A Copper Beech(?), Some Berries and a Track

Saturday was a day for berries. We collected a pretty decent amount of raspberries, black raspberries, mulberries and serviceberries.  We wandered around quite a bit just exploring too, and made some decent discoveries.

Can't tell in the picture, but this bush had some big raspberries on it—like store-bought size. Personally I had a hard time even believing there were berries on it; it was a bush right on the trail, but apparently nobody wanted them! People!

While I was occupying myself with picking up garbage under a clump of big Norway spruces, Jake and Matt were investigating a somewhat mystifying bird kill. Matt identified the bird as a sharp-shinned hawk, a small and speedy bird. We were all at a loss for what could kill such a fast bird, though. The feathers were cut rather than pulled; according to Matt, who knows much more about such things than Jake or I, this is a sign of raptors or occasionally cat. Mysteries, mysteries....

My favorite find, though, I think was a great big tree.

From about 50 ft away it looked like an American beech, a very familiar tree in this woods, that might be dying. The reddish leaves simply confused us.

The bark is very reminiscent of the American beech but a little more ... ridged?

Standing at the base, with my back to the trunk, looking up. In this picture the leaves look almost completely red, but there is a greenish tint to them.

I think I've identified it, though. I'm pretty sure it's a European beech, and a cultivated (or sometimes naturally occurring) variety often called the copper beech. But the size of the tree is somewhat confusing. Matt wondered if it was a tree the old property owner planted, as he had planted some other interesting trees on those grounds as well—but the tree looks to be a few hundred years old, putting that out of the realm of possibilities. However, apparently European beeches have been planted in North America since as early as the 1600s. Exactly how old this tree is or how it got there will remain a mystery, but it's a beautiful tree and I'm happy to have found it.

I actually went back yesterday to get a picture of this tree because I failed to do so on Saturday. On the way there I spotted a single track in the mud. I wasn't in full-awareness mode, just trying to get there to take a picture, but this one caught my eye.

My best guess is that it's a skunk, but I'm not positive. Five toes, but I don't see any claw marks. Maybe a more experienced tracker can. Like I said, I was in in-and-out mode so I didn't look for other signs, but I'm always happy to spot them.