I’m sure you’ve been out hiking and noticed a live tree all hollowed out with a U-shaped hole at the base. This is a disease called Heartrot is pretty common in forest and yard trees, It is caused by a decay fungus that feeds on the wood in the center of the tree that is usually dark in color, called heartwood. That nice chocolate brown of black walnut furniture comes from the heartwood of that tree. The disease gets into the tree through a wound of some sort, and slowly over the years decays the heartwood out until it is hollow.

When we have a big snow, it typically creates the opportunistic combination of having time on your hands and a massive amount of the key ingredient for making snow cream, so why not? Besides being a nostalgic but tasty treat to make with the kids, snow cream is the venerable ancestor of our modern ice cream.

With the leaves off the hardwood trees, plants that remain green are more prominent and a handsome contrast to the “dead of winter”. Two that you are likely to see in the mountains on hikes are rhododendron and mountain laurel, which look similar and are often confused.

OUTSIDE
By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

We’ve had a dusting of snow or two recently, and since it’s snow season it seems only right to write about it. Trouble is I’ve written several snow articles in the past, so I had to dig harder to find something fresh to write about. I did find something surprising that I’d have to classify as weird science. It involves something called heavy water, so prepare to go sub-atomic.

Snow is a weather event that is either loved or loathed, with not much middle ground. There is no denying however that a gently falling snow is a beautiful, serene sight. As with most things in nature, snow is a more complex phenomenon than it appears.

We often come up with mind games to pass time with our grandkids on extended road trips, and being the Christmas season, we recently played a guessing game that involved plants and animals associated with Christmas. It was interesting enough that I decided to share the list and researched how certain plants and animals became synonymous with Christmas.

Christmas Tree: Germany is credited with starting the tradition of Christmas trees as we know it back in the 16th century but using evergreens for winter decorating goes back to early Roman times. Initially, trees were decorated with edible ornaments such as apples, nuts, and other foodstuffs. Candles were later used to mimic stars on a moonless night, which later went electric. It might interest you to know that in a survey taken in 2004 concerning favorite smells, real Christmas trees in the house came in 8th place.
Holly: the bright red berries and green foliage during the drab winter months helped holly become a colorful decorating tradition.

By Steve Roark

Winter browse is a wildlife term that refers to food in the form of woody twigs and buds found on trees, shrubs and vines. Since more nutritious and palatable food is available during the growing season, browse is usually only consumed during the leaner winter months, which makes it very important in maintaining a population of wildlife. Animals that utilize browse in our area include deer, elk, beaver, rabbit, mice and many others.

For many years we have had to endure a home invasion of ladybugs that are determined to make themselves bothersome houseguests. They are beneficial creatures, feeding on other bugs that damage farm crops, but indoors they drive you nuts buzzing around lights, dive bombing into drinks, and smelling bad.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

White-tailed deer are widespread in our area and can be often seen along wooded edges or making a mad dash across the road. Even if you don’t see them, there are signs to look for when hiking in the woods that show their presence.

By Steve Roark
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park Volunteer

After the thrill of autumn coloration is gone, those who have yard trees must deal with the bushels of leaves when they fall off. An acre of trees in a forest can produce over two tons of leaves each year, and I think my yard trees can beat that estimate.