Posts Tagged ‘budding trees’
Noticing Green
In the absence of an enjoyable run of warm sunny days, spring greening has advanced undaunted. I get the impression I will need to begin the season of lawn mowing soon. In a defensive reaction to that reality, I have been trying to imagine how and where I can step back the borders of mowed grass to expand areas of natural ground cover.
Unlike that pathway in the photo, some of our mowed trails are becoming more moss-covered every year. I would really like to avoid driving over the moss with the mower in those areas, but I will need to devise an alternate plan for controlling the growth of anything taller than moss that continues to show up.
There are a lot of buds beginning to appear on the tree branches, triggering a sense of anticipation for the weeks when green growth flourishes at a pace that becomes nearly impossible for us to keep up with in the places where we need to manage it.
Lately, it feels like our greatest challenges have been in striving to eradicate invasive garlic mustard patches and defeating a tenacious web of tree-climbing vines infesting a large portion of our woods.
We experienced some heavy rain showers last night, and the ground is very swampy everywhere we walked in the woods. In the paddocks, it’s just plain muddy. We took the coverings off the horses this morning. The rain sheets had become mud-caked and weren’t doing much to keep the horses dry anymore. I wouldn’t call the weather warm yet, but it looks to be just enough beyond that freezing precipitation threat that the horses will be able to cope with their backs bare.
I don’t want to appear greedy, but it would be great if the universe would consider tossing us some extended sunshine and a run of daytime temperatures above the 50s (F). Maybe throw in a full purge of all criminals holding office in our government and incarceration for the villains pulling the strings behind the scenes for good measure.
I mean, as long as I’m putting in requests…
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Budding Signs
We are beginning to see hints of color on the tops of certain trees on the horizon. Many shrubs and bushes at eye level are sprouting tiny new leaves. Looking straight up, signs of life appear at the ends of high branches of tall trees. It won’t be long before we have trees with leaves again.
It’s been a while since we’ve experienced any high-heat days. Recently, our mornings have hovered around the freezing point but I don’t think it has been harsh enough to kill new sprouts. Grasses are going gangbusters and will require mowing soon or some areas will get out of hand.
In yesterday’s glorious sunshine, Asher stopped in the middle of a walk to lie down in the shade and watch the natural world unfolding before us. I decided to sit down with him.
In less than 30 seconds, I spotted a wood tick walking across the front of my shirt. Despite that unwelcome reality, we enjoyed the spectacle of a bird in a tree over our heads that seemed to be practicing every call or song he had ever heard. I never once noticed a repeated sound. Up and down; high and low; trills, chirps, whistles, yodels, slides, chatters, singsong melodies… it seemed to have it all. The “Rich Little” of bird calls.
I guess the budding sights of spring were inspiring that bird to sing in the extreme.
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Relative Something 