Late Summer on the Trail

Japanese angelica-tree (Aralia elata) seeds

It's been a while since I've posted (mostly because Kali's broken foot kept me from getting out much during her four-week convalescence), but her cast came off last Tuesday, the crutches are stored in the attic, and Kali is, once again, driving herself to and from work.  On Saturday afternoon, we took advantage of her new-found freedom and nice weather to walk on the level, even-surfaced rail-to-trail pathway in the county park downstream of my preserve.  It was the longest walk Kali had taken in five weeks, so we started out slowly; she was only able to walk a mile before her foot began to hurt and we turned around, but in that distance I got some late summer images.

Kali on the trail

One long section of the trail is bordered by dense growth of non-native, invasive Japanese angelica-tree (Aralia elata).  This plant is closely related to native Aralia spinosa, which is also known commonly as Hercules'-club or devil's walking stick. 

Aralia alongside the trail

Aralia branch and flower/seed stalk from below

Angelica-tree and Hercules'-club have the largest leaves of any plant in the mid-Atlantic.  Each leaf is pinnately compound, with a dozen or so leaflets strung along a central rachis.  The tree produces tiny white flowers on feathery pink flower stalks, giving the plant an interesting and unmistakable appearance.

Aralia leaves and flower stalks from above

Aralia gets its common name of devil's walking stick because the stem and even the leaves are liberally  festooned with defensive thorns.

Aralia stem

There were lots of weedy late-summer native plants producing seeds and fruits along the route...

False climbing buckwheat (Polygonum scandens)

Bur-cucumber (Sicyos angulatus)

The trail heading north along the west bank of the creek flowing about 20 feet below.

The creek photographed downstream

...and there was no shortage of non-native invasive plants, too, in addition to the Aralia.

Mile-a-minute weed (Polygonum perfoliatum) with blue seeds favored (and spread) by birds

Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica)

Porcelain-berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) - the bane of my professional existence

Autumn was just beginning to make its advent apparent in the trailside foliage.

Flowering dogwood leaves (Cornus florida) on the woodland edge are turning maroon

Great Blue Heron fishing the creek's shallows

Several groups of skittish Wood Ducks in autumn eclipse plumage were cruising the creek.  I captured the image below with my telephoto lens extended to its maximum, and then I further enlarged and sharpened the image digitally, so the quality is not great, but it was the best I could get.  When enlarged, I think the image looks a little Impressionistic as a result of my manipulations.  Wishful thinking...?  What do you think?

Wood Ducks on the creek

The creek at the north end of our walk

A Good Excuse for a Walk

Center Bridge over the Delaware River (New Jersey on left)

Normally, this time of year, Kali and I would use the very short window of opportunity to buy ripe, freshly picked peaches as an excuse to make a 25-mile trip to an orchard in Bucks County, and to ride our bikes along the Delaware River.  But, with Kali's July injury in Fort Collins, Colorado, healing only very gradually, we still can't get on our bikes. 

Instead, on Saturday afternoon we decided to make the trek to the orchard, and to walk (not ride) along the Delaware Canal towpath that parallels the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania side of the river.  (A similar towpath follows the Delaware and Raritan Canal on the New Jersey side of the river, and it's in much better condition than the flood-ravaged path on the Pennsylvania side, but it's also much more heavily used and less enjoyable for walking - though much preferable for biking.)

We walked about three miles (1.5 miles out and back) and stopped for an (unsatisfying) soft serve ice cream cone at a locally popular drive-in at the turnaround point.  The conditions were great for a nice walk: relatively low humidity, partly cloudy skies to keep the temperature reasonable, lots of shade along the path, and nice scenery with the river on one side and the canal lined with elegant properties on the other.

Delaware Canal towpath trail

A restored lock along the Delaware Canal

Canal towpath, Delaware River, and bridge to New Jersey

Riding inner tubes on the relatively gentle current is a summertime tradition along this stretch of the Delaware River, but a tuber from Washington DC drowned last week about six miles north of this bridge when he and his friends went tubing when the river was high from rain in its headwaters.  Normally, the wide river is nearly shallow enough to wade.

Elegant (and pricey) digs along the Delaware Canal

Many people have built (or renovated existing historical) houses along the canal and, in places where it's wide enough, even on the strip of land between the river and the canal.  I can certainly appreciate the appeal of the location, but given the river's propensity to flood, I doubt that I'd locate here even if I could afford it (which I can't).

Purple loosestrife on the canal bank

Attractive purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), an invasive plant, grows abundantly along the canal's banks.  While it may be alien, it certainly provides pollen and nectar for countless native insects - probably one of the reasons why it's so successful. 

Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) and duckweed (Lemna spp.)

After we returned to the car, we drove a few miles uphill out of the valley to the peach orchard where we bought a half-peck of yellow peaches, some crispy early-season Stanza apples, and a jar of home-made peach-raspberry jam. 

Kali approaching Manoff Market Gardens' peach shed

Decisions, decisions...

Kali selecting some Stanza apples