The bloodroot should be in full bloom here in the next couple of days. Nothing else is blooming in our woods yet. In the distance, the woods have a hint of green mixed in with the gray of tree trunks. I can pick out a couple of maples in the woods from a distance because the buds are red. Some oaks have buds others of the same species show no sign of anything. It is striking how alien something familiar can appear when you look at it closely. I’ve thought that about many things, but now I’m thinking of the maple buds in the photo below.
These photos were taken this morning. In order they are: Hard maple buds, oak buds and bloodroot with its leaves ready to unfold and the blossom ready to open. Out of the hundreds of young plants ready to pose for a picture, I chose this one because its blossom almost appears to be pink. ? Usually bloodroot is white. The internet does not do justice to the detail, but clicking the photo for a larger version helps a little.
Last weekend we cleared a spot in the woods. The plan is to create a small grove of fruit trees. Basically we cut down some young box elder and a few dead elm.
If there is a tall, fast-growing tree here it is most often an American elm. ? For years they appear healthy. ? ?Then suddenly one day the leaves will be gone, and over time the bark will peel off in large chunks until all that remains is a ?dead tree. ? Few exceed 14 or 16 inches in diameter. I have converted some of these to firewood.
Looking at so many dead elm trees this weekend, I realized that the fungus that causes Dutch elm disease is a permanent, well-established resident. It is more than 1,000 miles from here to the East Coast, and another 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. But even this great distance wasn’t enough to protect this woodlot. Scientists in the Netherlands, back in 1919, identified the fungus that was killing their elm trees. Dutch elm disease was carried from one tree to another by the bark beetle. By the 1930s the fungus had traversed the Atlantic. And over the decades it spread throughout the United States.
Save for a token tree here or there, the days of cathedral elms are long since past. In their place we will plant apple, apricot, cherry and plum.
Early this morning and continuing throughout the day, we had a Red-headed Woodpecker at our suet feeder in the backyard. We have lived here nearly 40 years and to the best of my recollection is the first time we have been visited by this colorful bird. It is one of only four species of woodpeckers known to store food and it is the only one to cover food with bark or pieces of wood.
Several times throughout the day, we would watch the woodpecker break off big chunks of suet and fly to the nearby cottonwood tree with its prize. Growing up in southern Minnesota it was fairly common to see Red-headed woodpeckers. Unfortunately that is no longer the case.
Okay, I never actually saw them, so I don’t know for sure that they are frogs.
I am re-posting this hoping someone out there knows their frog calls.
I mentioned in my blog entry last week that I recorded some frog sounds on a nearby pond. I searched different frog sounds on the internet and couldn’t find anything that sounds like them. They were the first night sound on the pond. I couldn’t find them by looking with a flashlight.
There’s a good chance your computer will play the sound if you click on the link below
Click_this_to_hear_the_frogs
I awoke this morning to 34 degrees and snow covering the roof of our house. After breakfast, I decided to take my morning walk down to the river below our house to check the rising river level. My first observation as I walked I strong northwest wind and spitting flurries of snow was the soft velvet green hue coming from the abundant willows along the flooded riverbank on the Wisconsin side of the river. Next I noticed three fishing boats working the wind driven waters just off Presbyterian Point. That must be a challenging activity.. According to Ike’s Bait Shop, the Lake Pepin Open fishing tournament is being held this weekend.
Despite our slow cold spring weather up to now, I still encountered several spring wildflowers in bloom this morning. The list includes; snow trilliums, bloodroots, Dutchman’s breeches, rue-anemone and sharp-lobed hepaticas.
On the windward side of Presbyterian Point, there was absolutely no bird activity. The leeward side of the point yielded two turkey vultures on the beach feasting on a dead fish while nearby a lone spotted sandpiper was wading the water’s edge in search of aquatic organisms. Flying just above the water were several tree swallows desperately searching for insects.
Further inland within the shelter of numerous large silver maple trees was a flooded woodland depression. This microclimate was alive with bird activity. The most predominant birds were the yellow-rumped warblers which are usually the first of the spring warbler migration. As I approached the feeding area, ten drake wood ducks lifted off the water further confirming that their mates were now sitting on eggs in the protection of some tree cavity. Other birds observed here included robins, bluebirds, a brown creeper and dark-eyed juncos.
I am sure that these many birds are as anxious as we for warm weather to arrive and stay. Did I forget to mention, the river level had risen only slightly from last evening?
