Stump Garden Update

Almost all of my crocuses are now flowering, and they are ringing the circumference of the stump garden. They fill me with such joy...

Caesar Pond is nearing Ice-Out

Whoo Hoo! Drew put the dock in the water today!

We are almost at ice-out...Just about there. I declare ice-out when the south cove is free of ice and that will occur tomorrow. As I gazed through binoculars this afternoon, I could see three Canada geese walking around on the ice of the south cove. This cracks me up because the entire pond is ice-free except for the cove, and the geese are preferring to walk around on the ice instead of swimming in the water.

Caesar Pond update

Looking north.

We are getting so close to ice-out! Only the southern shore and south cove are still ice covered.

Looking south.

But, I saw waves slowly eroding the leading edge of the ice, and that will hasten ice-out. I think the dock will go into the water tomorrow;-)

Somebody lost the tip of their tail

As I was walking around the yard, I stopped to admire a rotten red maple stump. Upon looking at the ground nearby, I saw the tip of somebody's tail! I am thinking it is part of a squirrel tail, maybe that of a gray squirrel?

Hmmm... I wonder what happened to warrant this tail removal?

Not much snow left

There isn't much snow left around our house, and I am rather impatient for it to be gone! The flower gardens nearest the house are still frozen over, and I am gradually trimming back last year's growth as the snow melts, inch by inch, day by day.

Closing in on Ice-Out!

Do you spy what I saw while walking down the path to the pond?

Check out that open water! Wow, what a difference two days make with the state of the ice on Caesar Pond.

Today, our high temp. was around 53F, and there was a stiff breeze. There was a bit of sunshine mixed in with some clouds. This combo of temp., sunshine and wind all make for rapid melting of the ice.

I believe ice-out will be reached on Saturday. This weekend will be a warm one. Tomorrow will be sunny with a high of 59F. Saturday will reach 61F, and we'll get a super hot day on Sunday with a high of 78F. I'll be able to go boating after I return from my Spring Break vacation. Yahoooo!!!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

Oh, what joy this day brought. The temperature rose to 81F, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and my heart was singing the praises of Mother Earth! Why such happiness you might ask? Well, the reasons are many.

The pond ice is thinning along the shore, like a receding hairline that is traveling fast along the scalp leaving large, bald patches.

It is riddled with small holes which make it look a bit like Swiss cheese. Soon, there will be open water visible at the north end.

And, I heard the first two spring peepers calling. The bit of open water along the shore will soon be the perfect hiding place for the peepers' eggs as mating season begins!

After visiting the pond, I walked home with the intent of checking out all of my flower gardens to see what was rising from the soil. The stump garden was covered with gravel, dirt, and protective leaves from autumn.

I photographed the first crocuses in bloom.

I was so excited that I grabbed a rake and cleared the debris. Behold the first leaves of tulips and daffodils poking up through the soil! By the way, as I was raking, I was bitten by the first mosquito of springtime...Aughhh!

I returned the rake to the garage and found myself thinking that Drew's wood chopping log, axe, and leftover firewood would soon be put away for the season.

And, my plant stakes would soon be put to use. Hoooorrrraaaayyyy!!!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG! 
P. S. Mind you...the outdoor temperature will return to a more normal pattern of the 40's and 50's for the foreseeable future, but the occasional hot day is very welcome, indeed!

Snow Total for 2016-2017

Snow Total for 2016-2017 = 95" of fluffy whiteness. That's not too bad considering that we only got about 50" of snow last year;-)

Update: Yay! It was virtually all rain with just a dusting of snow...

We're hoping that this will be the last snow storm of 2017! Geez... we could get another 8 " from this one! Stay tuned...

By the way, here are the snow totals for the last 17 years in Bowdoin:
2016-2017 =   95" (El Nino year.)
2015-2016 =   51"
2014-2015 = 103″
2013-2014 =   72″
2012-2013 =   83″
2011-2012 =   61″
2010-2011 =   99″
2009-2010 =   57″
2008-2009 =   87″
2007-2008 =  127″
2006-2007 =   74″
2005-2006 =  No data for some reason - Best guess around 30" after looking at Kdoggy blog.
2004-2005 =  Roughly 100" of snow this year. (Kdoggy blog post said over 8 feet.)
2003-2004 =   30″
2002-2003 =   No data for some reason
2001-2002 =   42″
2000-2001 = 100″

Snowy April 1st

Whoo! What a snowy day we have. At 4:30 pm, we have about 9" of snow on the ground, and it is still coming down.

The temperature is hovering around 34 F and the snow is extremely wet and heavy.

I took a walk over to the pond for a look-see, and found the walking to be tough going. The snow had melted in my tracks by the time I turned around for home.

I checked out the star magnolia tree to see how it was faring and was enthralled by all the flower buds (which were put on in autumn.) 

The flower bud is the larger of the two structures, while a smaller vegetative leaf bud is attached near the base.

Each flower bud has a hairy/leathery protective cap (aka stipules which are modified leaves that protect the buds in wintertime) which seems to be splitting already in preparation for flowering. And, the flower buds are hairy as well. The hairs protect the buds from frost and from drying out. Check out this great blog that gives all kinds of information about magnolias: Amateur Ecologist. 

Our other flowering tree is the rhododendron. It also puts flower buds on in autumn, and is evergreen in that it maintains is leaves all winter long. During winter, the leaves orient downward as protection from excess "photon-induced damage by reducing leaf exposure to light during freezing conditions in the winter." Wang, Xiang, "Photoprotective strategies in overwintering rhododendrons" (2009)

The buds are covered with overlapping scales to protect the fragile inner flower against our harsh winters. With such pretty buds, and I cannot wait to see their springtime flowers in all of their purple-colored glory.

Marsh Madness cartoon

Click on the cartoon for a larger view.

Love it! One of my math buddies, Jim P., sent me this in the mail, and it gave me a chuckle.;-) This is my kind of gaming!