[From October 2018]
Out to the Woods' SW Gate for a quick break from reading and office work. I took my old swing blade, thinking I could clear the path through the Polygonum knot weed east of Butterfly corner, where the thinning elm canopies let in the light. Under the closed canopy of the big trees more leaves have come down.. not just the serrate edge elm leaves; now there are butter yellow rounded leaves of green ash. The canopy is still solidly there, mostly green.. no streaming leaves falling from the sky; but leaf drop is increasing.
I had not used the swing blade in a number of years. It worked well for the task.. less fuss and annoyance than a loud weed-whacker. Sunday morning and the Woods were pretty quiet.. two whitetailed deer down by the beaver dam. It was dry and hot for late October.. the low 80's in the midday shade. No turtles or signs of other wildlife.. a few nymphalid Question Mark butterflies.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Summer return, a fallen friend and bittersweet
I returned to the corner of Oliver's Woods after a summer-long hiatus. 10 AM I walked down into the Woods from the NW Chautauqua entrance. It has been a wet and warm early summer, followed by a dry and hot mid, late August continuing now into mid September. The trees should have had a good summer of growth, lots of water and sunshine. But the forest was quiet, as if the relentless, too long heat had taken a toll. The NW pond is green with sunny scum. Healthy green bull frogs hopped from the rushes. The pond level has fallen and shoreline receded 1-2 m from the last of the step stones.. still a good body of water. No turtles visible.
The trail had healthy overgrowth of yellow Helianthus sunflowers, blue flowering Elephantopus elephant's foot, and some other 'stick-tight' seed producers. A good number of spider webs across the trail, mostly Micrathena, will have been busy reducing the bug populations. I heard no mosquitoes (I applied DEET before setting now). Here and there, along the way there were branches down. A few rotten snags had dropped short logs across the trail. I did minimal clearing, wanting to let the area of the trail recover with normal under story growth, and roots to enrich the soil.
I was pleased to see the big old (leaning) cottonwood by the Carpenter steel post, standing tall and looking good; but coming to the East Pond there has been a big change. The middle-age, tall cottonwood (#142) that stood right on the N shoreline of the pond had broken and fallen directly across and now bridges the pond, right next to the water depth post. The break revealed the tall column of decay that had finally, weakened the bole until it could no longer stand. The fall has brought significant change, a large gap in the canopy right over the pond. The East pond was always shaded, a bit anoxic and had a different life than the NW Pond. Now they are both sunlit and covered with light green algae producing oxygen. There is light on the forest floor around the pond when before there was shade.
I turned south along Hackberry Alley and walked past Tall Stump towards the patch of invasive oriental bittersweet vines that I knew I would find. I found this patch two years ago and had attacked it two or three times with loppers and pulling up roots where I could. But I knew it would regrow. There was still some solid growth of bittersweet up in a juniper snag but there were fewer new sprouts than I thought I would find. I removed a few more vines and 30 new sprouts and am optimistic that with another visit in a few weeks, I may have knocked it all back to a level where eradication is possible. The vine is a fast-growing ubiquitous threat to forests, once it really gets started.
Wandering south, to Beaver Dam I was not surprised to find it dry. There was no water flowing at Elm Bridge but a low pool remained just above there, with skimmer dragonflies touching their abdomens to the water, laying their eggs. The young may have a fresh flow of cool water with the forecast of rain tomorrow and for the next few days.
Walking north towards the Tree Loop I noticed the big pecan that fell years ago blocking the trail, has a handsome new fresh growth of polypore shelf fungi. The log is beginning to mature, decay and soften all over now. The west segment of the Tree Loop has similar changes, growth and death. # 42, a small redbud is dead; there was good crown growth of the once struggling pecan, and collapse of the old elm snag that had been leaning across the trail. By the old persimmon trees, there were some Indian Plums on the ground, ripe. I tried one and enjoyed the tannin-filled sweetness. The Northwest entrance by the NW Gate is a riot of weeds but I was pleased to see a few of the young, numbered, tree tutorial specimens, including a walnut, senselessly cut by line crew, had survived and were putting up tall healthy sprouts.
Returning via the North Loop a large Sugarberry had snapped off 25 feet up the trunk and dropped its bole across the trail. There were green healthy spouts from the top of the snag. It will regrow and survive. Island Crossing still had water in the upper pool, but there and everywhere else by water, I did not see the tracks of deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, armadillos and others I expected. I wondered if the pack of coyotes I heard in the north Woods in the spring had taken up long term residence and might be suppressing the wildlife.
The trail had healthy overgrowth of yellow Helianthus sunflowers, blue flowering Elephantopus elephant's foot, and some other 'stick-tight' seed producers. A good number of spider webs across the trail, mostly Micrathena, will have been busy reducing the bug populations. I heard no mosquitoes (I applied DEET before setting now). Here and there, along the way there were branches down. A few rotten snags had dropped short logs across the trail. I did minimal clearing, wanting to let the area of the trail recover with normal under story growth, and roots to enrich the soil.
I was pleased to see the big old (leaning) cottonwood by the Carpenter steel post, standing tall and looking good; but coming to the East Pond there has been a big change. The middle-age, tall cottonwood (#142) that stood right on the N shoreline of the pond had broken and fallen directly across and now bridges the pond, right next to the water depth post. The break revealed the tall column of decay that had finally, weakened the bole until it could no longer stand. The fall has brought significant change, a large gap in the canopy right over the pond. The East pond was always shaded, a bit anoxic and had a different life than the NW Pond. Now they are both sunlit and covered with light green algae producing oxygen. There is light on the forest floor around the pond when before there was shade.
I turned south along Hackberry Alley and walked past Tall Stump towards the patch of invasive oriental bittersweet vines that I knew I would find. I found this patch two years ago and had attacked it two or three times with loppers and pulling up roots where I could. But I knew it would regrow. There was still some solid growth of bittersweet up in a juniper snag but there were fewer new sprouts than I thought I would find. I removed a few more vines and 30 new sprouts and am optimistic that with another visit in a few weeks, I may have knocked it all back to a level where eradication is possible. The vine is a fast-growing ubiquitous threat to forests, once it really gets started.
Wandering south, to Beaver Dam I was not surprised to find it dry. There was no water flowing at Elm Bridge but a low pool remained just above there, with skimmer dragonflies touching their abdomens to the water, laying their eggs. The young may have a fresh flow of cool water with the forecast of rain tomorrow and for the next few days.
Walking north towards the Tree Loop I noticed the big pecan that fell years ago blocking the trail, has a handsome new fresh growth of polypore shelf fungi. The log is beginning to mature, decay and soften all over now. The west segment of the Tree Loop has similar changes, growth and death. # 42, a small redbud is dead; there was good crown growth of the once struggling pecan, and collapse of the old elm snag that had been leaning across the trail. By the old persimmon trees, there were some Indian Plums on the ground, ripe. I tried one and enjoyed the tannin-filled sweetness. The Northwest entrance by the NW Gate is a riot of weeds but I was pleased to see a few of the young, numbered, tree tutorial specimens, including a walnut, senselessly cut by line crew, had survived and were putting up tall healthy sprouts.
Returning via the North Loop a large Sugarberry had snapped off 25 feet up the trunk and dropped its bole across the trail. There were green healthy spouts from the top of the snag. It will regrow and survive. Island Crossing still had water in the upper pool, but there and everywhere else by water, I did not see the tracks of deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, armadillos and others I expected. I wondered if the pack of coyotes I heard in the north Woods in the spring had taken up long term residence and might be suppressing the wildlife.
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Flowing water, flashing sunlight, Woods becoming a Wetland
Floating snails, flying tiger swallowtails, fat polywogs. Sunday morning I checked the southern Woods after recent inch and a quarter of rain (past 3 days) and two and a half inches (over past five days), an unusually wet April and wet spring. Water's been standing in the southwestern portion of the Woods for the past four months. The tree species there have variable ability to tolerate flooding and drowned roots. Willow, box elder and cottonwood can handle this best. Elm, ash, sugar berry, persimmon, chittamwood, not so well. Bur oaks don't like drowned roots. This summer the southwest corner of the Woods will dry completely. But the longer water covers the roots of the trees, the more stress (and mortality) of trees there will be. The water comes mostly from OU Lloyd Noble Ctr parking area, roughly the same size as Oliver's Woods. Until 2000 the parking area was gravel and rain there percolated into the water table. In 2000 the parking lot was paved with asphalt. The water flashes off the asphalt, into the western drain and culvert under Hwy 9, and into the Woods. Quick rains flush too much water down the Wash into the Woods, water breaches the western bank levee and flows across the south central Woods, 'upstream' through the old beaver dam and then sits in the southwestern Woods until it can all drain south into the Canadian River. Draining can take weeks to months.
Along the south boundary fence, I came to the center point and the exit flow of water from the Woods. From there eastward the water was rippling and sparkling in the bright sunlight. I checked the flow upstream to the old beaver dam and beyond, all along the Main Southwest trail.. all under water.
Hundreds of fat polywogs wriggled ahead of me. They'll metamorphose soon to young frogs. They must have been feasting on mosquito larvae (and algae). I was not bothered by one mosquito. I think I saw a few minnows too.. maybe opportunistic migrants from the overflowing NW Pond's cattails, foraging into the drowned Woods. The most common animals on the move were thousands of snails floating individually down stream. They looked like little bits of old charcoal. Each had its own bubble keeping it up at the surface.
If a warming climate keeps more water in the atmosphere, with heavier spring rains in central Oklahoma, these shallow floods will continue and over time the Woods will become a wetland with standing snags of old drowned trees.
Along the south boundary fence, I came to the center point and the exit flow of water from the Woods. From there eastward the water was rippling and sparkling in the bright sunlight. I checked the flow upstream to the old beaver dam and beyond, all along the Main Southwest trail.. all under water.
Hundreds of fat polywogs wriggled ahead of me. They'll metamorphose soon to young frogs. They must have been feasting on mosquito larvae (and algae). I was not bothered by one mosquito. I think I saw a few minnows too.. maybe opportunistic migrants from the overflowing NW Pond's cattails, foraging into the drowned Woods. The most common animals on the move were thousands of snails floating individually down stream. They looked like little bits of old charcoal. Each had its own bubble keeping it up at the surface.
If a warming climate keeps more water in the atmosphere, with heavier spring rains in central Oklahoma, these shallow floods will continue and over time the Woods will become a wetland with standing snags of old drowned trees.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Nut trees and butterflies and bittersweet.
Walking through the Woods with my eyes up watching the crowns of
the trees, I love seeing the beautiful spring green of the expanding
leaves. Over the weekend, I noticed that the pecan and walnut trees were some of the last to flush their leaves. Box elders, elms, bur oaks, viburnums, cottonwoods, plums, mulberry, red bud were all in the early bunch. Sugarberries, green ash, were later. Pecan and Walnut were two of the latest. I still haven't seen any leaves on the exotic invasive Mimosa. I wonder why pecan and walnut are often late. Do they invest in less freeze tolerant tissues, like maybe compound leaves?
Near the East Pond by the large pecan at the bend in the trail, the first yellow tiger swallowtail flitted by me, floating in the under story. Earlier I've seen several/ many of the goatweed leafwing (one of our two common earliest butterflies), many red admirals on the Elaeagnus autumn olive, some painted ladies, a few viceroys (looking rather worn).
Last couple of days ran into Jenna, Sonia, Ellen at the NW corner, looking for edibles.
Spring time need to find and cut new threatening exotics like amur honeysuckle, Ailanthus tree of heaven, Nandina heavenly bamboo, and Celastrus oriental bittersweet vines. Yesterday went to reduce the patch of bittersweet. Going to be a long task. Small area less than 50 feet x 50 feet there are hundreds of spring sprouts with new leaves. Each must be carefully sorted out, cut and treated. I gave up after >50 as day was closing. I think I may need to use strategy of waiting for larger bittersweet vines to climb up over a meter tall, then cut and treat those, hoping to eliminate the entire plant. Cutting scores of 2-4 inch tall sprigs, each 2 mm in diameter and partially hidden in fallen leaves or under native vegetation, requires long periods of kneeling or sitting. With ticks starting to move in the Woods, that may not be a great idea.
Near the East Pond by the large pecan at the bend in the trail, the first yellow tiger swallowtail flitted by me, floating in the under story. Earlier I've seen several/ many of the goatweed leafwing (one of our two common earliest butterflies), many red admirals on the Elaeagnus autumn olive, some painted ladies, a few viceroys (looking rather worn).
Last couple of days ran into Jenna, Sonia, Ellen at the NW corner, looking for edibles.
Spring time need to find and cut new threatening exotics like amur honeysuckle, Ailanthus tree of heaven, Nandina heavenly bamboo, and Celastrus oriental bittersweet vines. Yesterday went to reduce the patch of bittersweet. Going to be a long task. Small area less than 50 feet x 50 feet there are hundreds of spring sprouts with new leaves. Each must be carefully sorted out, cut and treated. I gave up after >50 as day was closing. I think I may need to use strategy of waiting for larger bittersweet vines to climb up over a meter tall, then cut and treat those, hoping to eliminate the entire plant. Cutting scores of 2-4 inch tall sprigs, each 2 mm in diameter and partially hidden in fallen leaves or under native vegetation, requires long periods of kneeling or sitting. With ticks starting to move in the Woods, that may not be a great idea.
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Aquatic Woods, day after big rain
Saturday it rained from mid morning to late night. 2.5 inches.
Today, Sunday, I went to see the Woods. Glorious. Clear skies, fresh sunlight playing in the upper branches of all the trees with their new leaves flushing.
I entered the SW Gate with my rubber boots, and walked up to see the water. It now extends to the first big cut bur oak logs.
I walked the southern boundary to the outflow and cleared blockage up from the culvert and several places along the watercourse.
The new clear water everywhere was mostly shallow less than 2 feet deep. I watched dozens of dytiscid diving beetles exploring the expanded habitat looking for prey, mosquito larvae or other protein. There were very young tadpoles (maybe from bullfrogs?) able to feed as herbivores on the refreshed mats of aquatic alga,, or as predators upon mosquito larvae. By the western end of the watercourse I found the black squiggly mosquito larvae, that would be become adult mosquitoes in a week or less. But there were also minnows (Gambusia). My guess is that they spent the winter in the NW pond and when the fresh rains led the pond to overflow and spread aquatic habitat over much of the rest of the southern woods, the minnows ventured out. They may be / should be a good help against the mosquitoes until the water gets too shallow.
I had seen cranefly adults - like giant mosquitoes for a few weeks, but they had been waiting for a day like this. They were now common and numerous.
The water depth of the two ponds: NW Pond 2.59 feet and East Pond 2.84 feet.
The NW pond had two large old slider turtles sunning on a log on the far side. The East pond had one red-eared slider sunning itself on a floating log.
Today, Sunday, I went to see the Woods. Glorious. Clear skies, fresh sunlight playing in the upper branches of all the trees with their new leaves flushing.
I entered the SW Gate with my rubber boots, and walked up to see the water. It now extends to the first big cut bur oak logs.
I walked the southern boundary to the outflow and cleared blockage up from the culvert and several places along the watercourse.
The new clear water everywhere was mostly shallow less than 2 feet deep. I watched dozens of dytiscid diving beetles exploring the expanded habitat looking for prey, mosquito larvae or other protein. There were very young tadpoles (maybe from bullfrogs?) able to feed as herbivores on the refreshed mats of aquatic alga,, or as predators upon mosquito larvae. By the western end of the watercourse I found the black squiggly mosquito larvae, that would be become adult mosquitoes in a week or less. But there were also minnows (Gambusia). My guess is that they spent the winter in the NW pond and when the fresh rains led the pond to overflow and spread aquatic habitat over much of the rest of the southern woods, the minnows ventured out. They may be / should be a good help against the mosquitoes until the water gets too shallow.
I had seen cranefly adults - like giant mosquitoes for a few weeks, but they had been waiting for a day like this. They were now common and numerous.
The water depth of the two ponds: NW Pond 2.59 feet and East Pond 2.84 feet.
The NW pond had two large old slider turtles sunning on a log on the far side. The East pond had one red-eared slider sunning itself on a floating log.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
April in the Woods
A rainy cool day, close to 2 inches of slow, all-day 40-50 F rain. Will it slow or speed the changes of this past fortnight? The first week of April the forest floor of Oliver's Woods turned green. The Symphoricarpos deerbrush produced its leaves. The Galium bedstraw and Stellaria chickweed exploded in rapid growth accompanied with patches of abundant violets. I wonder how it is that a plant can grow that rapidly.
By the 10th of April, the ground was closed.. covered in green. White-tailed deer have gone. Have not seen them since March. Now there is food everywhere for them and no hunting season. Harsh winter storms are gone. They do not need the shelter of the woods or the food. I met Tim and we discussed morels in the Woods. He pointed out first box turtle of the year a few feet from me. It did not move for our entire 30 minute conversation. I mentioned that box turtles could outlive either of us.. could be 100.. and never leave a home range greater than a couple of classrooms.
First one or two mosquitoes but no great numbers. First single tick on me.. that may signal the coming of the end of my visits to the Woods until late autumn. Maybe just a few more spring walks.
I was delighted to find again the single uncommon Botrychium grape fern.. the only place in the Woods where it grows. This year just two fronds near the big cottonwood trio along the western wash. The blooms of the redbuds were beautiful but are falling and will be mostly gone or going after the all day rain of this storm. The sweet smell of the Elaeagnus autumn olive is strong in the Woods and the red admiral butterflies are drawn to the nectar. The canopy of elm and sugarberry and ash is still no more than 60% flushed but most every tree has some green showing. The pecan, ash and sugarberry are the cow's tail of the phenology. I was surprised and delighted to find one lone Ornithogalum star of Bethlehem blooming white with the wild onions west of the Elm Bridge.
I was also delighted to see that some of the identified, numbered, tagged trees on the Tree Tutorial Loop, needlessly cut last summer by the line crew - are sprouting new shoots and look like they will make a come-back despite having been wrongly cut.
I stopped and examined young honeysuckle leaves and was struck that the first (lowest) three pairs of leaves were not intact ovals, but more like indented fern leaves with 7 or so lobes per leaf. Can't remember ever really paying attention to that.
The good big craneflies in the Woods have had good wet mucky conditions and I have seen several flying.. but no abundant swarms this spring. First few strands of spider webs are coming back to the trails - not many. I stopped and watched one spider in tis web by the East Pond. It had captured and wrapped a syrphid flower fly. I checked the stalks of the 3-4 young Ailanthus Tree of Heaven invasives, but have not seen leaves this year. The patch of bittersweet I cut last year has flushed leaves and is beginning to regrow.
The most startling, striking thing in the Woods this month has been a large patch of bright traffic orange flux on an Ampelopsis grape vine southwest of the Elm Bridge. Brilliant and striking. I had forgotten but then remembered seeing it once years before. Quite something. Caused by Fusicolla merismoides. https://www.backyardnature.net/n/x/orgslime.htm
"Fusicolla merismoides (family Nectriaceae) is often considered the definitive tree slime fungus. This appears to be a large complex of many phylogenetic species. Almost every strain barcoded to date has a different sequence."
So, the fungus causing our orange slime/fungal volcanoes on Deep South grapevines apparently is actually several fungal species, see http://www.dnabarcodes2011.org/conference/program/schedule/treeslime.pdf
By the 10th of April, the ground was closed.. covered in green. White-tailed deer have gone. Have not seen them since March. Now there is food everywhere for them and no hunting season. Harsh winter storms are gone. They do not need the shelter of the woods or the food. I met Tim and we discussed morels in the Woods. He pointed out first box turtle of the year a few feet from me. It did not move for our entire 30 minute conversation. I mentioned that box turtles could outlive either of us.. could be 100.. and never leave a home range greater than a couple of classrooms.
First one or two mosquitoes but no great numbers. First single tick on me.. that may signal the coming of the end of my visits to the Woods until late autumn. Maybe just a few more spring walks.
I was delighted to find again the single uncommon Botrychium grape fern.. the only place in the Woods where it grows. This year just two fronds near the big cottonwood trio along the western wash. The blooms of the redbuds were beautiful but are falling and will be mostly gone or going after the all day rain of this storm. The sweet smell of the Elaeagnus autumn olive is strong in the Woods and the red admiral butterflies are drawn to the nectar. The canopy of elm and sugarberry and ash is still no more than 60% flushed but most every tree has some green showing. The pecan, ash and sugarberry are the cow's tail of the phenology. I was surprised and delighted to find one lone Ornithogalum star of Bethlehem blooming white with the wild onions west of the Elm Bridge.
I was also delighted to see that some of the identified, numbered, tagged trees on the Tree Tutorial Loop, needlessly cut last summer by the line crew - are sprouting new shoots and look like they will make a come-back despite having been wrongly cut.
I stopped and examined young honeysuckle leaves and was struck that the first (lowest) three pairs of leaves were not intact ovals, but more like indented fern leaves with 7 or so lobes per leaf. Can't remember ever really paying attention to that.
The good big craneflies in the Woods have had good wet mucky conditions and I have seen several flying.. but no abundant swarms this spring. First few strands of spider webs are coming back to the trails - not many. I stopped and watched one spider in tis web by the East Pond. It had captured and wrapped a syrphid flower fly. I checked the stalks of the 3-4 young Ailanthus Tree of Heaven invasives, but have not seen leaves this year. The patch of bittersweet I cut last year has flushed leaves and is beginning to regrow.
The most startling, striking thing in the Woods this month has been a large patch of bright traffic orange flux on an Ampelopsis grape vine southwest of the Elm Bridge. Brilliant and striking. I had forgotten but then remembered seeing it once years before. Quite something. Caused by Fusicolla merismoides. https://www.backyardnature.net/n/x/orgslime.htm
"Fusicolla merismoides (family Nectriaceae) is often considered the definitive tree slime fungus. This appears to be a large complex of many phylogenetic species. Almost every strain barcoded to date has a different sequence."
So, the fungus causing our orange slime/fungal volcanoes on Deep South grapevines apparently is actually several fungal species, see http://www.dnabarcodes2011.org/conference/program/schedule/treeslime.pdf
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Green up and chill down
After days (M-Th) in the low 70's (F) and mild spring winds, I went to the Woods through the SW Gate to see what spring had brought.
Elms in the Woods in the past few weeks have produced millions of green winged samara seeds, each ready and capable of producing a full new tree with a lucky landing. Boxelder are flushing green winged samara seeds along with early green leaves, just beginning to unfold. When box elder fully flush their leaves, it will close the under story. That is not near to happening yet.. just a few of the larger trees. Mexican plum Prunus mexicana are in bloom all over the Woods and this is that short ten days when it is easy to see every wild plum in the Woods. They are flowering white blazes in the sparse deciduous forest before leaves emerge.
Across the floor of the Woods, all the green is beginning, but just beginning. The Symphoricarpos buck brush is just opening leaves. The Gallium bedstraw and Lonicera honeysuckle are growing fast and will be much more dominant before the upper canopy flushes its high leaves and takes the light. ( Interesting contrasting strategies plants select, either grow early and fast before canopy leaves put you in the shade, and benefit from a thermally sheltered near-ground environment, or wait and begin growing much later from high, on exposed branches, where cold winds could kill early growth, but sunshine will be abundant for all the main growing season. )
Spring onion patches are here and there. The rabbits and deer love them. Standing back from all, and looking, one can see the green is growing. It is now ubiquitous.. not universal.. there is still more bare brown winter forest floor than green growing spring verdure.. but it is changing rapidly.
Then came Friday with its cold N wind and overnight hailstorm. Saturday night we will have 29 F frost; but spring has started and will not be stopped. All the flowering trees will now survive. It will be a good year for their flowers and seeds. Water, moist soil, mild days. The local biota will grow well this spring.
Elms in the Woods in the past few weeks have produced millions of green winged samara seeds, each ready and capable of producing a full new tree with a lucky landing. Boxelder are flushing green winged samara seeds along with early green leaves, just beginning to unfold. When box elder fully flush their leaves, it will close the under story. That is not near to happening yet.. just a few of the larger trees. Mexican plum Prunus mexicana are in bloom all over the Woods and this is that short ten days when it is easy to see every wild plum in the Woods. They are flowering white blazes in the sparse deciduous forest before leaves emerge.
Across the floor of the Woods, all the green is beginning, but just beginning. The Symphoricarpos buck brush is just opening leaves. The Gallium bedstraw and Lonicera honeysuckle are growing fast and will be much more dominant before the upper canopy flushes its high leaves and takes the light. ( Interesting contrasting strategies plants select, either grow early and fast before canopy leaves put you in the shade, and benefit from a thermally sheltered near-ground environment, or wait and begin growing much later from high, on exposed branches, where cold winds could kill early growth, but sunshine will be abundant for all the main growing season. )
Spring onion patches are here and there. The rabbits and deer love them. Standing back from all, and looking, one can see the green is growing. It is now ubiquitous.. not universal.. there is still more bare brown winter forest floor than green growing spring verdure.. but it is changing rapidly.
Then came Friday with its cold N wind and overnight hailstorm. Saturday night we will have 29 F frost; but spring has started and will not be stopped. All the flowering trees will now survive. It will be a good year for their flowers and seeds. Water, moist soil, mild days. The local biota will grow well this spring.
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