 2021 - Summertime

Lady Slippers, Lightning, and Skunks

Mid-June is the season for Lady Slipper blooms here in Vermont.  The flowers, part of the orchid family, are illegal to pick in some states - mainly because the plants take so long to establish themselves to reach maturity.  Lady Slipper patches can be rare to find in your average neighborhood, but there are some publicly accessible nature areas around the state, like the Esthqua Bog in Hartland that I visited with some friends a couple of weeks ago.  A boardwalk at the site allows the public to view the rare flowers without disturbing them.  

The visit inspired me to try planting my own Lady Slipper patch in our yard, but was discouraged when I found that the price of a single bulb could range anywhere from $45 to $85 and more!

For more about Lady Slippers:

www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/cypripedium_acaule.shtml

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We've always heard that it's not a good idea to stand under or near a tree during a thunderstorm, and I was reminded of that recently.

In our area, it seems that most thunderstorms are something we hear off in the distance, and they are generally short-lived.  A couple of weeks ago, however, we were standing in the kitchen during a storm and saw a flash of lightning followed pretty darn immediately by a loud clap of thunder. The next morning, I was taking my usual hike along the wooded path about a half mile up the street from us and came across this sight.

It may not be easy to see in the picture, but splinters of the unfortunate tree were found 10 to 20 feet away from its base, like an explosion of little wooden missiles. 

Fortunately for the drought conditions we were experiencing at the time, the tree did not catch fire. 

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Zoey and her friend Teddy

Our black Labradoodle Zoey has energy to spare, as does my friend Jane's Goldendoodle "Teddy".  They're evenly matched in exuberance and age (almost 3), so we've been getting them together for weekly play dates and an off-leash romp in the fields and hiking trails around here.  

The two dogs cover three or four times the distance that Jane and I do, as they chase each other in circles through meadows, and deftly leap over logs and rocks in the woods.  For all of Zoey's bad habits (which we're working on), she never strays far and has proven to be pretty responsive when I call her.   A VERY GOOD THING!

A few weeks ago, the end of our hike brought us through a meadow that had not yet been hayed.  While Jane and I walked along a narrow mowed path, Zoey and Teddy did their usual loop-de-loops through the tall grass.....which is when we spotted the plumed black and white tail of another animal about 50 feet away, right where the dogs were headed.   

Jane and I did what you're not supposed to do to call back your dogs, which is to scream their names angrily. The skunk apparently wanted no part of the action and disappeared into its den in the ground, but not before putting up the only defense he knows...a malodorous calling card aimed at the dogs and the surrounding grass.  

Zoey got the message and came running back to me, with just her head and neck bearing that unmistakable smell.   Teddy, on the other hand, decided that it was more fun to roll around in the tall grass where the skunk had just sprayed, seemingly determined to cover every inch of his curly coat with the perfume, before Jane could run to him and pull him away on leash.

Understandably unwilling to drive home with a smelly dog in the car, Jane gave Teddy a hose-down in our back yard using an anti-skunk home remedy (hydrogen peroxide/baking soda/dish detergent).   Zoey's bath was more localized to her head and neck, but it took a week or two before the odor worked its way out of her collar completely.

I should note: perhaps Teddy is trying to impress Zoey with his fearlessness: on another walk a couple of months ago, the two of them startled a porcupine hiding in a stone wall.  Zoey held back while Teddy  persisted as the frightened animal climbed a tree and responded with ITS only method of defense.  Teddy was lucky that time - his only badge of courage from the display of youthful indiscretion was a single porcupine quill to the nose.

   

The field where it happened