Squawking Squirrels

What a racket those squirrels were making down in the woods
yesterday. They got my attention and I wondered what they were
up to. I had been trying to get a close picture of the two that
have been playing around near the house for quite a while
but not having a powerful enough lens keeps me from getting a
close up of them. They're very wild here in the hills and not tame
like their cousins the city squirrels so getting close to them
is out of the question. I just do not sneak as well as I did in my
younger years when I hunted with my cousins and grandpa.
Anyway hearing their squawking I grabbed up the camera to see if I
could see what had them fussing so and hoping again to get a picture.

I spotted them easily because of the lack of leaves and
by then they had become as silent as church mice.
This one was sitting so still and watching the ground.




The other squirrel was also still as if it had gotten frozen
while going up the tree limb.
They both did not move at all. As I watched them the
reason for their squawking and frozen condition came
walking out of the under brush.

One of the feral cats came slinking out.
They watched him move off up into the yard
and then they both took off through the trees.

Count Me In

Count me in on the April 13th, 2009 protest
Campaign against HGTV,
All we had left was a Thursday showing of
A Gardeners Diary and Paul James the Gardening
Guy and now to hear that he is going to be gone is
the last draw. Those who know me have seen my
postings on the Gardening missing from HGTV channel
and of the emails I had sent to them protesting the lack of
gardening shows. I guess there answer to our questions on
the lack of gardening programs was to take away
what was left. Gardening has been removed from the
tabs to just landscaping. So I guess they really are
taking the gardening out of HGTV. Does that mean
it will become HLTV? I have nothing against landscaping
but to me the total disregard to gardening now of all times
when more people are going back to it is unbelievable.
Well Tina is mad and not going to take it anymore and
has staged a day of protest for April 13th.
I am with her and all for it so I am passing the word.
Everyone go to the HGTV Protest blog and get the addresses
and contacts and lets let them hear it.
If everyone on Blotanical would join in it would be
a huge shout of protest.


Protest Campaign

Some Hyacinths Are Starting to Bloom

Some of the Hyacinths are starting to bloom now and
other just budding.While the tulips are about half way
there till blooms began.
Today is such a nasty spring day here in the Hills.
Give me a few warm days and I am already spoiled
even though reality says we would still be in for some
cool rainy days ahead and possible snow yet.
We need are March and April showers to help everything
grow so I will just have to get over it.
Besides March is just about gone now.



Pretty in Purple or Blue

The Plants Just Know

In the Autumn it is always hard for me to let go of
the growing season when the nights get frosty and the
days grow colder because of the shorter periods of daylight.
It is always hard to see the flowers though some may be faded
by then have to be either sacrificed to freeze to death or to be put
away in the basement or what room may be available in the house
for them. Though the Autumn colors are beautiful it still always
makes me sad to end the season and look into winter.
I even dedicated a posting to it last October entitled
It's Hard to Let Go

After sorting them out to see which ones would be
over wintered in the basement and knowing the porch
would no longer give them protection I finally let go and
carried them all to the basement.
Some of the plants that were taken to the basement were:
geraniums, osteospermum, latana, datura, sweet potato
vines, and mums.
I even brought in petunias and impatiens to see if they
would keep.
Most of the plants were geraniums because they are so
forgiving and can be over wintered two ways. In their pots
or out of the pots and hung upside down by their roots.
I checked on them a couple of times over the winter and
gave them a little drink or spray of water so they
would not dry clear up.
Keewee at Keewee's Garden wrote a posting on Geraniums
and Light Bulbs about how her overwintered plants in her
basement had forgotten all about her.
After reading it I thought I had better make another check
to see how my own were getting along now in my basement.

Well the plants know it is Spring and time to wake up and
get about the job of growing again. Just like our potatoes
know and start to sprouting so do the flowers. Even in the
dark hole of a basement they had started to grow.
They have very pale faces now because of lack of light and
sunshine but that doesn't stop them from trying to
welcome Springtime.
Tessa over at Blunders with Shoots, Blossoms n' Roots
wrote a posting on "How Do They Know" when
a couple of hours after she had set her sweet peas out that
the vine tendrils were already wrapping around the trellis.
How do they know it is time to start sprouting again.
Where are their clocks,where are their little eyes?
I do not have an answer but " The Plants Just Know"




So it is time now to pinch them back and think about getting
them some light and fertilizer.

Even the geraniums that were hung by their roots know it is
time to start growing again and are ready to be potted up.
Note to self: the hanging geraniums look to be doing better
than the potted ones. They are heartier looking.
So some how "The Plants Just Know".

A Little Yellow to Brighten a Rainy Day

It has been raining here for two days and after the drying March
winds we have had it is welcome to help the Spring growth. After
looking at the weather forecasts and seeing heavy snow storms and
flooding along the Red River valley I am not going to complain
one iota. I am hoping though that the new grass seed sown in
the back yard will benefit from the rain and that it is not washing
down hill because we never covered it with with straw after
sowing. If not they may have a nice growth of new grass
down in the hollow before long.

Monday while it was warm and sunny I got a few pictures of what
was blooming now. Some of the daffodils were just starting to
bloom and a few hyacinths.
Maybe all of the rain will bring out the blooms on the redbuds and
the dogwood trees soon.
My camera is in the ready for anything that dares to bloom.

A question for all of you Master Gardeners. Is Bergenia invasive?
I have thought to plant some but wanted to know first. I do not
want to get another plant like the "Purple Volcano" Salvia that I
constantly pull up.

It's Alive! It's Alive!

I am so excited. Why all the excitement? Well my dead
Lenten Rose hellebore " Royal Heritage" is growing.

I thought it was dead. I told everyone it was dead. I even
tried to get a replacement, without success, for the poor dead
plant. Which turned out all right because I would be sending a
certain nursery money for a replacement had they sent one.
So you see why I am excited.
While doing some work in the flowerbeds yesterday I could
not believe my eyes to see that it was not dead but just now
starting to grow. It was my first attempt at trying one and
knowing my record for dead plants I had chalked it up as a
goner. Now I cannot wait to see what it will look like when it
blooms. I have seen all of your pictures of them but have never
saw the real plant. So that sure was a bright spot to my day.

Yesterday was spent getting some beds decorated up
with some of the garden decor I have gathered over the years.
Two roses were planted. One red Knockout had to be dug up
in the great back yard dig so it was put in a new spot. A replacement
for the "Double Delight" rose bush which had died came in the mail
so it was planted, and a relocation of the Razzmatazz coneflower
was made.
Also a new cheap arbor was put up to replace an old one which
had rusted through and broken. I replaced it with a cheap one
for this year in hopes that I better vinyl one will be in the budget
possibly next year. Cheap was the word for it because two prongs
broke from it while I was trying to get it down into the hard dry clay.
It might not have cost much but still as the saying goes "they
just don't make them like they use to" applied for that one.
Grass seed was sown for some new grass to replace the
torn up soil in the back yard after a good raking and picking up
of rocks, broken pieces of tile and sticks. So projects were
getting done and though tired it was wonderful to be outdoors
in the beautiful sunshine. We flowers need our sunshine you know :-)
I also put out a hummingbird feeder because some of you had
reported spotting them and after seeing my second butterfly
I wondered what they were eating so early. Maybe it will help
them if they cannot find anything else.



I noticed that everything is now really starting to grow around
here and with some rain coming in it will help everything.
Cannot believe that we are dry now with all of the rain, ice
and snow we had this winter. The March winds are drying out
the soil fast.

Some things that are really starting to grow now besides the
daffodils, hyacinths and tulips are:



Stella de Oro Lillies are starting to come up.

Stachy's Lanata "Lambs Ear" is getting wooly again.

Brunnera "Jack Frost" is getting its little heart shaped leaves.

Sedum "Neon"



Balloon Flowers are getting new growth.

And I do not remember planting a variegated leaf tulip.
I did not see a bud yet so it may be all foliage but it has
me scratching my head. Confusion is not something new
for me on most days though :-)

Red In The Morning

No red skies to report but just some more beautiful
red cardinals and buds pictures.

Close of Day

This is what greeted us last night before dark.
A glorious sunset of pink ribbons in the sky highlighting the
new Spring buds on the trees.

The Common Grackle

In my previous posting I had mentioned that the Grackles
had starting coming back last weekend and Kathleen at
Kaseys Korner said that she wasn't excited to see them come.
I have to agree that they can really be a nuisance and feed
on baby birds.
Every year I have at least one pair who try to make a nest
under the soffit and eaves between the rooves of the back of the
house. I always have to chase them away because they can
make a real mess down the side of the house.

Aside from the downside on them they very pretty feathers.

The Common Grackle has iridescent feathers of blue
and black and has yellow eyes. I just love their shiny blue
heads otherwise I think of ravens and Edgar Allen Poe.
There is just something about those eyes with the black circle
that makes them look fierce somehow. Its bill is long and black.
It is a large bird with the female being slightly smaller and
less glossy. They are often seen with other black birds
foraging on the ground.



I counted 19 in my backyard at one time last weekend.
They were foraging through the torn up soil in my backyard
which had to be dug up to run new septic lines.

I looked up some facts about the birds from the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology site because I did not know much about the bird
other than it had pretty feathers and I had to chase them out
in the Spring.

Some Cool Facts:

• The Common Grackle is an opportunistic forager, taking
  advantage of whatever food sources it can find. It will follow
  plows for invertebrates and mice, wade into water to catch
  small fish, and sometimes kill and eat other birds at bird feeders.
  
  
• The Common Grackle commonly engages in anting, allowing
  ants to crawl on its body and secrete formic acid, possibly
  to rid the body of parasites. In addition to ants, it has been seen
  using walnut juice, lemons and limes, marigold blossoms, choke
  cherries, and mothballs in a similar fashion.
  
  
• The Common Grackle is found in a variety of open areas
  with scattered trees, including open woodland, boreal forest,
  swamps, marshes, agricultural areas, urban residential areas,
  and parks.
  
  
• The nest is a bulky cup of woody stems, leaves, grass, string,
  bark, and other materials. Lined with mud and fine grasses or
  hair. Placed in small tree, usually a conifer, suspended between
  two branches or placed on a limb.
  
  
• The eggs are light blue to gray, with dark scrawls and
  spots, often concentrated at large end.Usually has 1 to
  7 eggs in a clutch.
  
  
• The juvenile is dull brown with brown eyes.

What Could Be Prettier - Birds & Buds

The buds are bursting forth on our Maple tree and
as I was looking out my kitchen window at the birds
coming to the tree to feed from the feeders, I could not
help but notice how pretty the birds looked against the
buds on the tree.
So I grabbed my trusty camera to get some shots.
Not that I really need more pictures of birds as I have
so many but this was an opportunity to good to resist.
After I saw the pictures I knew it that taking a few more
had been surprisingly a good idea.



The Gold Finches are getting their Spring feathers
of bright yellow back.





The female Cardinal almost matches the colors of the
buds.

The male Cardinals are always gorgeous and stands
out against the buds in the background.

This Junco and another little Goldfinch are waiting for
their turn at the feeders.



The Robins came back about three weeks ago, another
sure sign of Spring. I have had a hard time getting a closeup
of them so far with nothing to hide behind and I guess I am
not a very good at sneaking up on them.

The Robins and Grackles love the torn up back yard
which I cannot stand to look at until it is raked and
grass sown. They like it though for getting the worms
and insects. The Grackles just came back last weekend.


I saw my first butterfly yesterday and ran to get the camera,
you guessed it, it was nowhere in sight by the time I got back
out the door.
So the signs of Spring are getting more prominent and more
beautiful.