Sunday, 1 June 2014
Ta-dah! The apples are blooming!
Actually, there was just one phase of rain, along with lots of overcast and three rotations of sunshine. Overall: pleasant spring day. Lawn is mown and garden hill is ready for seeds…. Tomorrow….
Thursday, 29 May 2014
I’ve been wanting to photo the trillium carpets we’ve been seeing, and just haven’t stopped to do so. Now, the leaves on the trees above are filling in enough to leave these spring ephemerals in shadow, making the photos like this, spotty, and less eye-catching.
Second post because I forgot to mention that the toilet plumbing project Part 2 happened as hoped. Now that there are no leaks, we still have the excess humidity of the tank to deal with, so I’m desirous of one of those nifty models with an insulated tank.
Thursday, 29 May 2014
The grass under what I think of as the Uncle Dave maple (because he planted it) has hundreds of tiny maple-tree-wannabes. I don’t remember noticing them ever before. Of course, spring is coming late this year and we are here earlier than usual, so I’m guessing that confluence is the reason for the different plants and different plant phases I have been noticing.
We spotted just a few of these not-asters (as I was calling them in my mind) in the grass, too, farther out from the trunk than the densest of the mini-maples. I had to look them up (KW can testify that I forget my wildflower names!). This one I don’t remember ever identifying before, although they look slightly familiar. The ID book says: Philadelpha fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus). It is indeed in the aster family…. It has a large range across North America, and apparently several Native American groups used the plant in teas and poultices, smokes and snuff, for an assortment of ailments. I love the many dainty petals; this one is hosting a sleeping? spider.
SEE COMMENTS for correction to…English Daisy, still in the Aster/Daisy family.
Thursday, 22 May 2014
Dad aka The Botanist had transplanted five rhubarb crowns up here, the deep red specimens he loved, commenting every time he picked them, “See how dark the stalks are!”
By last summer, however, the plants were looking peaked. Consultations with several people reached the same conclusion: they needed more light, fewer weeds to compete with, and a shot of nutrition.
Last fall, The Guru and I attacked all these problems. We cut down overhanging branches—more light. We removed the surrounding sod and covered the raw soil with newspapers*, weighted with rocks so they wouldn’t blow away—competition reduced (at least temporarily). And, courtesy of our friends at Spinner’s End Farm, added small shovelfuls of llama/sheep poo, designed by nature to take some years to break down—nutrition added!
So far, it looks like we’re on track for a full recovery of the rhubarb plants!
* A long-time practice of The Botanist.
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Growth spurt time. These were about one-third this tall when we arrived. Fog this morning gave way to gorgeous sunshine for most of the afternoon and into the evening. Still sunny!
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Kinda feeling daffy….
Long story short: these shots both are from before today (when the sky turned grey). The cold storage (?) unit is from the library-town…, not from our place.
The solo daffy is from directly in front of the cottage. I’m not sure of its history but the story I’m going with is that Mom planted them, probably before I was born. (Ti-dee I-dee.)
Had the lovely neighbors over; they’re the ones who keep an eye on our place through all the times (especially the winter) when we’re gone. We are perpetually indebted to them. Such fine people. Actually, fine is not inclusive enough.
I ramble.
Monday, 19 May 2014
I call this the Tree Monster in my head. It was a trunk-split (not really a branch) from high up in the double-pine next to the front porch. Our fine next-door neighbor helped us brush it out last fall, but we didn’t get the whole thing broken down. Yes, it’s on the chore list….
Today the Tree Monster and I witnessed a quick visit by a pair of Sandhills, touring about in their courtship. We had heard Sandhills, maybe this pair; great to see them!
Sunday, 18 May 2014
Another spring ephemeral: the trout lily.
Beautiful day and the solar gain brought the front porch to a hair over 70°F. Thank ye, oh wondrous sun.
Side benefit: I don’t have to build a fire in the wood stove tonight!
Saturday, 17 May 2014
I think the bloodroot decided it was too cold to open its blooms today (around freezing overnight). These are among the spring ephemerals we observed in our wander around the property. That’s a new phrase for me; I’m loving it….
Monday, 12 May 2014
Mahonia spp., probably either M. repens or M. aquifolium.
I often go two ways when working on an action plan: exhilarated and exhausted. They seem like opposites; trust me, they can coexist.