The fallen Leaning Tree is still here... and I really don't know what to think! It was Mar15 when they chopped up the north and south trunks of the tree. I keep thinking they'll be back, any day, to finish the job...
But the west trunk, leaning on the ground, is still here. They've left it, along with part of the fencing they put around it.
*laughs* I can't decide which photo orientation I like better...
Okay, now I'm at the ponds. And there's just a pair of Canada Geese on the other side, no ducks today.
Oh, the Trillium is blooming in the little forest!
Another Golden Crown Sparrow! ha, I thought they had all left for nesting in Canada, but I keep seeing individuals here and there.
Oh, good! They are finally starting the work of cleanup here, from the mid-January ice storm.
They mow the grass here in the little forest, for the Frisbee Golf course and to keep the invasives in check. So they'll have to gather up all the fallen limbs and trim the unsafe trees.
Oh foo!
That was a beautiful Sapsucker, who did not stick around for photography! *laughs*
We don't have any red birds, like the Cardinals on the eastern side of the continent... so it feels special to see one of our Red Breast Sapsuckers!
A wild Apple tree.
Good Morning! uh. Your feathers are all messed up on this side... could you just fix that really quick?
I love the different colours of Spanish Bluebells!
Oh! Who's this?!
I started out thinking this was a sparrow, just because she's brown. But then I realized that big beak was like a finch.
It still took a little while to figure out, because the All About Birds website that I depend on for these things, was showing the eastern version of our friend here, and the western version looks just a bit different!
She's a Purple Finch!
Ah Spring! Fun to find new birds!
The fallen Leaning Tree, with the Events Center in the background.
What do you see, friend?
Hmm?
Ha, I didn't see anything there when I went by.
Hi Henrietta!
The Red Osier Dogwood along the creek, is starting to bud out!
The Fallen Leaning Tree.
And I'm such a sucker for the Spanish Bluebells!
The sun is out, but it's chillier that I thought it would be, and I'm glad for my rain jacket.
And then the clouds are moving around, and I wonder if I'll get some sprinkles or rain.
There you are! Weren't you supposed to meet me at the entrance?!
And then I'm out in the forest for a hike!
The Trillium is blooming.
Ha, it's surprising how tall the Trillium can get!
Elderberry...
I like how the flowers look like molecules!!!
Hm. I like the above pic... maybe that should be a postcard? I've never made a postcard of a silhouette before!
Huh. I also really like that pic, too, with the ferns behind our Downy Woodpecker friend! Ha! Lots of good pics to turn into postcards today!
The Trillium comes in pink as well.
I've been walking Floral Hill Trail, which I haven't been on in ages. I come to the end and walk a bit in the neighborhood.
The clouds continue to move around.
Haha! It amused me to see this art installation in the parking garage... It's a science fiction story about the first Saturday Market of the year, way off in the future!
And today is the First Saturday of April, and I'm heading to the first Saturday Market of the year!
And the sign of good luck, a rainy opening day
did happen. :)
I got caught up with some protesters, who were also walking into the Saturday Market... and I hoped no one would think that I was with them, ha! They were jesus freaks, white men carrying signs telling us how sinful we were. *rolls eyes*
I wandered thru Saturday Market. Everyone was happy and grinning their joy! Was offered a free sample at a CBD booth. *laughs*
And I wandered thru the Farmers Market. I'm getting a
couple of veggie starts to plant at the Community Garden
plot. My farmer is in the
back corner, and I picked out some Sugar Snap Pea starts and
noticed some Bok Choy that looked beautiful. I chatted with
the owner for a moment, and she told me Oh, Bok Choy is so
easy! You'll wish you had started growing it years ago!
Ha! I'm pretty sure the slugs will love it.
With the clouds and cool weather, the plants will be fine for a while in the car. I head for the river and park at the Rose Garden.
The Heritage Cherry Tree is still blooming.
Oh my gosh! Look how many swallows there are!!!
I can't tell who they are... Tree Swallows and Violet Green Swallows look about the same when they are flying. I don't see any flashes of red, so they are not Barn Swallows.
I'm going to head for the walking bridge to see if I can get some closer pics there...
Hmm. I still can't tell!
But isn't it a gorgeous day!
Ah! Here we go! Very obviously a Violet Green Swallow!
I head back... there are two Community Gardens along the Riverbank path here. This is the bigger one, and dang I never noticed how many grape vines they have growing here!
There's a whole row of grape vines in the back. But other than that, it basically looks like the Community Garden that I belong to... tho maybe they have more random things growing here.
This beautiful mural.
I pause to admire the Cherry Tree again.
And try to get artsy!
As I'm heading for the car, a train whistles. oh foo! I have to cross the train tracks to get home! And those trains can be long and slow, you can sit at the tracks for 10minutes waiting for them to go by!
*laughs* I decide to kill some time with the Forget Me Nots, instead of sitting at the tracks!
Oh my gosh the clouds today!
With our Mediterranean climate, it seems like the sky is either all grey or all blue...
We've got hot, dry summers which give us an all blue sky. And we've got our rainy season from the fall, thru the winter and into the spring. All grey skies.
So any time we've got clouds like these? Oh yeah, I pay attention!
There's an apple tree here... but apple trees have white and pale pink blossoms. And then I remembered last year there were some intertwined branches that had some other kind of fruit on them! I never got around to investigating what the fruit was, but these blossoms must be that.
It probably won't be long before our Cackling Geese head back to Canada for their nesting season!
Oh my gosh, these Irises are an amazing colour!
And the new fence is so picturesque, too! *laughs*
Our part of the world was supposed to see 24% of the sun being covered by the moon. I figured you wouldn't even be able to tell anything was happening with that small amount.
And I thought I knew exactly where my eclipse glasses were, from the eclipse we had in 2017... but foo, they weren't there, and I dug around a bit but I couldn't find them. So I'm not going to be able to see anything unless the clouds are just perfect, like they were for last year's eclipse.
The Fallen Leaning Tree. That pink under the left branch is the unknown fruit tree I was taking pics of yesterday!
I've walked out to the downtown neighborhood, and oh my... Wayside micro-park is blooming with loveliness!
It looks so different since they've chopped down the fallen Mimosa trees... Exposed to the sky.
But, YAY, they have already replanted!
There's a baby Big Leaf Maple on the west end of the park, and the baby Black Gum is at the eastern end!
This gives me happiness... the January ice storm toppled so many trees, and the chainsaws have been running ever since. But there's not been any replanting. sighs.
Okay. Moving on with my walk...
And Oh my Gosh! Is that a hole?!! ... a NEST hole???
OH MY GOSH!!!
I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. *laughs*
This is so cool! How close to done are they? Will they lay eggs in there? Will I get to see babies??! Oh my gosh!
I don't spend too much time there. I don't want to disturb him from his work by staring at him. I make note of which tree it is as I walk away, thinking about how awesome it will be to see baby Flickers up there!
And I get to see Knotty?! Hi Knotty!
Ha, what a brilliant day!
When I get home, the eclipse was at it's 24% coverage... but, as I suspected, you can't tell anything is different with the sunlight.
That's okay, it's been a memorable day anyway!
The sun is shining in earnest today, and I've decided to leave the rain jacket at home for once!
And it's another day with amazing clouds!
It's quiet today at the Flicker nest hole that I discovered yesterday. But there's a few homeless people hanging out at the nearby bench... I hope the Flickers are still around!
The remaining trunk of the Fallen Leaning Tree is starting to come alive... Not just moss, and lichen... but leaf buds, too!
Hmmm... perhaps I need to look into this...
Ah, Lilacs! Too bad there's a bit of a breeze and the Lilacs are blowing all over the stupid place.
I don't know what's up with the wind here lately... normally we don't have any and it's nice because I can find the birds bouncing around in the trees because there's one twig moving where they are.
But when the breeze is moving the entire tree? Dang it! The wildlife photography is hard with these conditions. Not to mention, turning flowers into moving targets!
I guess the new wind is climate change and I should probably just get used to it. But first I have to complain about it. Stupid wind!
The unknown fruit tree again...
And the first mow of the season!
Oh! Who's this, in the middle of their bath?
Such a cute lil bird. Yellow Warbler.
Splish Splash! Takin' a bath!
And here's a Lesser Goldfinch, with their favorite meal of Dandelion seeds!
Dude! Personal Space! Sheesh.
Everything was quiet when I passed the new Flicker nest on the way out, and I wondered if they were still there. But on the way back, I could hear soft tapping...
I was looking all around, trying to see the Flicker making the tapping sound. But I didn't see anyone up there.
But then! When I moved to the other side of the tree, Oh My Gosh! I could triangulate the sound...
And it was definitely coming from INSIDE the hole!
YAY! I imagine it's Mama up there, making the insides of the nest perfect! WoooHooo! Laying some eggs will be next!
Um. Golden Crown Sparrow? what the heck? Aren't you supposed to be up in Canada for your nesting season??!
And look how beautiful you are... that's your breeding plumage? But, shouldn't you be up in Canada for that? Aren't your feathers going to get messed up on the migration? You've got hundreds and hundred of miles to go!
Wut? No! Don't Sing! You have to go to Canada!!
*laughs* I have no idea what is going on!
This little corner, with Spanish Bluebells and some purple Wallflowers, just delights me so much!
And then this thing! These ornamental Cherry Blossoms are on the same tree...
Haha! Someone grafted a limb of a white ornamental cherry blossom to this pink ornamental cherry blossom tree in the park!
Okay! Let's quit fiddling with beautiful flowers and get to the bike path!
Oh look! His friend is a pretty shade of orange!
The colour of their feathers is determined by what they eat. But I haven't been able to figure out what the differences in their diets actually are.
Typical Chickadee, bouncing around too quickly for the camera to focus correctly!
I heard the ribbets of Pacific Chorus Frogs here!
I thought their normal breeding season was December thru February... that's when you'd hear them singing their ribbeting song, around here. So it seemed unusual to hear them now in April...
But I've just looked it up, and the internets tell me the breeding season can go all the way out to July. Scientists aren't sure why, but it probably depends on local conditions. So that's cool to learn!
And I'm not worried about the little frogs, here! This pond isn't seasonal but keeps water in it all year. So little frog eggs can hatch into glorious tadpoles any time!
Unlike the Stewart Ponds, which are Wet Prairie ponds... they are busy drying up right now and will be dry prairie during the summer.
When I went into the park, I found a pretty big homeless camp, which is unusual. Every once in a while, there's a single tent here, usually tucked out of the way. But today there's 8 tents that I can see, and probably more behind the brambles.
As I'm looking at them, trying to decide if I want to walk past them or go back the way I came... A person on a bike accosts me. Demanding to know what I'm doing with the camera and cussing, and trying to tell me how homeless people live.
Yikes!
I did not feel safe at all, and I ducked into one of the side trails where the hill and the shrubs hid me, while the person continued to rant away. I booked it out of the park, not quite jogging but power walking. And checking behind me, as I went.
And once I got out of the park and on the sidewalk of the road... I considered: Maybe I should get some pepper spray or something. Because that's the 4th incident this year. And there's no way I can outrun a person on a bike.
Sighs.
But then I notice this little family! OH MY GOSH!
Mom and Dad and a single Baby Killdeer!
♫ Oh Baby Killdeer? ♪
Uh. Baby?
Baby! Seriously! I know your butt is cute, all fuzzy and all. But Seriously!
Well, good grief!
Yeah, just walk away. Fine! I don't need you! Just go!
:Pbbbt Blurry Baby.
*laughs*
It's barely rained for the last week or so, the ground is drying up a little and I'd really like to get the baby Bok Choy plants into the ground. I got them last weekend at Saturday Market and they were decent sized already!
So I load up my backpack with plants and the tools I'll need and head out!
Oh wow, all the different shades of green and red!
The Flicker nest is just past the Community Garden and I go to check on that. I don't see either parent and all is quiet... I hope that means we are sitting on eggs?!!
I think I want to plant the Bok Choy at the front of the plot, but I have a look around first...
The Big Comfrey... I decided to kill it last autumn, it was just getting too big. It was taking up about 6feet by 8feet last summer and I was constantly having to chop at the leaves. So I had hacked at the roots a good bit at the end of the season... but of course, it's coming back...
It'll take a while to get all the roots out, just because it had gotten so ridiculously big! But that's for another day. Today I'm planting Bok Choy!
But I start scraping aside mulch and digging holes for the baby plants... oh no! The Small Comfrey is here, and it's getting very well established... it's starting to turn into another Big Comfrey!
Ack! Okay. So I guess it's Comfrey Killing Day, after all!
I dig up as many roots as I can, but it will take a couple rounds to kill this one as well. So I decide to put the Bok Choy some place else...
Last year, this is where the Tomatillos lived... and this is a better place for the Bok Choy, anyway, because the Bok Choy will be quite done by the time the Tomatillos come back!
Assuming the Bok Choy lives. Which, actually, I probably shouldn't get my hopes up.
But it certainly looks happy in the ground!
I gather my things and head out. I decide to check on the Flicker hole again before I go home. Still quiet there.
Knock, knock... Anybody in there?
I won't know what's going on, up there, unless I happen to walk by when there's a changing of the guard... Both parents sit on the eggs and take care of the nest. But things need to stay quiet, in the meantime. So I just need to be patient, and look up there when I can!
Golden Crown Sparrows... Don't you all need to be in Alaska, for your nesting season?
It's too chilly? Oh. Okay.
You are certainly looking spiffy, with your new plumage!
There's some White Crown Sparrows hanging out here too...
I wonder if the White Crowns and Golden Crowns nest in the same area up in Canada and Alaska. That would be nice... a little community, flying up and down the western side of North America.
They will be all, Hi Neighbor, how was your migration?
and It's good to see you again.
:)
Oh, hey! Another Purple Finch!
Pale eyebrow and a forked tail. I wonder how many House Finches I've looked at that are actually Purple Finches! *laughs* I assume I'd notice with the males, but both species of females are just nice brown.
ha, what a great day for bird photos! But here I am at the Events Center...
And the Friends of the Library are having their annual used book sale!
Books are 2$ each! To limit myself, I've brought my small backpack. And I've decided to just get five books.
I get a map on my way in... that how big it is! And crowded! But I've prepared myself for that, so I ignore the other humans as best I can. I get in line to look at the science fiction section.
I find a Doris Lessing book pretty quickly... I know one of her first books was a scifi novel, but the title of this one isn't ringing any bells. I pick it up anyway, and later discover that this is the third book in the series! Ack! Didn't realize it was a series that she wrote! Ha!
I also get The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2017. And Otherness, a short story collection by David Brin.
I've got three books, and I wander around the other sections a little, but I'm kinda done with the crowd. The checkout line is long, so I find the end of it...
But of course, the checkout line goes past more books! *laughs*
I pick up this one, thinking it looked amazing. And maybe I could get some ideas for photographing garden type areas.
And I went to page thru it... and it landed on Hendricks Park! One of my favorite places to hike, here in town!!
Ha! It's fate! And I add it to my pile. I didn't realize this was not a two dollar book, you have to pay four whole dollars for the nice, photography books. :)
When I come out, it's sprinkling. Of course. And I'm 2miles miles from home... 40minutes of walking. I've never had an issue with stuff in the backpack getting wet, but I've never really tested it either.
I figure if the sprinkles turn to rain, I'll drape the rain jacket over the backpack and hope for the best! But it doesn't rain any harder, and my new books are fine!
The Apple Tree outside the Community Garden.
The song of the Golden Crown Sparrow is easy to remember...
No Gold Here
in a downward, melancholy phrase.
Oh, this is a cute little flower! With a bug egg on it's leaf, ha!
It's a Baby Blue Eye... a wildflower native from Baja California, up thru California and into Oregon!
Hello Happy Squirrel! Let's have a great day!
I'm at the garden today, to check on the Bok Choy... Yeah, it's not looking good. SIGHS.
Dude! You CANNOT munch on the Bok Choy Right In Front of Me!
*laughs* She-He got relocated! (Slugs are hermaphrodites, thus the she-he pronoun!)
And in other annoying news, the patch of invasive Horseradish is coming up again.
Technically, that one big one in the front is the only one that is in my plot. But I will need to pull out as much as I can to continue keeping it out of my plot!
Oh, but here's something nice!
Okay. Moving on. Quiet at the Flicker nest, still.
Hello Happy Chickadee!
Chickadees are the worse of the little bouncy birds... because they are so adorably cute, I really really want to get their portrait. But inevitably they bounce around too quickly for me and the camera!
But this little one is remarkably cooperative!!
Until she's not! *laughs*
As I was zooming in on this photo, my brain said, That's
a funny looking Song Sparrow.
hahaha! She's actually a
Fox Sparrow!
That's cool, I hardly ever get to see these little birds. I like the chevrons decorating their front.
Oh Mama Squirrel! So cute!
This is the spot where the Flicker nest is... Their tree is the big one on the left, and the dead branch they have carved their hole into is straight up from the bike path.
People sit at the bench pretty often, so that's a bummer. Since it's so close, I don't want to take photos and risk someone asking me what I see... I love to spread the joy of nature, but it's important that nests be kept a secret.
All is quiet, again today. I need to look up how long it takes from laying the eggs to the babies being born. Once that happens, there will be some action here, with the parents bringing food!
The Trimmed Willow Tree continues springing to life.
Pretty, pretty colours!
Oh! Wisteria is starting to bloom as well!
And the Apple Tree right outside the Community Garden!
*Laughs* I'm such a sucker for the flowers!
Fawn Lilies!
I get to the top of the trail, and then hike up to the Acorn Woodpeckers territory...
*laughs* You all are busy. I can see that. But... Hello?
Nope. Oh well. Back down the hill I go.
One last photo of flowers, because I am crazy!
Since I was not successful with the Acorn Woodpeckers at the top of Hidden Trail yesterday... I decided to try again today.
I have a rule
for when I walk the same place, two
days in a row. I can't take pictures of the same things!
I have to look at new things. :)
Well, this had the potential to be a cool photo... with the Forget Me Nots in the foreground. But my friend the Scrub Jay wasn't interested.
I don't know what these cute plants are.
Haha, I caught this Bushtit in mid-preen, feathers all akimbo!
And now I have to go look up for the millionth time about their eyes... Okay. Female Bushtits have pale eyes (and males have dark eyes). I can never remember that!
I get to the top of the path and go up to the Acorn
Woodpeckers territory. They are flying around and
Wika, Wika, Wika
contact calls from the trees
on the north side...
But they are completely uncooperative with me. Again.
*laughs* Well. What'cha gonna do? At least I'm getting good exercise, hauling myself up here!
I head back down. Oh, hey... This is a cool thing I can tell you about...
In the spring time, the trees are budding out all over the place. The trees even have new little twigs like this coming out of major, old limbs...
Major, old limbs that the squirrels like to use as a highway!
So the squirrels walk along their limb highway, and chew off the twigs that are growing in their way. It's a free pruning service that they provide!
*laughs* I have watched squirrels from my bedroom window do this for the tree right outside... Just walking along this big limb, chewing off new twigs, one at a time as they go, and dropping them to the ground! So any time I see the pruned twigs, I look up and know there's a squirrel highway that has been cleared for running in the tree above! :)
Oops... I took pictures of the Fawn Lilies yesterday. See? I can't even follow my own rules!
And some more Red Flowering Currant!
Oh dang... this spring green colour!
Getting artsy with the 275 year old Cherry Tree.
OH! I saw somebody at the Osprey platform nest across the river from the Rose Garden! And Look! It turned out to be two somebodies! and all that grass growing up there. And, uh...
Those are NOT Ospreys!!! Bahaha!
I happened to catch sight of... um, Pardon Me? Are you sitting on a nest??!
But it's so far off the ground! Oh jeez! You're babies will have to JUMP like they are Wood Ducks?
The side trail is dry enough to walk on today and oh my gosh, the colours in the river!
And then I go up to the bridge and pause for a while.
I walk out to the canal pond...
And everything is peaceful...
And then I realized the bugs were swarming!
I walked into a cloud of flying bugs and it didn't stop, millions of bugs! And by the time I decided I needed to get away from the edge of the pond, about 3 steps, I couldn't breath because I didn't want to suck any bugs down, and I couldn't see because bugs had gotten behind my eye glasses! GAH, GAH GAH!
Laughs! Were they were mosquitos? I don't know.
As I walked away, a couple hundred came with me. Gah.
*giggles* Yay Bugs! Now... where are the swallows to eat them up?
Walking back, I see the crazy Canada Goose again. She's turned around on her nest...
And her companion is nearby.
Oh look! The green line has returned! Same place as last year.
And the Red Tail Hawks are gone from the Osprey platform nest. Smart!
The Fallen Leaning Tree... I am not sure if these little signs of life mean that the tree is still connected to its roots.
The Green Line has been a mystery. Last year someone told me it shows up every year. And here it is again, I noticed it had been re-drawn yesterday, when I was out at the river.
Right now I'm wondering if it's directions for a race... The Eugene Marathon is the last Sunday of April. But no, it passes nearby, but doesn't use this part of the bike path.
And then I get distracted by the wild Apple trees behind the Events Center.
Dang it, I am such a sucker for the pretty flowers! *laughs*
Okay! Somehow I force myself to move on! Here's a cute little Roly Poly!
Still quiet at the Flicker nest.
I go into the Community Garden to check on the Bok Choy. Well. Still a couple leaves left. Ha. So that experiment went straight to the slugs!
And I noticed that the Community Garden has gotten a porta-potty. I guess we are moving up in the world!
I'd been wearing a heavy shirt and no rain jacket these past few sunny days... But today I'm just wearing a light shirt, and I was still hot! It was 54°F (12°C) when I left the house but it was warming up fast.
Okay! All is quiet at the Flicker nest again today and I have finally looked up some dates for possible Flicker babies...
Incubation Period is 11 to 13 days. I heard soft tapping from inside the hole on Apr10, Mama making the interior perfect. So lets say she laid her eggs that night or the next morning. 11 days would be Apr22, so the earliest babies would be born would be Wed.
And then after that, we should be seeing some action as the parents start bringing food!
And then I get distracted by flowers... This patch of Camas Lilies is stunning!
And the Hawthorn Trees are blooming as well.
The little pink thingees don't even look real!
And then I'm wandering thru the neighborhood.
The unexplained Green Line...
Huh, that's interesting...
I've never noticed that 420 thing before.
Maybe if I add that to my search terms... ?
AH HA!!! An old Reddit thread, which linked to an even older Reddit thread, which displayed an even older photo of a sign in Eugene!!!
(I totally stole this photo from the internets, which you should NEVER, EVER do! But here I am, breaking my own rules again.)
How High Are You?
If you are reading this sign, then you are 420 feet above sea level.
This green line through town is the 420 foot contour line, according to USGS topographical data.
It is also a very pleasant walk through some great parts of Eugene.
...
*laughs* How VERY Eugene! And of course the Green Line is painted in time for Apr20, Weed Day.
The sign is old enough that all the restaurants mentioned are no longer there. But other landmarks remain, like the library and Westmoreland Disc Golf!
So YAY! Mystery Solved! Happy 420!!!
I'm heading home, and suddenly there's newborn ducklings all over the place. 13, I think this photo got them all.
The first batch of the year... and it's depressing.
They are cute and all, but they'll be dying right away of H5N1, Avian Flu. Just like they did last year.
But I can't help myself, I'm taking their portraits.
Last year, there were a few batches of ducklings who survived at the very end of the season. I'm not sure what changed to let them live.
Proud Mama. ... Or is it Worried Mama. Does she know that something is not right?
Sighs.
Hi Mama!
*laughs* I'm so close to her, and the reflection in her eye is so crisp...
You can see *ME* in her eye!
The blue sky, the shrubbery over the creek. The straight, diagonal line is the bike path, and I'm the dark splotch standing there.
Bahahaha! Dang, I amuse myself. *giggles*
Still quiet at the Flicker nest.
I decide to head over to Westmoreland Park, for something different.
The east side of the park is a 9 hole Frisbee Golf course. But the west side is a dedicated natural prairie with native plants.
Beautiful right now with Camas Lilies and
Creeping Buttercup.
(discovered after the fact...)
Oh my gosh! I had always assumed the Buttercups in our natural areas were the invasive Creeping Buttercup.
But it turns out we have a Western Buttercup, that is native!
Ha! Live and Learn! It's good to learn new things!!
I like to check my Post Office box on Sundays, and Look! They've got some new parcel lockers!
Somebody's houseplant has gone wild here in the Native Plant area.
I get to the top of the trail, and walk to the Acorn Woodpeckers territory. ARG! There's a couple flying away right when I come around the corner. sheesh!
I wait a bit, walking out to the end of the sidewalk and back. humph. But at least I've found one woodpecker.
He keeps looking up, I'm not sure what he sees.
Oh, action down in the Bioswale! Too bad it's so far away... I think there was a female Red Wing Blackbird down there as well. Do they have a nest?
I'm heading back for the trail, when I finally hear some
Wika, Wika, Wika
s behind me!
I walk back up the stupid hill to see if I can get a better angle... but this is as good as I get today.
It's like they don't even care about getting their portrait taken! *laughs*
And then, later today I'm reading the news...
∞ Man who allegedly followed and threatened harm to multiple women arrested for menacing
Oh my gosh! This is really, really concerning!
I have had a few ... yeah menacing
incidents
this year, but I've never had to run away from some pos.
And this happened just a few blocks away from where I
usually walk.
Ugh. I'm glad they got the guy. But dang it, why so many violent tendencies against women lately???
Okay! We've got rain on the way, slated for Thursday, and I've decided to get some weeding done at the garden before that happens.
The Wet Prairie pond has been drying up... We won't get enough rain to fill it back up, this time of year, and I'm kind of sad to see it go. Spring is moving right along.
Most of the yellow flowers here on the prairie
are Creeping Buttercup our native Western Buttercups.
These other yellow flowers might be some Dill Weed...
... but it reminds me of an article I read the other day...
∞ Meet the Most Toxic Plant in North America Spotted Water Hemlock... Those who eat it will die in two hours.
Heh. Just a reminder, if you ever go foraging!
If you are going to eat something from the wild...
#1 Be 100% sure about what it is.
#2 Know ALL the look-alikes!
Oh! Hello little friend!! What beautiful eyes you have! A happy Green Lacewing!
I walk past the garden to check on the Flicker nest. Still quiet.
Okay. Here I am at the garden plot... and here I am for Murder Attempt Part 2...
This Comfrey plant just got too big, and last fall I hacked away at the roots. I knew it would return and it'll take a while to kill it... maybe a long while. I don't know.
But I got a shovel and dug down as far as I could go, and pulled out as many roots as I could. I filled up the entire bucket with roots...
The roots are very solid and bulky... That bucket is Heavy! A lot of biomass is leaving.
I was surprised to not find ANY worms in that mess. Usually worms like to hang out around roots like that! But the only worms I found were in a section where the Comfrey roots had died. So that's interesting...
Comfrey must have some kind of anti-worm stuff going on. So I'm glad I'm getting rid of it. I love worms and want them to thrive!
On the other side of the plot, I need to kill some Horseradish.
Maybe I can do that tomorrow.
Here's what's left of the Bok Choy. *laughs* Oh well.
Some of the Strawberries have survived the harsh winter, at least.
Heading home, some Salsify...
I always pronounce Salsify wrong. It's sal-suh-fee, and the sal is like Sally (not like salsa! heh).
The chance of rain tomorrow has hit 100% and it looks like we might actually get some real rain. And there's a good bit I want to do in the garden before it gets all muddy again!
So I got my partner to drive me to the Community Garden... I've brought the Sugar Snap Pea starts that I got weeks ago at Saturday Market. And with the extra time, I'm going to take out some horseradish!
That one Horseradish at the bottom of the photo is the only one that is actually in my plot, the others are in Probably Not Evil Neighbor's plot... Except, I think we will have a new neighbor this year, so I will have to find out about their Evil Status later!
Anyway. I used the dandelion tool to get as deep as I could...
The bucket is about ½ full this time, and much lighter than the Comfrey roots I got up yesterday. Most of these roots are pretty thin, because they have to regrow every time I dig them up.
But you can see what happens with that one bigger root at the top... It's broken off, and the rest of it, that's still underground will def come back to annoy me again in the future.
Friend Crow flies over to a post...
but can't quite get her balance right away...
Ha, she's got some white feathers, hidden under her wings!
I think about doing some hoeing. It's probably too wet yet even with 10 days of dry, but I decide to give it a try.
Except I get to the tool shed... and this is the only stirrup hoe we've got...
Dang it! I remember last fall when the locks on the gates disappeared for a week or so... Our stirrup hoes must have gotten stolen.
So that's not cool at all.
Well. Here are the Snap Peas I'm planting today... they've gotten tall and spindly living in the porch room at home for the last three weeks since I bought them at the fist Saturday Market of the year.
I put them in the ground. and, hmmm. They look kinda pathetic, don't they?
I give them some water and hope they live!
On the walk home, a pretty Hawthorn is blooming.
The rain started around 5:30 this morning... And Look who's still alive! Yay!
The pathetic Sugar Snap Peas that I planted yesterday have perked right up with the rain!
The bit of wind we've had has pushed the vines off the tomato cage, and I've propped them back up. Hopefully they'll get over their transplant shock soon and grab onto the cage so they can stay off the ground and away from the slugs.
And dang it, I am so annoyed at this new breeze we've had to deal with this year. Climate Change. Bah!
Moving on... I heard a Que!
Flicker contact call,
as I came up to the nest! But I wait here a moment
and no one came flying in.
I wish I could see what was happening in there! Because yesterday was the earliest the babies could have been born. And if someone is saying Que! the parents must be out and about and getting food for the newborns.
Right?
Arg. The stupid breeze is making these pretty Lilacs a moving target! Stupid Climate Change!
Hello?
Ah! I come around the corner and hear the Peep Peeping
of siblings and see Mama!
No count of how many ducklings this time, the trees were blocking the view. That's okay, I'd rather not get attached to any batches of babies with H5N1 killing everyone. :(
Oh Wow! These Black Tulips!
And Columbines! Does it seem pretty early for Columbines to be blooming?
Back on the bike path, walking back, a Green Heron flew up from the creek and around some trees. Foo, I was bummed that I missed her... But Green Herons are masters of camouflage, I might not have seen her even if I was looking right at her! *laughs*
I come round the trees and look up see if she found a perch or something... and I see a silhouette and take a couple pics...
Ummmm?! That's the Flicker Mama??!
huh. She's out of the nest... maybe she's taking a short break from the newborns? That seems... odd.
???
Oh my gosh! A Yellow Rump Warbler in the Apple Tree right outside the Community Garden!!
This is a female, the males have black on their chest.
AND this is the western, Audubon race, with the yellow throat. The Myrtle race of Yellow Rumped Warblers has a white throat and is supposedly an eastern bird, but we have both races living here!
She is just so cute!
Mama Squirrel says it's a bit chilly today!
I go into the Community Garden to check on the Sugar Snap Peas. Still alive, tho I have to prop them back up on the cage again. Stupid wind.
And then I stop to admire this Red Hot Poker plant in the plot at the end of the row.
This patch of Camas Lilies is at it's blooming height!
The ferny looking thing in the right side of the above pic is Poison Hemlock. It's in the Carrot family and will kill you pretty quickly.
More ducklings. Sighs.
Just four in this batch... The last batch I saw was small too. I wonder if mama is laying fewer eggs or if the babies are dying before they get out. SIGHS.
Typical...
Haha, it's been so long since I've seen one of these birds, I tought this was a phoebe. But no! Western Wood Pewee!
They have migrated up from South America for their nesting season here!
I had to think a moment to figure out who this is, as well! Have to get re-introduced to all the summer birds, I guess. ha. Savannah Sparrow!
Savannah Sparrows are migrating up from Mexico... I bet everybody is annoyed to arrive with this chilly and rainy weather!
Just taking a moment to think about stuff in front of our den!
I heard one of the Flickers, in that same group of trees that I saw Mama in yesterday. But quiet here... Too quiet. And I'm thinking I'm not going to see babies.
It sprinkled for most of my walk today, and kept sprinkling off and on thru the afternoon. I love the rain and am glad to get an extension on spring weather!
Visiting my favorite farmer to get more Veggie Starts!
I got my first SunGold, a 2nd batch of Sugar Snap Peas, Leeks and I was looking for Beets but didn't see any. So I splurged on some Giant Marigolds instead!
Walking back to the car, I see an Octopus!
I'm not planting today... the rain has made things muddy again. Its cloudy and cool enough that the baby plants will be fine in the car for a while, so I went over to the river for a stroll!
I start at the Rose Garden... and there are some roses today!
And some goslings!
They are so round and cute!
I go across the walking bridge... Swallows!
I see flashes of red, and think some of them are Barn Swallows. But then I see this!
That swipe of white across the forehead means this is a Cliff Swallow!!! That's exciting!
ha. If this isn't the most Eugene thing you've ever seen!
And yes, traffic stopped for the babies!
Aw there's a Canada Goose family at the Delta Ponds!!
They are so adorable!
Their little feet!
It started sprinkling as I watched the family, and it's time to turn around and go back.
The Greylag family again...
You know what's interesting? The Canada Geese families are a bonded pair: Mom, Dad and babies.
But the Greylags raise their children as a community... Everyone is watching out for the kids and you can't tell who the biological parents are! :)
And back at the Rose Garden!
Ah, all the different shades of green!
I was going to go into the Community Garden to check on the Sugar Snap Peas, and there was an old Chinese woman at the gate. She asked about the Garden and I offered her a tour.
She was just curious and didn't know the first thing
about gardening! *laughs* We go in and she looks down
at what's growing in the first plot and asks,
What's this?
I look and have to say, That's weeds!
haha! I tell her
how much it costs to be a member at the Community Garden, and
what you get and some of the rules you have to follow.
And she tells me she's 78 years old and her family...
kids? or grandkids?
runs some restaurant I'd not heard of. :)
That was a nice chat, and I let her out and we go our separate ways. Me, going under the too quiet Flicker nest. *shakes head*
The Hardhack is coming back to life. For some reason I'm surprised to see green leaves on last years stems... but this is a woody plant in the rose family.
(and ha, the wind made it so stinkin' hard to get this photo! That bloom branch was waving all over the place!) (stupid climate change.)
I take a different route home, and am happy to see some Rhodies!
It's been sprinkling pretty good this morning, and it's so chilly -- 46°F, 8°C -- I get my heavy shirt to wear under the rain jacket!
It's raining in earnest by the time I walk by the Community Garden! This is perfect weather for a walk!!
The Fallen Leaning Tree.
I make a detour for these orange Rhodies... such a bright beacon on a dreary day!
The clouds have been moving around and now the sun comes out! Just in time for ducklings.
Just the two, today?
Stretch!
Ah, here comes Mama, and I can hear their siblings peeping as they paddle upstream with her!
Well, Good Morning Mx Opossum! Isn't it a bit bright and sunny for you right now?
Dang you're cute!
Oh, you're just up late, and now it's time
to turn in?
Good Night, Sleep Tight!
Here I am at the head of the trail. I've been avoiding this hike because the last time I was here, I walked home way too fast and killed my back for a few days!
I just love the trees here! Mostly oaks, and these beautiful Pacific Madrones.
I saw a flash of red and figured this was a sapsucker...
Oh my gosh!!! An Acorn Woodpecker!!
I look around... OH MY GOSH!!! There's a granary tree not 50feet away from the path!!!
This is SO exciting! I keep going up the trail to see how far I can get.
And then I wondered about this dogwood? Flowering Dogwoods only have 4 petals on a bloom...
Hey Cool!! Pacific Dogwoods have 4 to 8 bracts per
bloom. yeah, they are called bracts
on dogwoods.
So this is a native, and I'm trilled to learn about it today!
And the namesake of the trail!!! Wild Irises!
These are our native irises, Oregon Irises! What luck that I decided to come up here when they are blooming!
I was coming back down the hill, specifically looking for the granary tree I just found...
And then there was a ruckus! A Western Grey Squirrel had gotten too close to the precious granary tree, and needed to be chased off!! haha!
Unfortunately, I couldn't really see what was going on, because there were trees in the way... but the Acorn Woodpeckers were making, hm, I guess an alarm call and two were flying at the squirrel, driving her away. And yeah, the squirrel ran!
So that was WAY cool! I've never seen Acorn Woodpeckers actually have to defend their territory!
And to think! I wasted all that time, going up Hidden Trail to see the Acorn Woodpeckers up there... loads of granary trees, too far away, and I never got decent photos.
And these guys are RIGHT HERE! *laughs with delight*
And then I made a concerted effort to walk home Slowly! so I wouldn't strain my back again. :)
