This week in the woods, we were surprised to find American goldfinches feeding on something – we’re not sure what – among the dead leaves that had accumulated on top of a derelict fall webworm nest. There are relatively few birds that eat webworms, because, as Michael Caduto noted in this Outside Story essay, “The stiff hairs build up and cause discomfort in the stomach linings of birds that eat them.” As shown here, however, the nests may serve as a food source in another way: as catch-alls for seeds and other detritus falling from the trees – and a much safer place for a bird to forage than on the ground.
As the weather cools, soft bodied mushrooms are becoming scarce, but you can still find late-season species. Wine caps, Stropharia rugosoannulata, will grow as late as November. We discovered this one in a mossy patch next to a wetland. These tough-but-pretty mushrooms are also known to pop up in wood chip piles.
This hasn’t been a great autumn for color, which is all the more reason to take a moment to enjoy the diverse displays of hobblebush, a common understory plant in the viburnum family. Most shrubs and trees have at least some variation in how their leaves change color, but hobblebush takes this to an extreme, with purple, yellow, red, and still-green patches on its leaves, differing radically from leaf to leaf. This quirky fall color is yet one more reason to appreciate the shrub. Others include its gorgeous white blossoms and red berries and, perhaps best of all, its status as a caterpillar host for spring azure butterflies.
What have you noticed in the woods this week? Submit a recent photo for possible inclusion in our monthly online Reader Photo Gallery.