Temperate Broadleaf Forest - Greetings from New Hampshire!
Over the last week I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to the other side of the country and experience a very different kind of place: the temperate broadleaf forests of New England, specifically New Hampshire.
First a little background on temperate broadleaf forests. These types of forests grow mainly in Eastern North America, Europe, and East Asia, although parts of Australia, New Zealand, and southern South America also have this biome type [1]. When you think of temperate broadleaf forests, at least in North America think beech, maple, oak, etc. with evergreen conifers (pines and firs) mixed in [1].
Especially in New England, these forests are well known for the way they change throughout the year. The broadleaf trees in these forests are deciduous and lose their leaves in the winter to conserve energy and prevent water loss [1]. This loss of leaves is preceded by dramatic color change as the leaves lose their green chlorophyll, leaving behind carotenoids - yellow, orange, and red pigments in the leaves. In the springtime, increased heat and light triggers new leaves to bud out, and some trees like redbuds and dogwoods sprout beautiful pink, purple, and white blossoms. Summers give way to dense forest canopies.
At the time of my arrival, the summer canopy in New Hampshire's forests was completely leafed out, although I did notice leaves beginning to turn on a noticeable number of trees. Back home in Colorado, leaves have also started changing here and there, so I wonder if the timing of leaf change is similar between the Colorado and this section of New England. Being a rural state, the drive through New Hampshire was mainly forested, and the trees here create a tunnel effect with the canopy hanging over. This was mainly broken up by relatively small plots of farmland and small towns with picturesque churches and historic downtowns.
This part of New Hampshire is home to black bears, moose, and white-tailed deer, but I didn't see any megafauna on this trip. Instead, I saw lots of fungi, amphibians, and plants that I rarely see back home; ferns, mosses, beech, and maple trees. An area I ended spending a lot of time in was Pillsbury State Park, near the small town of Washington, New Hampshire. The park consisted of several lakes of various sizes, and some small elevated peaks - this area is transected by the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway.
Bird life in New Hampshire included species like blue jays that I was familiar with from back home but there were plenty of new birds as well. On my first night, I heard the eerie call of a loon on the lake. The sound is mysterious and haunting in the same way that the bugle of an elk is back in Colorado.
The forest canopy is so dense in some parts of this park that it actually feels significantly darker. This was a huge change for me coming from Colorado where the sunshine is so intense. The forest floor stays cool and shaded, and is blanked by ferns, mosses, and plenty of mushrooms.
Just like in the Rocky Mountains, the vegetation here changes with elevation. As I got higher up on the trail, the beech and maple trees gave way to more conifers. I'm unfamiliar with the trees in this area, but my guess is pines and firs.
While hiking, the one concern I had was for ticks, especially since there were areas of this trail where the grass and brush were very dense and encroaching, making it impossible to walk past without it grazing your legs. New Hampshire is square in the epicenter of Lyme disease distribution in the United States and this was not something I was keen on contracting. Fortunately I didn't find any ticks despite numerous tick checks before and after the hike, and some of the friends I was visiting mentioned that late July through August seems to be a lull period in tick activity in this area, before ramping up again in the fall.
My time in New Hampshire concluded with a hike up to the top of Pitcher Mountain, which had nice views of the surrounding hills. There is a fire tower at the top, but it was currently under renovations. New Hampshire is known as the Granite State, and there were definitely large granite slabs visible from the top of the peak.
I have to say, I was sad to leave. I was only here for three days, but there is something about this state that really made me want to stay. I hope to be back, and hopefully later in the year to experience the colors of fall foliage on display. Until next time!
References
1.Harvey, D. Habitats: Discover earth’s precious wild places. (DK Publishing, 2023).
