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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2020 Page 13 Saugus gardens in the pandemic Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener S augus is quite spectacular these days with fall foliage color! While maples may be most abundant, there are other tree species with brilliantly colored leaves in the woods of Breakheart and the streets and even the parking lots along Route 1! One of the most beautiful is tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), which many people may have heard of from a song called “Tupelo Honey.” It was the title song of Van Morrison’s 1971 album. The honey itself is produced mostly in the South, where these trees are more abundant, but their range does extend up into southern Maine. Breakheart Reservation has quite a few of these trees, especially around the edges of Silver Lake. A large and very colorful one can be seen near the viewing point for Silver Lake just off the paved walkway. Its leaves are very glossy, which enhancIT’S NOT A MAPLE LEAF: This tulip tree leaf looks like a maple without a pointed tip. A flower it produces in late June is shaped like a tulip blossom, with “petals” that are green with orange markings. In fall, the leaves turn bright lemon yellow. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) es the effects of the red, orange and yellow colors that may all be found on the same tree at this time of year. The leaves vary a bit in shape, too, and are generally oval, but some leaves will be pointed at the tip and others more rounded. They do preTHIS WEEK ON SAUGUS TV Sunday, October 25 from 9–11 p.m. on Channel 8 – “Sunday Night Stooges” (The Three Stooges). Monday, October 26 all day on Channel 8 – “Movie Monday” (classic movies). Tuesday, October 27 at 8:30 p.m. on Channel 9 – Board of Health Meeting from October 20. Wednesday, October 28 at 2 p.m. on Channel 8 – Line Dancing with Chris at the Saugus Senior Center. Thursday, October 29 at Noon on Channel 8 – Weight Lifting with Valerie at the Saugus Senior Center. Friday, October 30 at 9 p.m. on Channel 8 – “Friday Night Frights” (scary movies). Saturday (Halloween), October 31 all day on Channel 8 – scary movies. Saugus TV can be seen on Comcast Channels 8, 9 & 22 (Public, Governmental and Educational). For complete schedules, please visit www.saugustv.org. ***programming may change without notice*** Pedestrian, 70, suffers serious injuries after being struck by pickup truck E mergency crews from the Saugus Police and Fire Departments responded to 69 Sweetwater Rd. Monday night about an elderly woman who was hit and then pinned underneath a Chevy pickup truck. Firefighters used a hydraulic device and other equipment to lift the truck off the woman while paramedics began treating her, according to fire officials. The 70-year-old East Boston woman, who was conscious and alert when first responders arrived, was brought to a local hospital by ambulance to be treated for injuries that were considered serious, but not life-threatening, according to a press release issued by Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli. The driver of the pickup truck – a 59-year-old Saugus man – was not injured. Ricciardelli said the accident remains under investigation. fer spots where their roots will get consistent moisture, so the lake banks are places you would expect to see them. This tree is native to eastern North America, but it is not often planted in gardens. Just outside of town, there is a nice specimen at Rotary Park in Lynnfield, on the edge of Pillings Pond on Salem Street. Another easy to find individual tupelo is at the pointed end of Wakefield Common. This same species is called pepperidge, black gum and sour gum, and on Martha’s Vineyard at least, “beetlebung”! A bung is a seal for an opening in a barrel or bottle, such as a wine cork, which is inserted into the opening. The beetle is a mallet, in this case used for inserting the bung into a tight opening. The interesting grain of this wood which resists splitting made it particularly suited to making mallets. While it is uncertain where the name pepperidge came from, it is a common name for this tree in the Northeast, especially Connecticut. If you have heard of the food brand Pepperidge Farm, the name came from a farm in Fairfield, Conn., which had a pepperidge tree on the grounds – the home of Margaret Rudkin, who originated the company. Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) is another North American native tree. It can occasionally be found in the woods, but it is gradually becoming a popular garden specimen. One in the corner of my yard is the offspring of a tree planted over 50 years ago by a neighbor across the street. Later residents removed the original tree, but a few of the seeds had blown across the street and one grew into a rather substantial tree beside my driveway. The shape of the leaves looks quite a bit like a sugar maple with the tip snipped off! Instead of being pointed, tulip tree leaves are straight across or slightly indentVARIETY ON A BRANCH: This arrangement of tupelo leaves, all from one tree, shows the wide range of leaf sizes and colors. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) FINDING A NECTAR SOURCE: This Monarch butterfly on smallhead blazing star is storing up some energy for its long trip to Central Mexico. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) ed. A flower produced in late June is shaped like a tulip blossom, with “petals” that are green with orange markings. In fall, the leaves turn bright lemon yellow. There are still many flowers blooming in the gardens, and migrating birds and butterflies still savoring a snack to provide energy for their travels. The butterfly that travels the longest, monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), travels from New England and Canada, where they spend their summers, down to central Mexico where they can be found in winter. The butterflies need to find nectar sources all along their route, so finding fall blooming flowers is essential to their survival. One good example of a nectar source is smallhead blazing star (Liatris microcephala) – also sometimes called dwarf blazing star or Appalachian blazing star. In the wild it grows in southeastern states, but since it is well adapted to higher elevations there, the winter temperatures are comparable to southern New England. One of the latest in this genus to bloom, it flowers in gardens here well into late October. It is an important larval food plant for at least one moth native to Massachusetts, the three-lined flower moth (Schinia trifascia). Smallhead blazing star’s taller and earlier relatives include prairie blazing star or gayfeather (Liatris spicata), a species from the Midwest very popular in bouquets which blooms in July, and northern blazing star (Liatris scariosa), which can be found in August blooming in northern New England, especially the Kennebunk Plains. Heads of pinkish purple flowers bloom on vertical spikes. Despite the fact that these flowers don’t look much like asters to most of us, they are in the same family, the Composite family (Asteraceae), as chrysanthemums, asters and sunflowers. Since we have not yet had a severe frost, there are quite a few perennials, annuals and some shrubs still supplying vivid color along with the falling leaves. Editor’s Note: Laura Eisener is a landscape design consultant who helps homeowners with landscape design, plant selection and placement of trees and shrubs, as well as perennials. She is a member of the Saugus Garden Club and offered to write a series of articles about “what’s blooming in town, since so many people have taken to walking the streets in their neighborhoods as a way to get some exercise and get out of the house!”

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