Trees trees trees...

In years past, I've always concentrated on what is below the trees. For some reason this past year, I've been looking at trees with more interest.
I still adore fungi, moss, and bugs but right now there are none of those things available to look at under the snow.

The skies have been overcast and dull or it has been bright as all get out! 

Birch Trees 

edited to look artsy

Boxelder
seriously...
I wasn't smoking anything!

I found myself looking for objects that lend themselves to almost an abstract and artistic flair.

If nothing else, it is fun to hike our deep woods to find something interesting. I need to figure out what these trees are. They hang on to little orange leaves. They catch my eye while walking on the deer trails.

I used a ribbon that was attached to a deflated Mylar balloon I found to one of these trees so I can try and ID this tree type in the spring.

Snow storm!

The view across the neighbor's meadow to the east. 

Super duper zoom in

on a crooked tree branch

A friend of mine said it looked like neural brain synapses...
Hmmm, my brain was just enjoying the snowfall.

Another view of the same 

branch...
Amazing how a different shot and color edits

can make it look:

I thought of Aurora when I found this tree---> pointing down. 

Sorry it is such a poor photo, with the snow fall I had a hard time getting any proper exposure against the snowy sky.

However it is one awesome -cool -bizarre -wild cherry tree. I know last summer I never saw what it looked like up in the branches.

This bizarro tree lives near my favorite boxelder and the smushed face tree I spotted last June:

That makes 4 favorite odd and strange trees in one small area.

Winter is a good time to examine branches and shapes. I found some other wicked and strange trees on my walk around the meadow in yesterday's snowfall. 

Man Eating Tree?

*Edit 3 10 2022: Old Hawthorn Tree*

I'm enjoying the bare bones of the trees in the forest around me...but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the forest and all of its glorious colors.

After all, trees rule the land around us.

Wild Things near

When the morning sun broke over the tree tops, I saw this young deer north of the house at the top of the hill. The winds hadn't started yet and everything was calm.

Taken through the 

back door window

After I'd finished the chores, the breezes started. By the time hubby got up and had some coffee, the sun had disappeared and it began to snow.

Imagine our surprise when we spotted another fawn bedding down between the old garage and a tree. It curled up and went sound asleep. [And it looks like it is drooling!]

Later during another snow squall, some fawns came ambling through the yard.

I took these through a screened window so they are sort of soft looking. But the mules are standing just on the other side of the electric fence napping and ignoring the deer.

Two of them walked around to the side of the porch and then turned around and headed out to the woods but not entering the mules fenced area. I know the electric fence doesn't bother them much as they just jump through the two lines.

I do know that the mules will chase intruders that enter their areas.

I'm curious if the fawns had already learned this.

I'm also learning that deer tend to be more active during certain barometer readings. 

I do know that they feed towards dusk. 

This little one came right up to the spot I'd cleared for parking and off loading groceries. 

Speaking of feeding at dusk, we were quite amused at 6 deer that decided to surround my Subaru. It is parked in a grassy area that was plowed last week.

One actually walked up to the passenger door and looked in the window.

I couldn't pass up adding this little nuthatch to my shots this week. Just check out that face!

Attitude!

 

Wild Things

These are not my photos but photos from the Trail Cam I have set up on a trail in the woods.

As you may be able to tell, we all use the same path right here. It is the only way around an old oak that fell across the 'ridge road' as we call it. I had someone who said he'd clear it for me. Yeah, that didn't happen. More about that on another post perhaps....

So we walk around it.
I was surprised by the 'critters' I caught coming through here. 

The blur in the second shot is a Robin!
It is interesting too, to see the temperatures on these days. I don't know exactly how accurate the readings are though.

This looks like a young coyote or one that is a bit scrawny. Interesting to see it in the midmorning hours.

And a few minutes later....

Then I come through with the kids.

That evening a doe and her fawn pause for their photo to get taken.

I used to have the camera lower on the tree. It seemed that every critter had to put their nose on it to sniff it. I had a lot of smeary photos of globs last month. So many mule and fawn globs!

I think this is a good spot for the camera now.

And here comes a nice little buck that we've seen on the other camera. I think it is pretty cool to see their antlers growing.

I think this is the same fella.
My old camera only takes in Infrared. That camera is about 8 years old.
It still works and has a good position in the Buckthorn Forest on a very well used trail.

I have an appointment with the young Entomologists today again. 

My young charges want to go 'buggin'. 

Uffdah. This morning it was like walking in pea soup. The temperature and dew point are nearly the same with humidity at 90 something. My grandma would say that the air is Heavy.

We had an orange sunrise and fog laying across the meadows. The air movement is zero....

Plants

I am going to start my days earlier now with the warmer weather and earlier light.

I don't often get to the creek in the morning, but I did on Sunday and the colors and sunlight was delightful.
We however need rain!

In 2009 I started really 'getting' into identifying the plants that came up in the woods. The first year was quite a journey. At any opportunity I could I was out walking about with my little pocket camera trying to photograph a plant coming up in the woods and then using a book or an internet search to find and ID that plant.
I made it into a project and even recorded when and where I found the plant emerging. Dates, hillsides, conditions, and the time of year.

I haven't really stopped doing that. I just find it so interesting.
After the flood of 2016, I've noticed a huge influx of an invasive species that is pretty nasty.

Garlic Mustard

I pluck them as I see them when walking through our creek bottom. But I see them invading the neighbor's land too. Too many to pluck on a casual walk.

It only took a few years for the Parsnip plant to overtake the valley, but I am still fighting the good fight on our land.
In the spring I hunt parsnip and dig them up.
The large ones come home with me and I stir fry them.

Parsnip emerging...

There are some other wonderful plants that start to come up now too.
Ramps~

I harvest some from this patch each year but never over harvest it. This year I may gather enough to dehydrate. That way I can have some wild leeks in my soups and stews this next winter.

I found these cowslips growing in Tainter Hollow not far from where the Trout Lilys should come up this week if we get some rain.

These plants get quite large and are native but can be mistaken often for other plants. A golden rod is coming up next to the cowslip.

One of my spring favorites is the May Flower or May Apple. As a kid I called it the Umbrella Plant. Much more descriptive I think!
Someone said you could eat these. I'm not sure but I prefer the morel mushroom that comes a bit later in the season.

I have so many spring favorites. I should just say, that they are ALL my favorite wild plants!

This is the Dutchman Breech plant. The wild version. Each year I can find it on certain hillside emerging with their feathery leaves.
They blossom and then...poof...
gone!

Have you ever had a wild strawberry? They are worth all the effort of picking them. I never pick them and save them in a pail, but pick them and eat them as a refreshing snack while walking through the woods in June.
I found this plant growing on a mossy rock in the middle of the creek.

Charlie is going to go on an expedition with me to hunt for some blood roots and hepatica.
Dixie tends to sit on me when I am crouched down to take a photo of a tiny plant. She also seems to step on the plants I am trying to photograph, especially the tiny ones. She can't help it..she is so big!

The woods are so dry right now!

Rain is forecast for this evening and the next 36 hours after that so one can cross their fingers and hope for just the right amount of it.

I do need to get out and clear more brush and work on the 'back' fence too.
All in good time I guess. I see the garden is doing very well with sprouting weeds.

Ahhh, seems my work is never done!

Thanks thanks...and thanks so much...

To my eldest son who came out to help for a day on the farm.

Oh yeah...I did find a two spots that need some chainsaw work...wonder why I never checked that fence?  I will do a line over those sections.  There is always a way to jury rig things so they work...right?

Here is son trimming along the fence line.  

Our supervisor, Teslin kept an eye on everyone.

Even hubby got in on the act, feeling well enough to come out and talk and even ride the mower for a bit.

After hubby went to take an afternoon nap, I decided to go check fences and walk with the camera.

It was nice just to wander a bit around the woods and pastures.
Even the 'girls' were excited to see me.

All I can say is that all the work that got done was such a relief.

And seeing hubby out and about was worth it...

So thank you Ed, your are amazing!

This year ... last year...

This year we warmed up a bit faster than last year.  I am finding wild flowers that were already up and blossoming this year by April 25th.

Last year they were not blossoming until much later in May.

I'm guessing that if I get time between drives to Madison and work hours, I may get out and look for Morels!

I probably won't get to the woods today as we are expecting guests this afternoon.

So I'm going into my archives from last year.

Happy May 1st!

Indian Pipes & Jewel Weed

If someone were to ask me what my favorite wildflower in August-September was, I'd have to answer.
Indian Pipes also know as Ghost Plants, Corpse Plants [hey Zombies, a flower for you!], and some other names.

They are interesting because they don't use chlorophyll but feed off from fungi which in turns feeds off from wood or a nearby tree.

Small bumble bees find these plants as a great source of food.

I found many places where these were 'popping up'.  If a person were to do a normal hiking speed through my trails and not look hard, these would be missed.
I actually would take a few steps, stop and scan the undergrowth for these.  Once I'd find one...I'd find dozens.

A few times in order to photograph these plants I had to nearly lay down on the ground.  

Their scientific name is Monotrop uniflora.  I still like 'Indian Pipes'.

You have to admit, they are unique!

After they are done flowering ... which you can see in the above shot, they turn black and slimy looking and whither back into the soil.

I also found some yellow Jewel Weed while hiking.
This color isn't as usual as the orange Jewel Weed, but I have found out that the juice from these plants make a great soap that helps with ANY itchy skin.
When I pull nettles in the garden and get welts, I rub on some Jewel Weed soap.  
When my grandson got into poison ivy, I covered it in Jewel Weed soap lather.
When my grand daughter's bare legs were all itchy from running through the weeds,... you guessed it.  Jewel Weed soap lather.

She said it tingled and the itch went away.

How cool is that?