A Window to My World

This is the window from which I most often look.  If you notice there is a lot of water.  We have been playing with what we are calling Nor'Ida.  Take one serious nor'easter and add a healthy dose of the remains of a late season hurricane.....include over 10 inches of rain over three days and six tidal cycles.  I was going to call this posting 'Where in the Hell is Pat Robertson?'  He claimed to pray away hurricanes.  Sorry, my sense of humor is shot.  High tides got progressively higher with each cycle as the high winds would not allow the waters to recede during low tide.   Les from A Tidewater Gardener mentioned flooding in his posting on Thursday. 

Wednesday we had rain and there was some talk of some coastal flooding.  Ok, we could deal with that.   This photo is a very high tide, not uncommon with a nor'easter....higher than usual, not enough to make me crazy. 

We spent Wednesday putting things up, away from possible flood water.  Kitchen counters and tables were covered with items pulled from any low cabinet or shelf.  The garage items were moved as well.

This is what happened two hours later at high tide.  Again, not what I wanted to see, but oh well.  Coastal flooding. 

We got up very early on Thursday morning to find a lot of water in the yard.

 Note the bird bath.

Six hours later would be our low tide.  LOW tide it wasn't . 

This was before high tide, I was looking out all my windows.  Just how high would it come?  We flooded with Hurricane Isabel, something I really did not want to experience again.   Before we go any further, I know there are those who experienced much worse with many other hurricanes.  Mine is not a severe case, it is my case.  Our house got repaired and with each passing hurricane season we worried, looked out the window and watched the water.  With retirement looming, we decided to build on a newly purchased lot, as those who read this blog know. 



Thursday evening's water was to be worse that that morning's high tide.  We paced and paced.  You want to do something but there is nothing you can do to stop the water. 

It came into the garage a bit, we had some minor losses.  My nerves on the other hand.....

The high  tide this morning was higher than yesterday morning, but lower than last night.  Hooray!  The offshore winds had diminished and the water was able to recede with low tide. 




So all this being said, I haven't lost my marbles, but we do have a lot of cleanup to do.  Will try to get around to other blogs in a few days.  




For now I am going to bed and get some rest, knowing that the worst is over.  And that is my 2 cents.

Happy Veterans Day

Tuesday's Trees- Swamp Chestnut Oak or Swamp White Oak?

From swamp chestnut oak swamp white oak Learning Garden

As I take my dogs for a walk up and down our street I look at the trees. I am always checking out the trees. Besides the pines, the tree family that occurs most frequently in my little world is the Oak family- Quercus. Many are the Willow Oak that I have already posted about. There are a couple White Oak, multiple Oaks in the Red Oak classification. I am still trying to distinguish between a Southern Red Oak and a Pin Oak. I must have a mental block on this one. The other Oak present is the Swamp Chestnut Oak, Quercus michauxii.

From swamp chestnut oak swamp white oak Learning Garden

There is also a Swamp Chestnut Oak in the Learning Garden. This is my example plant. One of the things that really stands out on the bark, it is very similar to the White Oak. It is pale gray with thick irregular ridges. As you look higher into the tree the bark appears in large flakes, lifting from the trunk.

From swamp chestnut oak swamp white oak Learning Garden

From swamp chestnut oak swamp white oak Learning Garden

Another very noticeable feature is the dark green leaf on this tree is large, quite large, 4- 9 inches. It is oval getting wider at the tip, rough, with rounded teeth along the wavy edges. The fall color is a lovely bronze red that finally turns brown before falling. It is an alternate leaf pattern.

From swamp chestnut oak swamp white oak Learning Garden

From swamp chestnut oak swamp white oak Learning Garden

The Swamp Chestnut Oak is hardy to zones 5-8. It grows to heights of 60- 80 feet with a spread of up to 70 feet. The trunk is straight and the branching form is oval to rounded and densely branched. As other oaks it is monoecious. Its acorns mature in one season which is a feature of the white oak classification. As it is a sweeter nut many animals have it as a food source.

From swamp chestnut oak swamp white oak Learning Garden

Another name for the Swamp Chestnut Oak is Basket Oak as the strong fibers of this tree are used in basket making. The lumber is hard and used in flooring and furniture making.

You may be wondering why I have included the Swamp White Oak in this posting. The Swamp White Oak, Quercus bicolor, has similar bark features to the Q. michauxii as well as large oval shaped leaves. This Swamp Oak has lobes instead of wavy ridges. There is one tree on my street that has all the other features of a Swamp Chestnut Oak but has lobes instead of wavy edges on the leaves. You may recall in a previous post that some oaks will cross hybridize. The Swamp Chestnut is one of these. White Oak is the one from the previous posting. I cannot be sure if this one tree is a Swamp White Oak or perhaps a deeper waved Swamp Chestnut Oak or a cross breed from the White Oaks and the Swamp Chestnut Oak in the area.


This is the tree in question's leaf- Swamp White Oak??  See the lobes?

From swamp chestnut oak swamp white oak Learning Garden

And the bark on the tree in question--

From swamp chestnut oak swamp white oak Learning Garden

Another large leafed Oaks is the Chinkapin Oak . I have read about native ranges and growing conditions so I am fairly certain it is not a Chinkapin.
Sites for Quercus michauxii include-
Virginia Tech Swamp Chestnut Oak short description, easy to read
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Swamp Chestnut Oak- good info with a comparison to White Swamp Oak
Floridata Swamp Chestnut Oak- lots of great information with more detail
Vanderbilt Swamp Chestnut Oak- comparison feature to compare to other oaks
University of Florida 4-H Swamp Chestnut Oak- another good site for brief description
Forestry Department Swamp Chestnut Oak- the scientific description and great detail. Native range shown.
NCState Swamp Chestnut Oak – brief info sheet


And sites for the Quercus bicolor-
University of Florida Forestry Dept. Swamp White Oak- Forestry Department write up about the tree
Virginia Tech White Swamp Oak= brief info sheet
Forestry Department White Swamp Oak- scientific description and lots of detail
Ohio Department of Natural Resources Swamp White Oak- easy to read description with photos
Vanderbilt Swamp White Oak – good photos
See if you can decide!

Last I want to share bark differences of three oaks--- a neighbor's trees all lined up in his garden show the differences between Swamp Chestnut Oak, Willow Oak and a Red (or Pin) Oak. Be sure to enlarge this photo to see the differences.


Next week's tree- Sassafras