Acorns Ho!!!!!!

As I walked around Hix Small Cemetery, I saw flashes of red that were not that of wintergreen berries. I stopped and focused on the mossy area around some of the grave stones and found thin strips of red showing through the split shells of Northern Red Oak acorns. 

In all the years we have lived here, and on all the walks we have taken, this was the first time we have seen acorns germinating. How we have missed this, I don't know. Maybe it is because of my wobbliness that I now have to focus on the ground as I walk and I am seeing much more than ever before. 

Here is an acorn that is showing the beginnings of a root and a shoot. Northern Red Oak acorns require the cold temperatures of winter before they will sprout, and they sprout in springtime (vs White Oak acorns that sprout as soon as they hit the ground in autumn.) We will monitor the germination over the next several weeks.

Star Magnolia

Star Magnolia is such a gorgeous tree and it is in full bloom this week. 

I wish there was a "smell-o-vision" along with this post as the backyard is filled with the scent of the magnolia flowers. Oh my goodness, it is lovely. 

I did an interesting (to me) post on Maine Nature Diary, back in 2020, that explains the anatomy of the Star Magnolia flower. Check it out!

2025 Maine Big Night #7

Maine Big Night #7. Paul was the only member of our team on the road assisting amphibians tonight. Even though there was an inch of rain that fell, and we thought it would be a productive night, it wasn't. We are starting to think that

LH1Bowd (This year's participants are me, Paul, and Caroline)

April 26 - Start time: 8pm.     End Time: 9pm

Certified Volunteers - 1

Uncertified Volunteers - 0

Starting Temp: 53F.      Ending Temp:  53F

Precipitation: Foggy

The road is wet

Traffic Tally:  10 vehicles

Species Live: 5 Spring Peepers, 1 American Bullfrog, 2 American Toads, 2 Newts

Species Dead: 3 Spring Peepers

Species Injured:

2025 Maine Big Night #6

Maine Big Night #6. Yay! Our entire team was on the road assisting amphibians tonight.

LH1Bowd (This year's participants are me, Paul, and Caroline)

April 25 - Start time: 7:55pm.     End Time: 9:14pm

Certified Volunteers - 3

Uncertified Volunteers - 0

Starting Temp: 55F.      Ending Temp:  53F

Precipitation: Rain

The road is wet

Traffic Tally:  11 vehicles

Species Live: 41 Spring Peepers, 1 American Bullfrog, 2 American Toads, 2 Pickerel Frogs, 1 Eastern Newt

Species Dead: 0

Species Injured: 1 Spring Peeper

Paul with his sign and traffic cone to alert drivers of our presence on the road.
 

American Toad

American Toad (I had to take a side view photo as the toad told me that the other photo made his butt look too big!)

Eastern Newt

April Flowers-Daffodils

 

I am so in love with flowers that I spend every spring, summer, and autumn seasons with trowel in hand. I have many varieties of daffodils because they are a welcome sight after the drabness of late winter and early spring. AND, the deer do not eat daffodils. If you look carefully, you will see that this daffodil line extends far back along half the backyard fence line. This is just a sample of some of them. There are many more varieties yet to open in this line and other places around the yard.

This is one of my favorite varieties. I love the orange center.

This variety reminds me of Spanish dancers twirling their skirts around.

There are so many bouquets of daffodils for me to feast my eyes upon. 

I have different sizes of the traditional yellow daffodils, from petite to giant. Just the medium sized and giant sized varieties are blooming at the moment.

2025 Maine Big Night #5

 Maine Big Night # 5. Only one of my team went out as the rain barely wet the road. Yay Paul! You rock! Paul assisted the following amphibians across the road:

LH1Bowd (This year's participants are me, Paul, and Caroline)

April 24 - Start time: 9:55pm.     End Time: 10:55pm

Certified Volunteers - 1 (Paul)

Uncertified Volunteers - 0

Starting Temp: 49F.      Ending Temp:  49F

Precipitation: None

The road is damp.

Traffic Tally:  2 vehicles

Species Live: 5 Spring Peepers, 1 American Bullfrog

Species Dead: 0

Species Injured: 0

PHOTO BY PAUL:

Daffodils and Magnolia blooms

Springtime is such a joyous time as we let go of the almost monochrome winter colors and welcome in the brilliance of the first flowers of the season. I absolutely love daffodils and have planted well over 500 of them in years past. 

The fruits of my labor are eye candy for my soul. These daffodils that line the north border of the backyard are the first to bloom each year. There are many more to bloom in my other gardens over the next several weeks.

The other large flowers that are coming into bloom are those of the Star Magnolia in the backyard. 

There are so many flower buds on all the branches in different stages of development. Drew likens the blooming to that of fireworks in slow motion.

Garlic shoots

I planted the cloves from three bulbs of garlic in early November and covered them with leaves.  Drew uncovered the garlic bed this afternoon and found that 22  garlic shoots have broken through the soil. I am looking forward to cooking with the garlic scapes and then the bulbs themselves in several months!

The wood shed is almost empty

You know that cold weather is almost over in Maine when your wood shed is virtually empty. Just enough wood for a few more fires in the wood stove to heat the house. The wood shed was chock full of wood at the beginning of the season.

2025 Maine Big Night #4

Maine Big Night # 4. Only one of my team went out as the rain didn't start until after I was in bed. Yay Paul! You rock! Paul assisted the following amphibians across the road:

LH1Bowd (This year's participants are me, Paul, and Caroline)

April 21 - Start time: 10:15pm.     End Time: 11:15pm

Certified Volunteers - 1 (Paul)

Uncertified Volunteers - 0

Starting Temp: 43F.      Ending Temp:  43F

Precipitation: None

The road is wet.

Traffic Tally:  0 vehicles

Species Live: 7 Spring Peepers, 1 Spotted Salamander

Species Dead: 2 Spring Peepers, 1 Pickerel Frog

Species Injured: 0

NOTE: 1 Crayfish laden with eggs that Paul placed in the stream that flows from the pond. Paul also said that the peepers were much more lethargic than last time.

PHOTOS BY PAUL:

Spotted Salamander

Crayfish

Crayfish with eggs