Cool Trees

 I think that trees and wildflowers in the spring are so amazing.

There is a mad rush where I feel I have to run out and find every flower that emerges as an ephemeral.   I want to squat down and peer at these flowers and enjoy their fleeting presence in the forest.

I rejoice at the flowers in my garden also of course, but they are there and will appear. I won't have to go searching for them in an adventure. So chasing those little flowers is exciting and frustrating sometimes. 

I may search one area too early or too late. 

I also take a moment to look at the trees and note when catkins are forming or leaves are bursting through. This year I followed one type of tree from November until now. I finally got a definite ID for the tree from my neighbor.

Here is the Hophornbeam tree. April 17th.

April 24th

Pictures of it in March are here in my blog about Bushes, Trees, and birds. It hasn't changed much except that the catkins are getting greener and plumper and the leaves are emerging.

Box Elder April 18th:

Box Elder, April 24th.

Wild Plum trees!

When I first moved to this area my husband would say that the first trees that blossomed were the Cherry Trees and now I am finding out that most of the 'cherry' and plum trees blossom about the same time. My forester neighbor confirmed this tree to be a plum.

It is in the woods to the east of our driveway. I'll have to see if it bears any fruit.

However, I did discover wild plums not far from the back of our property! Perhaps this fall I'll be able to pick them and make plum jelly!

Plum Blossoms from years past ~~~

April 27 2012

May 1st 2019

It is fun to see how different trees react differently to the weather. I don't recall how the weather was like in 2012. In fact, I don't think I was paying much attention to the weather as I was working 40+ hours a week in 12 hour shifts even though I was a part time employee.

This tree has always grabbed my attention and after all these years, finally the neighbor ID'd this for me also!

My next favorite tree that I like to watch in the spring is the Hawthorne Tree. It really isn't liked by some folks as it has some really gnarly thorns. 

In Ireland the Hawthorne Tree was said to be a home to fairies. In other places in Europe it was thought to be the Tree of Love and Romance [and of course fertility].

I like the tree because it is so unique. 

April 25th 2021

April 26th 2024

See the thorns? Thorny but so beautiful!

The leaves turn green once the blossoms open.

Apple Blossoms 

from the Wild Apple Trees

in the Meadow

April 26th 2024

This meadow was home to so many beautiful apple trees that were not planted by anything other than Mother Nature. However their fruit is always delicious. I enjoy picking as many apples as I wish each year for jelly and juices.

This last shot is from 

May 16th 2006

Photographed with a film camera.

With temps rising along with these wonderful rains we've had, I need to get out and really spend time exploring both the trees, bushes, and the spring ephemeral flowers.

From Sun and Warmth to...

This is Olive's little boy Aiden, we got to do some play time in the yard on Saturday afternoon.

Olive stopped by with fresh Eggs from her gals.

We had some rain and a lot of nice weather on Saturday. The daffodils even enjoyed it.

By chore time Sunday afternoon, they were not Happy Daffies.

The pine trees in front of the house were laden with ice and snow.

By Monday morning the snow was 5 inches deep at the bird feeder under the pines and knee deep on the hill behind the house.

The iris plants were partially buried.

I walked along some branches that were overhanging the hot wire they were drooping so I shook them and they rattled with ice. Some snow came off but not much.

I knelt down to get a shot of the Bluebells that were ready to bloom...

I went in the house to do something and suddenly the mules were running and snorting. One of the large box elder sections of a tree came down where I had been.

I shut the gate to that area and decided I'd deal with that issue when things warmed up which it is supposed to do this week.

I might have to check in with a couple of my ridge neighbors to see if I can barter or trade for some chain saw work.

From the extended forecast of rain from Tuesday through Thursday, it looks like I might just have to take hand loppers and and see if I can get the stuff off the at least one fence.

Perhaps I'll just ignore it today and just have some tea with Miss LaFleur.

Snow Day

 

Charlie doesn't need YakTraks or ice cleats obviously. Look at those feet! We decided to go for a nice morning walk to the ridge and down through the woods and around the neighbor's meadow.

The snow in the area is compacted and very rough on the deer trails. I had to walk carefully, but Bigfoot darted all around the place like a wild man. He had chased two squirrels and was on a roll.

The road on the ridge was covered in a layer of snow and under that was ice. This is one of those times where the ice wasn't thick enough to bury the gravel underneath so traction wasn't too bad. The mist was still coming down and icing all east facing branches.

I had trees on my mind. The light was dull and pretty gloomy but I enjoy days like this for different types of photography.

You've seen this boxelder before and for whatever reason, I stop often in the winter and summer to photograph it. The kid in me wants to make a fort here.

Funny how you can take the same route over and over and see different things. I never saw the shape of this particular tree before. The light and the misty atmosphere stopped me in my tracks. 

Here is the full tree, and below that is a cropped version of what I really found fascinating.

Cropped version

Everything seems to be moving to the right in this shot. Strange right?

Soon enough Spring will arrive and the trees will have leaves which will hide their incredible features.

After lunch we had a grand time watching the birds at the feeder. I tried to hone in a skill of 'catching' a bird in flight while leaving a branch.

I'll save that for another day.

Crazy about Fungi

 

I cannot recall ever finding these wild fungi before. They are growing in 'gregarious' groups and solo on this ancient dying box elder tree in the Buckthorn forest.

Though we know that box elders never really die, they just send out new shoots.

I couldn't help myself since I seem to always have a little something extra in my pockets.

I believe the proper scientific name for these are: leucopholiota decorosa. I have not found a common name for them yet.

Here is a look at what a slightly older bunch looks like:

I am so fascinated by them that I keep going back to look at them. Thank goodness, they are a short walk from the house.

A bit further down the hill I found this unidentified fungi. Looks like a Slug Love Fest going on...

I found an Artist Conk also known as a shelf polypore.

Each year I bring one home and do this:

I'm not very good at drawing with sticks. I let it dry and then bring it indoors for my fall display on a little table. It feels nice and woodsy. I know, I'm a bit odd. 

Oh! And on my way back from the woods I found very fresh Chicken of the Woods. So I picked just a little and cooked it up for us to taste. 

We lived. I may pick some more and cook them up to go with our burgers tonight. 

I couldn't resist this one either. For a long time I wanted to try this with a tiny figure and even tinier tea cup.

This is my 'creative' play. It was so hard to place that cup in a saucer and balance it on that tiny fungi. It was fun trying to find a perfect spot for the little squirrel too. I must have tried about 10 angles and different spots to shoot from.

With this tiny tea set, I got tiny plates and silverware. I have to place the silverware with tweezers because my fumbly fingers won't work with such tiny items.

The 'table' is a piece of pine bark. I just made those 'shrooms out of Magic Model clay stuff. Behind them are the twigs that are now painted and have funky moss glued to them.

Rich walks by my little thing and shakes his head then pats me on the head.

More on that at another time.

In the meantime...enjoy fall and enjoy looking at the forest floor as well as the fall foliage.

Happy Hunting....