What is it Wednesday: February 17, 2021

 

Can you identify what's in this photo?

 

 

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

 

 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

 

 

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

February 17, 2021. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

This is the flower bud of a kousa dogwood, encased in ice after yesterday’s freezing rain.

We have featured kousa dogwood flower buds before in What is it Wednesday, because they are such a visible example of how trees and shrubs have buds even when they are dormant in winter. Buds develop on trees and shrubs in the fall, are present all winter, and will open into flowers or leaves in the spring.

The leaves or flowers packed tight inside the bud are able to survive the cold of winter – including being directly coated with ice – because of the bud scales. These are small but tough “wrappers” that cover the bud before it blossoms and seal out damaging weather. In some species they are even covered with small hairs that provide additional insulation. If you look closely at a bud you can see its overlapping bud scales.

The buds of trees and shrubs in cold and temperate climates actually require a certain amount of cold temperatures, or “chilling requirements,” in order to fully develop. Buds are only damaged by cold if the buds start to open, losing their protective scales, and then are exposed to a hard freeze.  

Take a look around and observe the buds on trees and shrubs during the winter - what are their different shapes, sizes, colors, textures? There is a fascinating world of future flowers and leaves out there just waiting to emerge in the spring! 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday: December 9, 2020

 

Can you identify what's in this photo?

 

 

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

 

 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

 

 

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

December 9, 2020. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

These are the seeds of a shrub called Carolina allspice. 

Carolina allspice is native to southeastern North America, so we are a little north of its natural range. But part of Lutherlyn’s property used to be part of Eisler Nurseries – in those areas it is not uncommon to run into unusual plants in the forest, that were planted years ago as part of the nursery. This is one of those plants.

Carolina allspice is a dense shrub that grows to about 6-9 feet tall with dark green oval leaves. Its flowers  with narrow dark-burgundy petals blooms in June. (maybe a future What is it Wednesday feature!) 

Late in the summer, seedpods form and remain on the twigs throughout the winter. Breaking open the seedpods reveal the large brown seeds inside. 

While the seeds, leaves, flowers and twigs are all fragrant, many parts of the plants are toxic, especially in large amounts.  However the bark has been dried, ground, and used as a cinnamon-like spice. It was more common for the twigs and leaves to be used as an air freshener and pieces were even tucked into clothing as a perfume. 

Carolina allspice makes a nice native garden shrub. It is low-maintenance and tolerates many types of conditions, and the leaves, flowers, branching pattern, and seedpods are all attractive.

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday archive: December 5, 2018

 

Can you identify what's in this photo?

 

 

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

 

 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

 

 

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

December 5, 2018. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

 

 

 This welcome burst of color in drab late fall is the blossom of witch hazel, a shrub common at Lutherlyn that often creates a “tunnel” effect with its broad-leaved branches hanging over trails. 

Unlike most plants, witch hazel blooms in the late fall, around the same time that leaves are dropping from deciduous plants. At the same time, the seed pods of the previous year are maturing, ready to spring tiny black seeds (up to 30 feet!) from bursting pods. So witch hazel goes dormant, blooms, and spreads its seeds all at the same time.

This unusual timing seemed unnatural to European settlers. The old words “wicke” and “wyche,”  meaning lively and bendable, were already associated with the shrub. These words, its unnatural timing, and the pointy “witches cap” shaped galls on the leaves conspired to give the shrub the lasting common name of witch hazel.

Witch hazel has also long been used as a folk remedy for many ailments, and continues to be used as an astringent that soothes skin irritations and is a component in many cosmetics. 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday: March 13, 2019

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

March 13, 2019.  

And the answer is....

These are buds on one of the kousa dogwood bushes along the porch of the Lutherlyn dining hall. 

Many people don’t realize that trees and shrubs already have buds on them for the new flowers and leaves that will grow in the spring. Buds emerge in the summer or fall and have been waiting on the twigs all winter. (This photo was taken at the end of January during Winter Retreat.) 

The buds visible in this photo will unfold into the white flowers of the kousa dogwood in May. 

By then, LEEP will be hosting up to 200 students a day in school field trips! To learn more about LEEP field trips and more, check out www.lutherlyn.com/ee.

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!

What is it Wednesday archive: December 12, 2018

Can you identify what's in this photo?

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

the day after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on December 12, 2018. 

And the answer is....

This close-up is of rhododendron leaves, curled tight in the cold. 

When we think of “evergreens” in Pennsylvania, we generally think of evergreen trees with various types of thin pointy needles instead of leaves. But the rhododendron is a broad-leaved evergreen shrub. It stays green all winter, and uses “tricks” to survive the cold weather, like a waxy coating on the leaves, sugars and proteins in the fluids in the cells, and stoma (pores in the leaf) that are closed all winter long. 

Rhododendron leaves also curl up in cold weather, beginning to curl at around 20 degrees Fahrenheit and curling tighter as the temperatures drop colder. Scientists don’t quite know what causes the leaves to curl, but it is likely some variation in the response to cold in different parts of the plant tissue or cells.  The leaf curling has a benefit to people too – it acts as a quick visual thermometer! Many people who regularly observe rhododendrons in winter can tell how cold it is just by the shape of the leaves.

To find out how LEEP can help you observe and learn about the details of nature, check out www.lutherlyn.com/ee. 

Like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!