More Native Trees (from our archive)
May 2023: Serviceberry, Amelanchier arborea.
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February 2023: Eastern white pine, Pinus strobus.
If
we could travel back in time three centuries and walk about Mayflower
Point and much of New England, we might have to crane our necks to
see the tops of Eastern white pines growing as tall as 200 feet. Even
then, however, these magnificent trees were catching the attention of
the King of England, who declared that the tallest white pines in the
British colonies were reserved to be masts for the ships of the Royal
Navy. By the time of the American Revolution, according to the Maine
Historical Society, the tallest specimens had long disappeared. Logging
of Eastern white pines continued as our newly independent country
developed.
While old-growth pines can be found in a few pockets such as Mohawk State Park in northwestern Massachusetts, even the secondary and shorter versions we see in and near Mayflower Point are lovely with their soft, fine-textured needles.
Eastern white pines seem happiest in groves with each other and with other tree species; lone specimens are more vulnerable to pests. Squirrels and a wide range of birds—including cedar waxwings, chickadees, mourning doves, red-bellied woodpeckers and robins—find the trees appealing for their seeds or as sites for nests.
February activity: To see lush groves of Eastern white pines, visit the Peck Property just down Areys Lane from Mayflower Point or, slightly further south on Route 28, Kenrick Woods.
The trails in both conservation areas lead to Namequoit River just
below Arey’s Pond. Bring your binoculars, for there is a prominent dead
tree—a “snag”—on the Kenrick side, easily viewed from the Peck bank,
where one can sometimes find a bird of prey surveying the shallow waters
below.
January 2023: Eastern red cedar, Juniperus virginiana.
Although the Eastern red cedar is native to a broad swath of North America from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean, it seems iconic here on Cape Cod. We know it as a “pioneer” species, the first tree to appear—like a sentinel--on the bluff of a windswept coast or in the middle of a dry meadow.
Fifty years ago, a pair of red cedars at the rise of Higgins Landing overlooking Namequoit River were cut down in mysterious circumstances. Their loss is still lamented in some quarters, but another specimen has emerged a few feet further up the hill. We must be patient, because cedars grow very slowly, given their predilection for poor soil and harsh conditions. Nonetheless, they can eventually reach 30 feet or more in height.
The rewards are great. The silvery, aromatic berries of female cedars nourish over 50 species of birds in fall and winter. For humans, their evergreen beauty is solace in the short days of winter.
January activity: The coastal landscapes where we find eastern red cedars are also good places for winter bird-watching. Several species of birds that spend their summer months in Arctic regions find the Cape a balmy spot for the winter. Buffleheads (see image below), red-breasted mergansers, various scoters and other ducks can be spotted on the estuaries around Mayflower Point and on Nauset Marsh, seemingly untroubled by the blustery conditions.
November 2022: Oaks, Quercus.
Oaks
are found across the contiguous United States, and we are lucky to have
many species native to Cape Cod, including the majestic white oak (Quercus alba).
You can easily identify white oaks because their leaves are rounded, as
shown at left in the picture below, while those of scarlet, red and
black oaks are pointed.
Oaks are rich in tannin, the compound that imparts its bitter flavor and preservative qualities to wine aged in oak barrels. Despite the tannin, a wide array of insects have co-evolved with oaks to be able to nibble and digest the leaves—and many of them are in the larval stage when our native birds are looking for caterpillars to feed their young. The leaves continue to shelter critical insects, amphibians and other woodland creatures after they have fallen and only slowly decay (thanks to the tannin). So oaks would be ecological superstars even if they didn’t produce acorns, but they do. Packed with fats and carbohydrates, acorns nourish more than 100 wildlife species.
November Activity: Nor’easter
season is coming, and you can help your trees remain standing by making
sure they are not blanketed in English ivy. When English ivy climbs
into trees, its evergreen leaves add to the weight and surface area of
the trees, making them more vulnerable in heavy winds and storms.
English ivy also carries Bacterial Leaf Scorch, a pathogen harmful to
our native oaks and maples.
If it’s in your trees, cut each vine about 3 feet above the ground and pull away the vine below the cut. The vine above the cut will die. Do not pull away the ivy above the cut to avoid tearing away (more of) the tree’s bark.
October 2022: Red maple, Acer rubrum.
Red
maple has a shy delicate quality on Cape Cod. It’s often hidden in the
shadows of the taller oaks and white pines that dominate our woods. It
prefers moist soils, so we are more likely to find it in low-lying
areas such as along the Red Maple Swamp Trail in the Fort Hill area in
Eastham.
But even on Mayflower Point, where the soil is drier, red maples dot our landscape. They seem to appreciate having their feet in the cool shade of taller trees.
And October is their month to shine, when their lovely 3- and 5-pointed leaves turn brilliant shades of red.
October Activity: In addition to taking walks in the woods to spot red maples, walk around your own property and keep an eye out for Oriental bittersweet.
It
is an invasive non-native vine that chokes trees by twining around
them. It also grows profusely enough to blanket native shrubs and
deprive them of sunlight.
In the fall, it produces admittedly pretty orange and yellow berries, which birds eat, spreading the seeds. To stop the vicious cycle, you can pull young shoots by hand (especially from wet soil) or mow them. If a vine has engulfed a tree, cut a “window” in it, with a first cut a foot above the ground and the second several feet higher. The vine above the cuts will wither and free the tree.