Summer almost over — its been a good one. A few very hot days but most have been quite pleasant. The September 16th photo above shows brilliant early foliage in the Enfield Wildlife Management Area, my go-to spot for the first view of fall color, specifically the reds of swamp maples. This post features the town of Enfield, NH.
Enfield
From our home in the hills of Etna, the village of Enfield is several miles closer than downtown Hanover. Enfield might lack the excitement and ambience of Hanover, but like Hanover it has many wonderful areas to enjoy nature: Mascoma Lakeside Park, the Colette Trail along Bicknell Brook, the Shaker Forest, Smith Pond, the Lower Shaker WMA, Cole Pond, a long stretch of Bog Road, Johnston Park, and the Harris Brook Scenic Area.
Mascoma Lakeside Park
This small park on the shore of Mascoma Lake has become a real gem with constant improvements by dedicated gardeners and others. In late summer and early fall I head there before dawn to try to get a dramatic sunrise with sailboats in the foreground. Only rarely am I rewarded for my effort. A few times I have seen photo tour groups from NY there — normally on a morning with heavy fog.
Here are few photos of the sailboats before dawn taken late this summer.
A short distance east along the rail trail I saw a kid catch a fish.
From the park we often walk a figure-nine route that takes us past the wonderful flower display at Main St. and Shaker Hill Rd.
I couldn’t resist playing with this photo.
I found a few birds in the park on one visit in late August:
a Cedar Waxwing
a scruffy juvenile and an adult Song Sparrow
a female Northern Cardinal
and an Eastern Phoebe with what looks like a wasp.
Bog Road and the Enfield WMA
September is THE time for fall foliage along Bog Road when the rest of the Upper Valley is still green. The next two photos were taken September 1, 2026 !!!
Below are four photos from September 16.
Baltic Mill
Along the Northern Rail Trail in Enfield one finds the fascinating Baltic Mill.
Old Structure
An abandoned small house sits in a field off Route 4. It must have an interesting history. If anyone can enlighten me I’d be grateful. I find it an intriguing subject for photos and musings.
Scarecrows
Enfield is semi-famous for its scarecrows which Jann and I call straw people, although I’m not sure how much straw is actually used.
During a recent Zoom chat with our grandson I mentioned them and promised to send him a few photos. So naturally I overdid it. Here is a slide show of over five dozen photos.
Nature
Birds
After a post filled solely with Etna Birds, I have only a few to show this time. Many have headed to their winter homes.
In the previous post I showed many American Goldfinch on sunflowers. The photo below was taken in Lebanon in a friends yard.
I found some immature Cedar Waxwings along the rail trail at Ice House Road in Lebanon.
Off the closed Potato Road in Canaan I photographed some Eastern Kingbirds flying.
Near the same spot were Gray Catbirds.
That Potato Road spot was also productive for Red-eyed Vireos.
Insects
I friend told me about an impressive Bald-faced Hornet nest in his yard. They are actually fairly aggressive wasps, so I kept my distance using a long lens to try to get some detail as they emerged from their hive.
I found a Northern Paper Wasp on goldenrod at the Hayes Farm Park in Etna.
I photographed a Honey Bee on invasive Japanese Knotweed along the rail trail in Lebanon.
While photographing warblers in the King Bird Sanctuary, I paused to capture a Great-spangled Fritillary.
No spider here, but nice dew-covered webs near Mill Pond in Etna.
Plants
Hiking with a friend along Mill Road in Lebanon, I found some nice White Turtleheads.
Like some many somewhat pretty plants, Japanese Knotweed is highly invasive and very difficult to control and eliminate.
In Norwich, a nice garden Anemone.
A Few Other Sightings
Heading to friends’ home in Thetford for a Bhutan reunion dinner, Jann and I stopped for a porcupine along the Hanover Center Road.
On a hike in the Trescott Water Company land in Hanover, I found some edible chicken-of-the-woods mushrooms. I did not pick them.
Farther along that hike was a Wood Frog.
A few more photos
I chauffeured Jann to a gathering of quilting friends in Washington, NH and spent some time taking photos there.
Wandering around Etna, these spots caught my eye.
Unfortunately the deep partial lunar eclipse of August 28 was obscured by clouds. But it was clear by 5 a.m.
Here comes foliage! Stay tuned.