Summer Hops Of Another Kind

SUMMER HOPS OF ANOTHER KIND
 July 26 & July 228

If you drive past our home, you will see a hophouse, although it has been at least 100 years since the building was last used for drying this important ingredient used in the brewing of beer. The flowers of the hop serve as a preservative and for providing an essential oil that adds flavour and aroma to balance the sweetness of the malt. Prince Edward County was a major centre for hop growing, but the only ones we see today are those that have escaped captivity and occupy niches along fencerows. In fact, years ago I transplanted a hop vine to our property that I found growing along a rocky fence bottom, and it is still doing well at the end of our garage where it climbs a decommissioned TV tower.

Those unfamiliar with the flowers of hop vines can see them in great abundance this summer. Only they are not hops. They are the elongated clusters or seed sacs of the hop hornbeam tree, popularly known in this area as ironwood, and the crop has never been more spectacular. Great clusters of these seed sacs can be seen from ironwood trees as one drives throughout the Quinte area, readily identifying this species. The word hornbeam comes from the old English and refers to the very dense nature of the wood.

We have to be careful when referring to these trees as ironwoods, for that is also the name given to another common tree in this area, also known as blue beech, colloquially known as the muscle tree. But the latter differs in that it has a very smooth grey trunk that has a “muscular” appearance.

The hop hornbeam, of course, gets its name from the similarity of its fruit to actual hops. However, there is no relationship at all between hop hornbeams and real hops, other than the name. But the tree – let’s call it ironwood – is very common in the area, and the wood is every bit as dense as shagbark hickory. It was a common ingredient every winter in our wood pile on the farm as it grew abundantly everywhere. It had to, as the tree never seemed to live beyond a few years, its shallow root system succumbing to the forces of nature and causing the tree to topple. There was no need to hurry with the chainsaw as its dense wood would remain in fine shape for several years while lying on the forest floor. But it was necessary to carry along a file in the toolbox when using the chainsaw on this wood as sparks could easily be seen in the late afternoon low light as the saw struggled through the hard wood. But what heat from the wood stove I well remember.

It has been a bumper year this summer for fruit and seed crops, attributable no doubt to the frequent rains we have enjoyed. This could translate into a “fruitful” year for wintering birds as there will be plenty of seeds and fruits to hold them back from migrating in their usual numbers, or perhaps attracting those that venture down from the boreal forests. Our lowly eastern red cedar is similarly loaded with a fine harvest of dark blue berries, favourites of overwintering robins, waxwings and even yellow-rumped warblers. The latter species, although an insectivorous bird, amazingly alters its food habits to include spiders in November, then changing again to berries in the winter of which red cedar seems to be a favourite. Look for them this winter for sure, as they are certain to be around.

Ash trees, white cedars, and especially the silver maples, all have come forth with a splendid harvest of seeds, and it will be interesting to see whether this will provide a smorgasbord for some of our boreal finches this winter. They readily respond to good seed crops, ultimately travelling in winter where their favourite foods are abundant. But it can backfire. A poor crop of birch catkins one year, a favourite of pine siskins, forced this specialty feeder south as they valiantly searched for cooperative birches. Arriving in the Quinte area by the thousands in October that year, they had local birders jumping up and down with excitement, but that excitement waned very quickly as the siskins kept on moving farther south, reducing the winter population in this area to only a handful of optimistic individuals, content to feast instead on feeding station handouts.

Some birders make it a habit each fall to predict what birds will be present in the area each winter, based on their knowledge of seed crops in the boreal regions of the province, and what seeds appeal to which species of birds. The predictions do often come true providing a special treat to birders who keep track of the comings and goings of nomadic species.

Interestingly, non of my extensive collection of handouts on wildlife shrubs and trees mentions hop hornbeam at all as a tree even remotely attractive to birds. However, one Internet source I found suggests that finches, robins, cardinals and catbirds are attracted to the seeds. If the current crop in the Quinte area is any indication, they sure haven’t had any takers yet.