November 6, 2013
Witch Hazel, Hamamelis virginiana
The delicate flowers if this late fall blooming shrub might seem an anomaly during a time when most plants are winding down for the winter. Tiny insects fertilize the flowers which then begin to develop seeds. Also visible are last year's seed pods that have opened and released their seeds.
There are two Hamamelis species growing on the Reservation: This is the New England native. The other species, Hamamelis vernalis, which naturally occurs farther south, flowers very early in the spring.