Jonathan Cohen's photos with the keyword: fall leaves

Prunus virginiana, commonly called bitter-berry, chokecherry, Virginia bird cherry and western chokecherry, is a species of bird cherry native to North America; the natural historic range of P. virginiana includes most of the continent, except for the far north and far south. For many Native American tribes of the Northern Rockies, Northern Plains, and boreal forest region of Canada and the United States, chokecherries were the most important fruit in their diets. The bark of chokecherry root was once made into an asperous-textured concoction used to ward off or treat colds, fever and stomach maladies by native Americans The inner bark of the chokecherry, as well as red osier dogwood, or alder, was also used by natives in their smoking mixtures, known as kinnikinnick, to improve the taste of the bearberry leaf. The chokecherry fruit can be used to make a jam, jelly, or syrup, but the bitter nature of the fruit requires sugar to sweeten the preserves. Chokecherry is toxic to horses, and moose, cattle, goats, deer, and other animals with segmented stomachs (rumens), especially after the leaves have wilted (such as after a frost or after branches have been broken) because wilting releases cyanide and makes the plant sweet. About 10–20 lbs of foliage can be fatal. Symptoms of a horse that has been poisoned include heavy breathing, agitation, and weakness. The leaves of the chokecherry serve as food for caterpillars of various Lepidoptera. See List of Lepidoptera which feed on Prunus.

Tucked away within New Jersey’s Skylands region, Lake Aeroflex is the crown jewel of the Kittatinny Valley State Park. Sometimes called New Wawayanda Lake, Aeroflex is considered the deepest natural lake in the State of New Jersey. That distinction brings with it some benefits as a fishery, as the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife has chosen Lake Aeroflex as one of only two lakes in the state to be stocked with landlocked salmon. (The other is nearby Wawayanda Lake.) Lake Aeroflex and its small neighbor, Gardner’s Pond, are a part of the Pequest River headwaters in Sussex County and as such need adequate protection to ensure continued good water quality. Visitors to the lake comment on the remarkably clear waters and usually vow to come back for another visit. Created by glacial action, Lake Aeroflex covers 103 acres. A small water control dam is located at the outlet. The solitude and still waters make it appear much more remote than it actually is. The lake is only a mile or so from Route 206 and only a few miles north of Interstate 80. The lake even has a small airport along its southern shore which is used for local small plane traffic. The heavily wooded shoreline hides the few private homes located near the northeast shore of the lake, and gives a feeling of the woods and bluffs vistas seen in far more isolated destinations. Fall color here is spectacular, with the white limestone of the Great Limestone Valley’s cliffs thinly veiled by scarlets, golds and bronzes of the hardwoods in full autumn dress.

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