The Colors of Autumn at Hagerman NWR

By Helen Petre

Every autumn, usually in November, nature puts on a brilliant show of color at Hagerman NWR. This is attributed to mild autumn days coupled with cold, but not freezing nights. Each autumn the amount of sunlight decreases as the days grow shorter. This is the signal for the leaves to stop making chlorophyll. When the leaves stop making chlorophyll, the other pigments become visible.

Leaves produce food by photosynthesis. They use the sun’s energy, water and carbon dioxide to produce carbohydrates. Leaves produce carbohydrates for the tree or shrub all during the spring and summer. They do this so well, that by autumn, the tree or shrub has enough food stored in the trunk and roots that it can live through the whole long winter without making any more food.

The sun’s light is actually white light and consists of all the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Most leaves have lots of chlorophyll and some carotenoids. Some leaves also have anthocyanin, tannin and flavones. Chlorophyll absorbs all of the colors of light in sunlight except green. Green light is reflected, so a leaf that has mostly chlorophyll looks green.

Carotenoids are carotene and xanthophylls. Carotenes are similar to vitamin A and they look orange, like pumpkins, carrots and sweet potatoes. Xanthophylls are the pigment in sunflowers, dandelions, corn and egg yolks.

Some leaves also have anthocyanin, which can be red or blue. If the plant is acidic, the color is red. If the plant is basic, the color is blue. Tannins are the brown color in tea, bark and blackjack oak leaves in the fall. Flavones are the yellow in horse chestnut and onions.

Autumn leaf color is due to newly made red pigments as well as yellow and orange carotenoids that were already present in the leaf and are rendered visible because the leaf is no longer making the dark green chlorophyll in autumn. . Each species of deciduous tree and shrub has its own unique colors. Red oak and winged shining sumac leaves turn bright shades of red in autumn. This is because as the amount of sunlight decreases, a layer of cells develops at the point where the leaf joins the stem. This blocks carbohydrates from moving out of the leaf and the increased amount of carbohydrate is used to make anthocyanin, the red color. Female shining sumac trees also produce red fruits that stay on the tree until frost. Anthocyanin production is inhibited by frost, so when it freezes the leaves can no longer make the red pigment and they turn brown from tannin. If the day time temperatures are too warm, the colors will be less intense because the chlorophyll will still be masking the other colors.

Besides trees, poison ivy abounds at Hagerman NWR and it is one of the most beautiful plants in the fall. Be careful not to touch it. Many people mistake poison ivy for harmless foliage and gather it to use in decorations. The red, yellow and orange color is due to the anthocyanins.

Honey Locust trees at Hagerman turn yellow in autumn. They have no anthocyanin, but lots of carotenoids. Other fall plants at Hagerman that turn yellow are: pecan, muscadine grapes, black walnuts and cottonwood. Sycamores turn brownish yellow. Wild plums turn reddish yellow and rough leafed dogwoods turn purplish red. Persimmon turns yellow, orange and reddish purple.

When you come to Hagerman in the fall to view the migrating ducks and geese that come to feed in the fields and marshes for the winter, spend some time noticing the vibrant and beautiful colors of fall. The yellows and oranges were there all along, but they were not visible because of all the green of summer. Now is your chance. Enjoy.

(Photo by Laurie Sheppard)

For more photos of the Refuge as well as information on activities and events of the Friends of Hagerman, see www.friendsofhagerman.com.

At the Refuge - Week of November 6 – 12, 2011

Beginning this week, all visitors to the Refuge Office, Visitor Center and FOH Center (Audio Visual Classroom, etc.) at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge will enter via the main gateway. The road leading to the FOH Center and maintenance area is being gated off. To reach the FOH Center, just follow the road from the Visitor Center parking on through the maintenance area.

On November 11, Veterans Day, the Refuge Office will be closed and there will be no official business conducted. The Visitor Center and Nature Nook will be open from 10 am – 3 pm that day.

Hagerman NWR and the Friends of Hagerman will offer several programs at the Refuge on Second Saturday, November 12.

Activities will begin with a guided nature walk, led by Dr. Jason Luscier, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Austin College. Participants will note that recent rains have greened up the Refuge, just as of this week there is a little autumn color and the fall migration is still underway. Walkers will meet at 8 am at the Visitor Center and should dress for the weather. Bring your binoculars and field guides or use our loaners. The walk will end in time for the 10 am programs, and will be cancelled in case of rain.

From 9 – 10 am complimentary coffee will be served in the FOH Center.

At 10 am, Ross Anderson will speak on Tree Swallow Reproductive Success and Site Fidelity at Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, Oklahoma, in the meeting room of the Visitor Center. Tree Swallows are a nearctic-nearctic migrant and their range has expanded southward in the last three decades. This swallow is a cavity nester and readily accepted nest boxes placed at Red Slough Wildlife Management Area (WMA). At Red Slough WMA a network of nest boxes was established and the occupying swallows were monitored. Over two field seasons, Anderson banded 346 Tree Swallows and recaptured 40% of the adults and 5% of the previous year’s nestlings.

Anderson is a graduate student from Southeastern Oklahoma State University under the guidance of Dr. Doug Wood. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Conservation at SOSU and has completed the coursework for a Masters in Conservation at Southeastern. He is working on completing his thesis. Anderson currently resides in Tushka, Oklahoma, where he owns an archery shop.

Also at 10 am, the Second Saturday for Youth topic will be “Talking Turkey”, with Katie Palmer. This program is full, for Nov. 12, thanks.

The Friends Nature Photo Club will also meet in the Visitor Center on Nov. 12. A photo presentation from the October photo safari will be shown from noon until 12:30 pm, and then the meeting will begin. For details on sharing photos for the meeting, please contact fohphotoclub@gmail.com.

All of these activities are free of charge and open to the public. Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge is located at 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, Texas, 75092. Visitors may enjoy outdoor activities at the Refuge from sunrise until sunset daily, with no admission charge.

New at the Nature Nook

The Nature Nook at Hagerman will soon offer a product direct from the Refuge! Hiking and walking sticks hand-crafted by William H. Powell, from fallen wood found at Hagerman. The blogger had a peek at these on Monday, made from woods like cedar and winged elm.

Bill Powell and his wife Carol are workampers at the Refuge and have a strong connection with Hagerman NWR; since Bill’s retirement, they have given up their home in Pennsylvania and served as workkampers at eight national wildlife refuges across the U.S., spending several months during each of the last two years here at Hagerman in that capacity. A retired cemetery superintendent, Bill is certified to operate maintenance and other equipment at the Refuge, while Carol uses her office skills. In addition Bill was Photographer of the Month for the Friends in February of this year and placed in the recent annual Hagerman NWR photo contest.

The Nature Nook also offers wood carvings by Dick Malnory, matted nature photos by Donna Niemann, and framed photos by Mary Karam. In addition Laurie Lawler’s laminated bookmarks, featuring photos taken at the Refuge, and nature notecards by Sue and Dick Malnory can be found in the gift and book shop.

The Nature Nook is open from 9 am - 4 pm Monday through Saturday and 1 - 5 pm on Sundays. New merchandise is arriving for fall and the holidays. This week packets of Bluebonnet and of Mixed Texas Wildflower seeds arrived, just in time for fall planting. Volunteers staff the operation and are glad to help you choose just the right nature gift from among T-shirts, caps, field guides and more. Most credit cards are accepted, too.

Click to learn more about Hagerman NWR and the Friends of Hagerman.

Photo of Bill Powell taken by Dick Malnory.

Halloween Fun at the Refuge

Families can find some “naturally” enjoyable ways to get into Halloween mode at Hagerman NWR. Take a walk along one of the five trails at the Refuge and look for something creepy like a spider web or a tree “skeleton”. You can pick up a printed trail guide at the Visitor Center or download one from the Friends website.

Wait – hush! What was that rustling sound? Was it the wind in the dry grass or did a ghost just brush by? Maybe if you’re lucky you might even spot that Halloween icon, an owl, or hear one hooting.

Other good “I spy” objects are – hollow tree, “faces” in the burl of a tree, animal tracks, leaf skeletons, crows, vultures, worms and beetles. On the way to the Refuge, look through your bird field guide for the birds wearing “masks”!

You can view the “ghost” town of Hagerman that was cleared away when Lake Texoma was built – with the lake level so low, the area where much of the town stood, although normally under water, is currently dry land.

If the Halloween fun begins to pall, you might want to move into “harvest” mode. At the Refuge, berry, nut, and mushroom picking are allowed without a permit, for personal use only, 5 gallons per person per day. Firewood cutting (from fallen trees) is allowed, with a Special Use Permit, obtainable at the Refuge Office during weekday business hours (7:30 – 4 pm, Monday – Friday).

One last thing - your car will turn into a pumpkin at sunset, if you are not on your way out of the Refuge! Visit the Refuge website and www.friendsofhagerman.com for more information.

Photo by Donna Niemann

High on the Hawg is Back!

You can do your part to alleviate the wild hog problem at the Refuge!

Attend HIGH on the HAWG for 2011 !!

FUNdraiser event, Back for the second year

The Refuge staff will prepare delicious barbecue and the Friends will supply all the trimmings.

Not only can you help out, you will have three opportunities to do so!

Barbecue will be served from 5:30 – 8 pm on three Saturdays:

November 5, November 19 and December 3.

The Audio Visual Classroom at the Refuge will be transformed into the

"Friends of Hagerman Cafe"

Your waiters will be the Friends board of directors, with the aid of additional volunteers.

On the menu: BBQ pork, potato salad, beans, coleslaw, bread, pickles, onions, &

HOMEBAKED PIE or COBBLER! Plus iced tea or coffee.

All this good food, great service, and fun can be yours for only

$10 per person, and $5 for children aged 12 and under.

No reservations needed, just show up and purchase tickets at the door.

See you there!

For more information about Friends activities, see www.friendsofhagerman.com

Good Old Days

October is the “Fair” season in N. Texas, when folks gather to enjoy fairs and festivals - today’s post features an excerpt from a “History of Hagerman” written by Annette Morrison Catts, whose family lived there, and generously shared with the Friends of Hagerman NWR:

The town of Hagerman developed several fun traditions which helped its citizens bond in friendship. For one thing, the Merchants Association of Hagerman stimulated their already good business by sponsoring Trades Days. Show windows were given a special shine, and the best merchandise was displayed. A big rodeo was usually the principle feature with local boys roping and riding for prizes offered by the merchants. Also, the Woodman Hall on the second floor of the Bean Brothers General Store was the scene of community gatherings, box suppers, beauty contests, dances and programs. Another big event was Election Day, which was always a red-letter day because the people on the route always came to spend the day, shop and visit with “the folks in town.” The post office and train depot were places for daily visits as well.

It was also exciting when before the 20’s the first automobile came to town. Two gas stations sprung up in response, Otto Dutton’s and Ma & Pa Black’s, which became Moore’s Service Station. Otto also had an Auto Parts and Repair shop. But people had to learn to drive their new horseless carriages. Someone accidentally ran into the vertical pipe that made the Artesian Well flow high enough to drink from and fill a bucket. They broke it off at the ground! That pipe was never replaced. The Artesian Well had been the focal point for many community picnics on the grounds of the Cotton Gin. It makes you wonder how TV and computers could have improved on that! Former residents were coming back for water until about 2005 when it quit flowing.

And, just as the headlines report crimes and wildfires today, Morrison continues:

There were other less pleasant sources of excitement, too. In 1917 bank robbers cut all the phone lines, dynamited the bank and shot up the Hunt Smith home, escaping with $3,000. And in 1926 and 1938 there were fires which destroyed several businesses. But since there was no fire department, the men just had to use a bucket brigade system to put out the fires. Tom Smith died of a heart attack after pumping water from the well and carrying a bucket to fight the last raging fire, when he was 74.

Photo: Main Street, Hagerman, Texas, circa 1910 (from Refuge files).

You can learn more about the town of Hagerman in the new exhibits at Hagerman NWR, and ironically, with the lake level so low, you can now walk about in the area where much of the town was located before Lake Texoma was filled.

National Wildlife Refuge Week at Hagerman

National Wildlife Refuge Week begins October 9, and with the majority of the visitors at Hagerman coming on the weekend, the Friends will start the celebration one day early, on Second Saturday, October 8. "Prairie Grasses and Fall Wildflowers" will be the topic with Dr. Connie Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Biology, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, as the speaker. Dr. Taylor’s program will begin at 10 am in the Multi-purpose Room of the new Visitor Center at the Refuge.

The Refuge and the Friends are so fortunate to have speakers and program leaders who are experts in their field and Connie Taylor is no exception! Dr. Taylor earned her PhD at the University of Oklahoma, where her major was in Plant Ecology and Plant Taxonomy. Known for her research on Goldenrods and native and introduced plants and their distribution in Oklahoma, she and her late husband, Dr. John Taylor, collected and reported new to Oklahoma over 150 species of plants. Dr. Taylor taught at Southeastern Oklahoma State University for 28 years, offering 17 different courses. She authored a catalogue of all vascular plants growing in Oklahoma and Keys to the Asteraceae of Oklahoma. Currently she is working with the Flora of Oklahoma Group on Keys to the Flora of Oklahoma.

Dr. Taylor plans to take the group outdoors for part of her presentation, weather permitting.

Also on the calendar for October 8, early-birds can meet at 8 am at the FOH Center at the Refuge for a nature walk, led by Dr. Wayne Meyer, weather permitting. The walk will conclude in time for Dr. Taylor’s presentation.

There will be Coffee with Friends from 9 – 10 am in the FOH Center, with complimentary coffee available.

At 9:30 am, in the Multi-purpose Room of the Visitor Center, winners of the 2011 Hagerman NWR Photo Contest will be announced and awards presented.

At 10 am, just prior to Dr. Taylor’s program, a special presentation in honor of a long-time volunteer will be made by the Friends of Hagerman.

Also planned for National Wildlife Refuge Week:

Monday, October 10, is a federal holiday, Columbus Day, and although the Refuge Office will be closed for official business, the Visitor Center will be open to the public from 10 am – 3 pm.

The Fall Photo Safari will be held on Saturday, October 15. To register (advance registration please!!), send your name, contact information, camera make/model, and experience level to fohphotoclub@gmail.com.

The Refuge is open daily from sunrise to sunset, free of charge. This week will be a great time to visit Hagerman, to walk, bird, picnic, bicycle, take pictures, do the auto tour, see the new Visitor Center or just enjoy the outdoors and some glorious October days.

These programs, sponsored by Hagerman NWR and the Friends of Hagerman, are free and open to the public. The Refuge is located at 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, TX, 75092. For more information, call the Refuge, 903 786 2826, or see friendsofhagerman.com.