The Daily Bucket is a regular series from the Backyard Science group. Here we talk about Mother Nature in all her glory, especially the parts that live nearby. So let us know (as close as you are comfortable) where you are and what's going on around you. What's the weather like? Seen any interesting plants, bugs or critters? Are there birds at your feeders? Deer, foxes or peahens in your yard? Seen any cool rocks or geological features? Post your observations and notes here. And photos. We like lots of photos. :)
Naumkeag, the back patio
As I mentioned last week, Darling Spouse and I spent Labor Day weekend in western Massachusetts exploring the Berkshires. It was not our first trip by any means. We're always looking for an excuse to escape New York and that's one of our favorite places to go. Follow me below the orange mountain stream for part 1 of our adventures and odd encounters.
We stayed just outside the town of Lee, in a timeshare complex called The Oak & Spruce Resort (which we took to calling the Moose & Squirrel because . . . just because. We have strange senses of humor.) Picture a slightly upscale apartment complex set into a hillside and you've got it. We didn't spend a whole lot of time there, though we checked out the hot tub and indoor pool one evening (ahhhhh, hot tub. I want one.) Most of our time was spent at nature preserves, historic sites and gardens.
I will say up front I was rather disappointed in the wildlife we didn't see. We hiked all over 2 wildlife sanctuaries, half a mountain and 2 gardens. With one exception (to be discussed later), we could have seen the same critters in our wildlife-friendly backyard in New York. The same turkey vultures soared overhead, the same giant swallowtail butterfly fluttered in the black-eyed Susans, the same chipmunks dashed about on their urgent errands.
The scenery, however, was lovely. Nothing quite compares with the Berkshires for sheer prettiness.
What struck me was, while we didn't see anything especially special, where we saw some things was quite extraordinary. Take for example our visit to the historic "summer cottage" of Naumkeag. Naumkeag was the Native American name for Salem, Massachusetts, where Joseph Choate was born and he used the name for his 44-room summer retreat. Set in the hills above Stockbridge, it is surrounded by beautiful gardens and has a spectacular view of the valley.
The summer cottage
View from Naumkeag
On any given day, the place is swarming with tourists interested in a little Gilded Age history and a stroll through majestic, well-planned gardens.
The Chinese Garden pavilion
The Moon Gate
Even with all these people around, some bird apparently found the pavilion a perfect place to nest.
Swallow nest?
Well, some birds seem to enjoy human company so perhaps that was not so odd. Here's one that is a bit more perplexing. Monday, you folks were kind enough to help me identify a raptor from pictures I took on this trip (we all seem to agree it is a juvenile red-tailed hawk and thanks very much for all the help!)
What's interesting is I took those shots from the patio of Naumkeag with approximately 20 other people milling about, waiting for a tour to begin. It couldn't have been 30 feet over our heads and just hung there, bold as could be, for several minutes.
Hmmmm, any squirrels on the lunch menu?
Just for fun, here a few pictures of the interior of the cottage. No wildlife there but the tourists!
The main entrance
The library
The main entry fireplace
Back outside, the Evergreen garden had a lovely marble fountain.
As you can see, for all its beauty, the area seems pretty sterile from a wildlife perspective. So what was this guy/gal doing there?
I begin to think that frogs simply materialize out of the ether wherever there is water. Looks well-fed so perhaps it was just cooling off on its way through. :)
Here are some other pictures of the gardens. They were extensive and we spent an entire afternoon exploring. This massive white oak tree caused a rift between the owners of the property and their builder. The builder wanted to put the house there and insisted on cutting the tree down. The Choates summarily fired him and hired someone else to build the house on the rise behind the tree. It's estimated the tree is at least 300 years old.
The cable coming down the right side of the tree is part of the lightning strike prevention system they have. Looking up in the branches, you can see cables all through the tree.
Beyond the oak, a small shrine decorates the other end of the yard and, no, your eyes are not deceiving you. The thing is leaning left. ;)
The stone on the plinth was imported from China along with the giant clam shells. The shells there now are replicas of the originals as they were being damaged by being out in the weather. The path leads off into the woods to a cemetery for the Choate's dogs. Yep, a pet cemetery.
I'll leave you with one last bit of impressive garden structure and we'll move to our other adventures and odd encounters in the next bucket. This is the view looking down from the top of the Blue Steps. You can see the cutting gardens, now only populated by delphiniums and some phlox but being restored over time. The steps were built to allow the owner to access them without a strenuous climb.
Purple Delphinium
And here are the Blue Steps from below:
That's it for Naumkeag - a beautiful mix of civilization and nature and well worth the trip! In the next bucket, we'll move out into the wilderness and nature preserves to see what can be seen.
Have you seen critters in unexpected places? Tell us about it!
"Spotlight on Green News & Views" will be posted every Saturday and Wednesday at 1:00 pm Pacific Time on the Daily Kos front page. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.