Emerging Diversity

After taking a close-up of the emerging leaves of one of our white oaks, I started taking more photos of other emerging leaves--had I started sooner, I would have had some of the earlier trees.

An incomplete list...but a wonderful start.

All of these were added to the property by me...except for the ash, we came up on it's own--but I did move it to (what will be) our woodland.

Transplanting

These are not the first things that I have transplanted this spring, but they are the first that I am posting about.  The elm--which is taller than I am--was growing too close to our deck (and would block our beautiful view).

I am not sure what took me so long to do it, but I guess it is the same reason I haven't stained the deck.  Yesterday, Jeff started power washing it to prepare for staining...and then building a catio!  (Something else we have been putting off.)

Digging it out was a bit of a chore, but I found some great rocks for the streambed.  I wish I got more roots, but there are a lot of feeder roots.  As I tend to do, I trimmed the branches and pinched back most of the new growth, so its reduced root system has less to support. 

In addition to the elm, I finally found a place for the native hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) that I bought a couple of years ago.  I bought three, planted one, and put the other two pots near the front door so that I could keep them watered.  Over time, of course, they sent roots into the ground...so, when I went to plant them near "my pride and joy" (our giant boulder), I had to cut the pot away from the roots. 

In addition to these, I have moved several smaller elm trees (at least one or two that were potted), the oak trees that I bought at a yard sale last year, and several shrubs (silky dogwood, meadowsweet, and elderberry--which I am rooting in place...and some wildflowers, grasses, and sedges) along my new terraced path. 

Pond Life

Looks like we will have tadpoles in the pond this year--*toad* tadpoles--those cute, little black ones I remember from my youth.  :)

Amazing to stumble upon the act of procreation itself! 

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Great Find

I spotted this the other day.  Unsure of what it was, I posted a picture and question in an insect identification  group on Facebook.

I was told it is a Cecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia) cocoon.  After doing an internet search, it looks right to me.  I hope so.

Yesterday, I was really not looking forward to the forecast of snow and a low of 30°F...it actually impacted my mood.  I was bummed.

This morning, however, I ended up.braving the cold and strolling the property with camera in hand.  By the time I got to the second acre, I spotted the pair of bluebirds at the staghorn sumac berries.  I started taking photos...that is when I noticed other species there as well--at least one that I did not recognize.   (It ended up being an Eastern kingbird--thanks to a quick Internet search.)

Aside from the birds (which was a huge highlight), I enjoyed being surrounded by a greening world, several trees leafing out, the serviceberry still blooming, birds singing, the sun streaming down...and...snow blowing around as it fell--not what I expected, well into May--but it made for an almost magical moment. 

Now, spring can resume.  (Another day or two with lows near freezing, but then it should warm up again.)

Quite a lot of photos from today...

Pond Surprise!

Spring has sprung...for about a month,but things are really starting to pop now after plenty of rain, we now have lots of sun and temperatures around 70.  I have been taking the usual photographs of wildflowers and birds (but not posting them, unfortunately).  The bluebirds' eggs have likely hatched--I saw the female out...but have not yet checked the nestbox.  Tree swallows have returned...and the chickadees are taking nesting materials into their chosen box.  Birds abound...and I am enjoying taking shots of them in nature, not just coming near the house for sunflower seeds.

Being home, I have walked my trails most days...I jump from project to project...and now regular maintenance like mowing.  I visit the pond, or, at least, walk past it a few times a day.  The frogs still get startled and dive underwater.

Today, I was standing on the lower edge where I am closer to the water's surface...when I saw them.  At first,I assumed they were tadpoles, even though my mind immediately told me they were fish.  I didn't want to get my hopes up.

Fish fry...babies.  I was shocked, but thrilled to see them.  Now, where did they come from...and what kind are they?  The most likely answer is they are descendants of the minnows I put in that I purchased from a bait shop.  I was almost certain they all had died over the first two or three days after I put them in.  I did acclimate them first...but I figured they were for bait and were likely not very hardy having been raised crowded together (yet with plenty of oxygenated water)...or, my water did not have high enough oxygen for them despite the recirculating pump.  I counted the bodies floating to the surface...and I guess it is possible that 2 or even a few survived.   This seems most likely.  The other possibility is that they were brought here as eggs stalk to a bird visiting another pond.

Time will tell if they mature, and I can identify them.  Hopefully, I have a record of the fish I added.

I had wanted black-nosed dace which my dentist recommended, but the bait shop didnt carry them.  When the quarantine is lifted, and social distancing is no longer an issue, my dentist is supposed to share some black-nosed dace and some bluegills with me (I guess he never got around to it last year).

Originally, I didnt plan on adding fish, but I have always loved watching them ate the various bodies of water I have visited where I could see them.  They provide so much added interest...and another step in the food web--if they attract king fishers and/or herons, so be it.   When digging out the pond, I created a ledge or two for fish to hide and evade predators.   I just hope there can be a balance.

I am thrilled to have them.  I hope I can watch them grow...and hope they will be self-sustaining.

And, the obligatory frog picture.  :)  

Finally Transplanted!

Quite a few years ago, I bought some bareroot seedlings of alder to add to our property.   I planted a couple out in the yard (apparently they didn't make it)...and planted the majority in a decaying mulch pile.  They did well there, and I intended to move them two years ago...and again last year.  Today, I finally put two of the three or so into the landscaping.   (I suspect at least one of them is two trees growing together.)

I believe I have two more potted elsewhere.

In the process of digging them up, I dug out a red oak that I put in as a germinating acorn.  it looks to be about 4 years old--so, I dug another hole and added the oak to our developing woodland.  :)

 

Encounters

Surprisingly, spotting a luna moth on our property, this evening, was not enough to get me to post...it should have been (I'm thrilled), but it took another (near) encounter to get me to pull up my blog and share:

A Colorful Spring

For a long while, I have been planning on posting about biodiversity--my plan has always been to photograph each wildflower as it comes into bloom each spring...and document the diversity of native wildflowers that I have added (or been lucky enough to find already growing on the property--these are few and far between...but they are here).  Instead, my first post about biodiversity will be reflected in a few bird species that really caught my eye this spring.

Growing up, aside from the more common feeder birds, I never had bluebirds or indigo buntings...and only a rare sighting of a Baltimore oriole (perhaps not even on our property).  Living in the country (and creating habitat) has given me the opportunity to see several species here that I was never lucky enough to see before.

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet...I've got close to a rainbow...all spotted this year:

Of course, the biodiversity doesn't end there...I have many others--many common, some never common to me.  With spring, the catbird returned, later, the Baltimore oriole--which has nested here for several years (perhaps as long as we've been here...but I've only noticed in the past few years).  I am pleased to have spotted a rose-breasted grossbeak again this year as well.

Hopefully, some day I will document all of the biodiversity of plants and animals that have visited...or even made a home here.  For now, I had to share my colorful spring birds.

Within One Day!

Last night, I finally went out to clean out the nestbox after the first brood of bluebirds fledged (and I've yet to even post the few pics I have of the first brood.  I removed the old nest (and the two non-viable eggs that I found after the three birds were gone (I never seem to witness the fledging itself).  I scrubbed it down with water and bleach solution and left it open all night to dry--and, hopefully to alert the pair that it was ready again when they are.

    

This morning, I went out to close it.

                             

  

I came home between assignments (yes, I actually worked this Saturday) and walked the yard.  Even though I had just closed it a few hours before, I decided to check inside--maybe having seen a female bluebird on the overhead wire when I got out of the car influenced me.  Sure enough, before I'd even reached for the latch, I saw a thin stalk of grass sticking out.  Once opened I was still shocked to see the progress made on their second nest of the year!

I don't really know how much time they need between raising the fledglings and starting another brood, but I usually give them a week or so.  After this experience, I am thinking I should remove the old nest as soon as possible.  I want them to have as much time as they can to get a third brood in. ~smile~