Wildflowers

Got a bit off track... Not enough time to get everything done... and then how much longer it takes to get anything done... But enough complaining.

Spring in the country and in a woodland forest is fabulously different than in a peopled area. So, far not so much the critters as it is the flora. Every time I take a walk in the woods here, I find a new to me flower- or one I am happy to know grows here.

The Spring Beauty

The Spring Beauty has flowers smaller than a dime at fully open and has been blooming since late March in many locations in the woods

Cutleaf Toothwart

A wildflower that also has very small flowers, when fully opened and is a dappled sun plant that grows best in the forest floor mulch. Pretty much done for the season, but I still find a small stand in hidden areas.

Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)

In the lawn under a big Maple tree in the front I found these. Hundreds of them. I was missing the natural volunteers in the lawn at the Etown house when these started popping up.

Rue Anenome

These are down near the big creek at the back of the property. 

Pear Tree Blossoms

A very large and overgrown pear tree (not necessarily wild) is the only fruiting tree on the property. It had millions of beautiful blooms, which were pollinated and did begin to produce fruit, but sadly we had a late freeze and the little starts all shriveled off. Not that, the very overgrown tree had any big fruit ... It will need to be severely trimmed back this fall if we want anything larger than 2 bites.

Woodland Ferns

Having spent many of my summers in the forest of coastal Northern California, I kind of expect the forest floor to be covered in deep shade loving ferns. While the oak canopy does create shade, it is nothing like the deep cool shade in the redwood forests.

Wild Blue Phlox

The Wild Blue Phox was a neat surprise, especially when I stumbled upon a big yellow Swallowtail visiting. 

One of the scenes I love is this view up the road toward home on the way back from a walk to the end of the road.

What have you discovered in your own backyard this spring?

More Later! Beth

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Springtime Neighbors

None of our visits to the place before we moved in had the neighbor cows in the field directly across the street. When the cows are rotated into this field, (about every 3 weeks or so) they become the closest neighbors. They are beef cows, and there is a new crop of calves every few months. There is a bull in this herd so the cows breed naturally. The picture below shows 2 calves from last fall. 

Some of the other visitors are not seen except for the very early morning hours or evening... just before sunset. This doe is here nearly every day and has visitors passing through during the night. We see the tracks and the others on the trail camera. One even came right up to the camera... to investigate. Yep, a close-up. I'll dig that up someday and post it!

There is a band of 5 male turkeys that have a routine... the second half of last summer they would come along the cow pasture every morning about 9. They were so skittish and shy that the only pictures I could get were from the house. This year we are hearing them in the woods behind the house. There is a flock of about 40 hens in the area too. 

We found this tortoise in the woods behind the house as well. Saw quite a few last summer and none so far this year. We don't have any turtles in the pond either, but if we find a snapper he will be heading down the road lickety split!

We have started prepping the garden. This place came with a garden area with raised planting rows, but the soil is terrible. So we started a 3 bin composting area, and added the first bin to the rows, and ordered up a load of topsoil augmented with some steer manure. A neighbor stopped by with his tractor and offered to move the dirt onto the rows for us. Hopefully, the garden will yield some fresh veggies so we can thank him for the assistance!

The weather turned back to winter for a couple of days with some really cold overnight temperatures, back to the low 20°s and daytime in the upper 40°s and low 50°s, and breezy. While it looks pretty outside you definitely need a coat outside.

More Later. Beth

Meet the Clucks

Last August we needed to get some chickens. Not that we hadn't tried, but the big box stores insist that you buy 6 at a time... and then never seem to have any in stock. So the next best thing? A Facebook search turned up some 4-month-old pullets (females) of the Cream Legbar Variety. It was mid-afternoon when I set off to collect them. On my way out of the garage, I grabbed a large empty moving box and threw it into the back of the car.

The drive took me west and down some narrow one-lane roads, that for some reason were all paved!!! I did hear a bit of music while driving that sounded a little like the soundtrack from the movie Deliverance! Several times I questioned the GPS but eventually, I arrived at the destination.

The lady has a big spread all fenced in with free-range goats, sheep, chickens- several varieties, turkey 2 varieties, a bunch of dogs and cats... and maybe more critters that I didn't see. We exchanged the money for chickens, put them in the empty box, and I left for home.

The look on the DH's face when I opened the box and 6 half-grown chickens popped out. He was expecting chickens that fit in your hand. We locked up the pen and left them to explore their habitat.
The next day we explored more of what chickens need and set about acquiring the supplies. Finding chickens was so difficult that we were not prepared for immediate occupancy, but quickly caught up.

Its been about 8 months and the chickens love free-ranging around the yard. When we open the gate every morning to let them out 4 head immediately for the pond and a drink. Nevermind that they do that at the watering bucket first thing out of their coop too. Only 3 of the chickens actually have names. Loooucy and Ethel are the 2 that are least worried about people and Chicken Little. The name is obvious if you know the story. That chicken is afraid of her own shadow.

When I was growing up my dad used to call them "cackleberries", but we call them 'squakberries'. These girls are supplying us with 1-2 dozen every week, (even during the cold winter), so we are eating lots of eggs and giving some away as well. The girls lay eggs ranging in colors of pale mint green to a bright pale blue and they have large bright creamy yolks. The egg on the bottom is a store-bought egg for reference. Although now, most of the eggs are all a big Medium!

Its time to start recording some information about living here, the weather, rain amounts, additions or subtractions and the work or improvements we are making... on the farm. So far the weather this spring has been up and down temperature-wise, from the upper 20's at night to the highs in the daytime as high as 80 degrees. Many days that have been sunny have been tempered with a frigid wind from the north/northwest. The warmest just last week with a taste of the humidity that will soon be here. Typical for the power shift of the north versus the south for control of where the storms come from. This week we have had weather suitable for shorts and yesterday long pants and jackets. High winds are predicted from most of the day, up to 50 mph. An inch of rain fell on Sunday 4/13/2020 and 3/4 of an inch before sunrise on Monday.

As Always More Later! Beth

A Whole Week!

  

One of the best discoveries so far on 'the farm' has been the pasture.

At one time it housed a horse, possibly some cows, and a small corner a couple of pigs. What is in the pasture now? Weeds to most, but to me wildflowers.

What did I find in the pasture that makes me so happy?

Nature!!!

Lots of Nature.

Specifically... the field is full of Swallowtail Butterflies. Yellow and Black.

2 Swallowtail Butterflies dancing in the air

Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly on Red Clover blossom

Last evening I spotted a Tiger Swallowtail cruising through the yard. It didn't stop though. I think I spotted a Pipevine Swallowtail too but didn't have the camera... I hope this isn't a one-season thing. I would like to spend more time with them next summer. I have also spotted a Monarch or a Viceroy. It hasn't stopped close enough to be certain of the species or even a picture.

And the other is the hummingbird moth. Not particularly pretty, but a fun and difficult subject to capture on film.

Still shot of a hummingbird moth... wings are stopped 

The hummingbird moth gets its name because like the hummingbird, the wings move constantly at a very fast speed.

Same moth different flower

On the way back to the house I inspected the pond. Didn't see any amphibians creatures, but the dragonflies were in abundance.

Posing for the camera

and a bit of nutgrass.

 

Didn't realize when I took the picture, that it would be so blue and green!!!

I hope I don't discover everything in just a month... I am so looking forward to finding more secrets and fun things.

I posted about some of the neighbors on the store blog (www.ihaveanotion.com/blog) if you are interested in those too.

More Later- Beth