September 9, 1999 - On mushrooms, migration and velvet6A - The Suffolk Times - September 9, 1999
On mushrooms, migration and velvet
If Lance Biechele had visited the
East End last week he probably would
have said, "Paul, you must have just
had a good rain." He would have been
able to tell that by the sudden appear-
ance of those little -known fungi called
mushrooms. Lance is an expert in this
fascinating science called mycology.
If we lived in
the "Old World" Focus
the knowledge of
mushrooms ON
would be second NATURE
to a vast
number of coun- by Paul
try folk who col- Stoutenburgh
lect them and eat
them as part of their everyday meals.
We, in today's world, have become
less and less associated with the natur-
al world and have forgotten or just
can't take the time to learn the folk-
lore that utilizes the wealth of wild
foods that grow around us. Granted,
there are a few like Mrs. Zelinski in
Cutchogue, who still go out and col-
lect those gourmet delights, but people
like her are few and far between.
At one time Southold had a mush-
room club spurred on by that contro-
versial but knowledgeable mycologist,
Addy Schreiber. Without this in-
teresting group the average layperson
has difficulty in identifying the vast
differences in color, size and shape
you need to know in order to sort out
the "good" from the "bad" mush-
rooms. Nevertheless there are encour-
aging signs. More and more people
are buying and using mushrooms in
their daily meals. Restaurants are
highlighting new and exotic types of
mushrooms and the public is "eating
them up."
The Long Island mushroom?
Along those lines, I'd like to make a
suggestion that might just add a new
and exciting enterprise for our East
End. Just as grapes have taken over
much of the potato country, why can't
mushroom growing takeover the
many potato barns that, because of
their half - buried construction, would
make ideal mushroom raising places?
Here we have one of the largest mar-
kets just to the west of us, New York
City. The stage is set for a new and
profitable industry right here on our,
own East End. All this without any
new buildings or changing of zoning.
They do it in Pennsylvania, why not
here on the East End? Enough of pro-
moting mushroom growing.
Have you looked closely at your
favorite deer lately? Take a good look
the next time and you might be sur-
prised to see the bucks are in velvet
now. Usually we think of the buck
carrying his polished "racks" or
antlers; by contrast, throughout the
summer they have this velvety skin
layer loaded with blood vessels, giving
their antlers a swollen or bulky look.
As fall approaches, the bucks will rub
this velvet covering off on trees,
saplings and bush-
es, often leaving
little bits and
pieces behind. To
see proof of this I
walked up back re-
cently where I
planted cedars
along my back
fence. They have
wrecked what
were once perfect-
ly shaped trees.
This sign of their
rubbing can be
seen by even the
most casual ob-
server almost any-
where there are
woods or over-
grown fields. One
can imagine what
damage deer can
do to a nursery of
man's valuable
trees and shrubs.
By now the
fawns that were
born in the early
spring have be-
come completely
weaned and are
foraging pretty much on their own. We
catch glimpses of them with their
mother and what we think is the
father in .the vacant field alongside of
us every evening. Should we have
friends over about evening time, we
can always take them out in the gar-
den and look across the field and see
deer.
Our buck is in full velvet and will
soon be feeling his oats. It's then he'll
polish up his antlers and challenge any
deer for a mate. Usually the bigger the
rack, the more powerful the deer and
winner of the duel. Once this rutting
season is over and things settle down
and the antlers are no longer needed,
the antlers are no longer needed, the
antlers drop off. If you're lucky in
your wanderings, you might find them.
More often they are choice objects for
the multitude of rodents that scamper
about. It's their chief source of calci-
um. I've often found racks that were
gnawed partially through where mice
have eaten away.
As the cold of winter moves in, deer
put on their winter coat of thick fur. I
can tell when this change from sum-
mer to winter comes, for my two cows
do the same thing. During the summer
trumpet creeper with its long, orange,
tube -like flowers. Both go unnoticed
all summer long. They do drop in dur-
ing the fall migration but only for a
short time. Like the monarch butter-
fly, they stop by only to refuel and
then they're off again on their journey
south.
Catbirds have been building up in
numbers all around our place. I took
time out yesterday to watch them
down by the little irrigation pond to
see what they
were feeding on.
The ones I
watched were
gorging them-
selves on autumn
olive and the
scarlet berries of
the evening
nightshade. No
wonder these two
plants are such
problems along
our fence edge.
It's here birds of
all sorts come to
stop and rest. The
seeds of the
autumn olive and
nightshade pass
through them and
germinate right
along the fence
row. I don't mind
the evening
nightshade but
once the autumn
olive gets ahold,
it's difficult to re-
move it for the
roots will sprout
young suckers
and start anew. Birds are just one
more way that nature distributes her
seeds throughout the land.
While down at the pond checking
on the catbirds I didn't see any of the
usual painted turtles basking on their
favorite log. I was there for about a
half -hour and in that time the sun
became warm and bright. Previously
the morning had been quite cool and
evidently the turtles found staying in
the water warmer than the outside air.
As I watched it became warmer and
warmer and that triggered the turtles'
appearance. One by one they popped
up and made their way to a half -sub-
merged log, where one by one they
climbed out of their watery world. We
tend to forget how important temper-
ature is in the lives of those cold -
blooded creatures. One could almost
imagine a sigh of relief as each turtle
absorbed the life - giving warmth of the
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
After our heavy rains of last week mushrooms appeared almost overnight.
They lie dormant until conditions of temperature and moisture are just right
and then appear like magic. The ones pictured above are honey mushrooms.
UNIVERSALIST
HURCH
ian Univeralist)
Announcing the opening of
church school
Sunday, Sept. 12
School and Service at 11 a.m.
Our church school program is founded on the conviction that
human nature binds us to the universe and all that sustains it.
This is the seed we plant for a deep reverence for all life.
Child care provided for children 4 and under.
Main Road at the bend, Southold - Founded 1835
RELIGIOUS, EDUCATION DIRECTOR -VIRGINIA CORNELL • 765.3258
Minister: Rev. Sarah Barber-Braun • 765.9098 Organist: Vaughn Ramsay
they wear their sleek thin coats but as
soon as it gets cooler, they too, button
up for winter.
Speaking of the changing seasons,
we're seeing the fall migration of tree
swallows congregating on wires and
trees and milling about by the thou-
sands. They are mostly the white -bel-
lied tree swallows that found nesting
cavities in trees or even bird boxes
farther north. We have them nesting
locally but nothing like years ago. We
still get the rusty orange- bellied barn
swallows that live in garages, barns
and occasionally on people's porches
hereabouts. But they, too, are not in
the numbers they used to be. Like the
cliff swallow that, by the way, does not
nest locally, the barn swallow builds its
nest of mud and lines it with feathers.
Most people don't take too kindly to
their nesting in their garage because
"they make the place messy." I guess
that's another way of saying their
droppings foul up their cars.
We also see hummingbirds passing
through. We have them nesting locally
but I haven't had any luck luring these
little jewels to take up residence near-
by. I've planted bee balm or Oswego
tea, which they dearly love, and my
sun.
THE SUFFOLK TIMES.
•
We've got you covered
-.-
WILDLIFE RESOURCES
;WILD BIRD SUPPLIES dt MUCH MORE COMING SOOW/1\
While we're under construction, please visit our warehouse for quality
bird seed at GREAT prices, and to say hello.
11 Cox La. 4 Oregon Rd, Cutchogue 734 -2096 Hours are Sat. 6 Sun. 10 - 4