Picture of the Day for April 12, 2015

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The snow must have fallen on the robin’s tail this past week and now it is officially spring since I finally spotted the first wildflower open yesterday and the frogs are singing. The flower was partially open yesterday but fully open this morning. The Sharp-loded Hepatica is the first wildflower to open in my woods each spring and since the blossom is less than an inch across, they can be easily overlooked since the foliage comes after they bloom. It was windy this morning so trying to capture the tiny blossom swaying on the hairy stalk was a challenge.

The First Wildflower of Spring

The First Wildflower of Spring

Picture of the Day for April 11, 2015

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Today was the Indianhead Polled Hereford Association Spring Opportunity Sale where established breeders and first time consignors had bulls. cows and heifers for sale. Even a little boy got to raise a bidder number (when said so) as the cattle were auctioned off. And this heifer was a granddaughter of a heifer purchased at a previous Indianhead sale.

Hereford Heifer at Auction

Hereford Heifer at Auction

 

Picture of the Day for April 7, 2015

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Across rural America, many old one room schoolhouses (or even fancier multi-room schools like this one) are used for township halls for meetings and voting. So some rural schools, where bells once rang in the past to gather children and survived abandonment, have traffic through their doors again today as people cast their votes on election day.

Old Schoolhouses Survive as Town Halls

Old Schoolhouses Survive as Town Halls

Picture of the Day for April 6, 2015

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The proverb “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers”, first recorded in 1886, or the shorter version “April showers bring May flowers” (originally “Sweet April showers/Do spring May flowers”, part of a poem recorded in 1610) are common expressions in English speaking countries. But it doesn’t say whether it is rain or snow showers which bring the flowers although at least it has just been rain showers here this morning and not snow like further north. The colder temperatures still have kept the flowers from sprouting up this spring yet and if they had, flowers like the snow glories could be covered with snow.

Snow Glories Could be Covered by Snow

Snow Glories Could be Covered by Snow

 

Picture of the Day for April 4, 2015

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When I was outside one day last week looking for any hint of some wildflower, a pair of ducks were circling to land in my pond but they spotted me and flew off. I didn’t recognize the smaller duck species as each spring I get some temporary visitors on their journey farther north. The next evening they did land in the pond but since it was so windy that day, they stayed hidden behind the long grass so I still couldn’t identify them

A couple of years ago, I did have some visiting Blue-winged Teal ducks stop over on their trek back from their winter stay in South America but since my pond is too small, they ventured elsewhere after a day of resting.

Pair of Blue-winged Teal Ducks

Pair of Blue-winged Teal Ducks

Picture of the Day for April 3, 2015

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I still haven’t spotted any wildflowers but when it is below freezing this morning again, the flowers are wise not to poke their heads up yet. The only green and growing plant that I have spotted so far is moss. The tall, stalk-like sporophytes were waving in the strong winds above the low, leaf-like gametophytes of the moss. But moss might end up in a chickadee nest as moss is a favorite material for the nest foundation and I did see a chickadee going into a birdhouse this spring already.

Moss Sporophytes

Moss Sporophytes

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