October 02, 2008 - A perfect day for goofing offThe News - Review • October 2, 2008
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Was this one of nature's not -so -funny tricks?
The plant never gives up its attack with its itching
brew, whether delivered by its leaves or by its win-
ter berries, which some unfortunate person might
think are harmless bayberries. And, yes, it can even
attack you with the smoke of its burning branches.
All these are just waiting for the chance to make
life miserable for you, so beware.
Mixed in and trying to outgrow all others was
the groundsel (high -tide bush),
which is in the process of
FOCUS dispensing its airborne seeds.
ON So light are the individual
seeds that they take off with a
NATURE mere zephyr that sends them
by Paul on their way. Many will fall
in the water and eventually
Stoutenburgh drift to shore; many will sprout
and grow in the high -tide line,
hence the common name, high -tide bush.
Without getting out of the car, I could reach out and
touch healthy clumps of bayberries. This is the berry
that is collected and processed into bayberry candles.
1 t has a wonderful outdoor aroma. I can never pass
this rugged evergreen bush without crushing one of
its leaves — ah ... the.smell of bayberry. Birds eat the
waxy gray berries as survival food in the winter.
Looking out on the marsh, we notice sea lavender,
a plant of the salt marsh. It has clusters of tiny deli-
cate lavender flowers that can be picked in the fall,
dried and used in winter bouquets.
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J O to
September and October are great months here
on the North Fork. There's a snap in the air telling
us that winter will soon be announced by the first
killing frost. When one of the perfect fall days ar-
rives, often without warning, we take off on one of
our typical goof -off days.
So it was the other day when we headed out, des-
tination unknown. It wasn't long before the many
faces of fall started to show up. Most noticeable
along the roadsides was the colorful yellow golden-
rod most everywhere you looked.
One of our favorite spots to see fall unveiling is at
the second bridge west of New Suffolk, where there is e
small pull -off alongside Downs Creek. What makes thi<
spot so appealing to us is that we know the area well,
having paddled its waters and walked its many trails.
It's a bit awkward getting a canoe or kayak
down into the creek, but it's well worth the effort.
Remember, this is no white -water thriller but a
glimpse into the past, for at the head of the creek
is Fort Corchaug, a well- documented Indian fort.
But you don't have to take a canoe trip to see wha
it used to look like or to enjoy the nostalgia that
floods the area. There is no fort there, but to the
well - schooled archaeologist there are the remains
of the Indian fort written in the sands. We just
drove up to the pull -off and let our eyes wander.
Alongside the car was a mass of poison ivy, burst -
ing with fall color. It's hard to believe this plant can
make life so miserable. It had waited until now to
show its colorful maroon, yellow and brown leaves.
You might have to get out of the car to find one of
my favorite marsh plants: the dainty and often hard
to find salt -marsh aster.
Something else that owes its allegiance to the salt
marsh is the little sharp- tailed sparrow It nests in the
marsh and no other place.
As we sit and look up Downs Creek, one can imag-
ine there would have been Indians spearing fish and
collecting shellfish along these shores. One of the most
common and sought -after shellfish is the quahog, or, as
we know it, the "hard" clam. Not only were they col-
lected for food, but also the blue section of the clam-
shell was worked into "wampum." The Indians used it
as money. So well known was this area for its wampum
that Dutch traders came here to barter with the Indi-
ans. Besides the big quahogs, whelks were gathered for
food and for the making of wampum as well.
As we sit speculating about this dreamy glimpse
into the past, a great egret flies in. It will probably use
the creek for finding its evening meal.
We spent the rest of the day poking here and
there and even getting over to the south side, all the
time feeling the touch of fall nipping at us. At one
place on the east section of Dune Road we pulled
off to count 60 great egrets and snowy egrets feed-
ing in a small tributary. It was a spectacular sight.
This collection of egrets was probably part of the
winter migration and they had stopped by to refuel.
Whether it's a single great egret or a collection of 60
or more, it is always thrilling to watch them. Our goof -
off day to us was perfect. What more could one ask?