Jennifer Mason
Contributor
As we enter fall, we begin to notice the trees and the different colors that bring the season its wonderful feel. Our native trees offer the full spectrum of fall hues. Bald and pond cypress (Taxodium distichum, ascendens) turn a bright cinnamon red brown that makes their reflection glow over the water. Our hickories are well known for their bright yellow leaves. The entire tree will turn golden yellow before shedding. They stand out like a beacon in the forest. The showiest of them is the more common species, the mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa), which is found in upland woods. They have the largest and hairiest leaves, and their nuts have the thickest shells. These large nuts are a food source for turkeys, fox squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, black bear, fox and beavers.
While on the subject of food sources, hawthorn trees are valuable contributors. Many species of hawthorn, genus Cratagus, grow here. The best known are the popular mayhaws, which produce large, red fruits in the spring and are prized for their flavor in jelly. The hawthorns are a small understory tree in the rose family. They have lovely white, fragrant flowers in the spring and all, except the mayhaw, produce fruits in the fall that resemble rosehips. Migrating birds depend on these for energy on the long trip south. The fruits are showier than the leaves in the fall, but these small trees lend grace and character to the woods.
The sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) produces gorgeous fall color from red to purple. Their spiny seed pods are important food for migrating goldfinches, to name one. I know some folks hate these trees, but if they are planted away from the home and mow areas, they bring beauty and birds to your environment.
The red maple (Acer rubrum) is one of my favorite native trees for fall color. They turn a purple/pink red in the fall and can be seen in a variety of habitats, though they do like it moist. If you drive down Highway 98 to the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, they are adorning the roadsides with color. Even in the Spring, their clusters of small red flowers and brilliant red samaras are very visible.
Food trees are more important now than ever. Native hollies are another small tree that has bright red berries in the fall and winter. Birds and small mammals love these. From my decades of observation, the yaupon holly fruit appears to be a favorite.
Due to infestations of the exotic ambrosia beetle, we have lost almost all of our redbay trees (Persea boronia), swamp bay (Persea palustris), dogwoods and sassafras. All these trees' fruit used to be an essential food source for migrating birds. Planting wax myrtles, longleaf pines, hawthorns and the beautiful variety of hollies are essential now. We must try to provide these natural foods around our homes and land to make up for the terrible losses so far to our native trees.
On a final note, I know many of you have noticed the beautiful spotted horsemint (Monarda punctata) blooming in bunches along the roadsides now. There is quite a few in the Cody community and along other country roads in the Jefferson County. Spotted horsemint has high levels of an essential oil call thymol, which gives this plant a lovely thyme/oregano smell. When dried, you can use it for seasoning instead of the dried herbs from the grocery store. During the Civil War and WW1, it was cultivated widely in the south for it’s thymol. It was extracted and used as antiseptic for wounds before antibiotics. Although native, I believe the large clusters that grow on the edges of old fields are remnants of this practice, much like the tung nut.