Green-up time

My prediction that the fog would come rolling back in this morning did not come to pass -- unless you can consider the morning overcast a form of fog. Although the weather was gloomy, birds were active with Willets taking over the pond and marsh. One bird came diving at me as I sauntered by, missing my head by inches -- his way of demonstrating that the marsh now belongs to him. And yesterday's newly arrived Common Yellowthroat has established himself in the brush near the head of the marsh, singing his head off all day long. Only just now is the green-up in and around the marsh beginning to create some decent habitat.

The marsh grass is coming back at a rapid rate. It consists mostly of Spartina alterniflora but there is also some Spartina patens and, of course, stands of Phragmites in a number of places. Ivo and Baccharis -- the two so-called 'High Tide Bushes' -- are sprouting on the slightly higher edges and I think will make a good recovery after having been blasted by Sandy. Back from the salt marsh are plants that have proved to be much less hurricane-proof. In addition to the Red Cedars and Pitch Pines that actually went over, the front line of oaks and Red Maples was hit very hard and, as is just now becoming apparent, many of these trees will not be coming back; some are barely alive with just a few leaves sprouting on top. All the plant life in and around the wetlands is very late but the Hickories and, in particular, the Tupelos are the latest -- as much as a week behind the 'mainland' and still barely beginning to leaf out. It'll take a little longer to assess what kind of shape they're in. 

One feature of the post-Sandy recovery is that many upland areas that were covered with water during the hurricane have lost, not only their leafy canopy, but their original ground cover. Large patches of bare ground are now sprouting pioneer plants of the types that specialize in barren ground. The most widespread is one of the Oraches (probably Seaside Orache or Altriplex) forming large areas of ground cover. A tiny white flower that I have not noticed before has also appeared in and around the Orache; this plant has tiny ovate leaves which probably makes it Thyme-leaved Sandwort. On higher ground, other, more dramatically noticeable flowers are coming in including Wisteria and Bush Honeysuckle. The pretty Cinquefoil and Lily of the Valley are just at or past their peak.

Another plant that is coming up in unaccustomed numbers is Pokeweed. Like the Orache, it is a pioneer plant of open places and also a good wild edible. Pokeweed is by far the more substantial plant and well worth gathering in its early spring stage. Because it has a poisonous element in its makeup, it must be picked in early spring when the first shoots appear and even then it is desirable to blanch it in boiling water a couple of times, pouring off the water each time. My recipe (really Lorna's recipe) is to cook it in duck fat with a little bacon and some garlic. Collards have nothing on these spring greens!

Eric Salzman