The first calf for the season on our farm arrived yesterday, although it missed the warm days so he is enjoying the warmth of the barn instead, but soon he can romp around outside when it isn’t raining.
First Calf
Picture of the Day for April 19, 2016
The warm weather has disappeared, but a number of the wildflowers opened the last few days. And the ground has patches of white, although not from snow, but from wildflowers like wood anemones and bloodroots. The strong wind has been rather hard on the blossoms as petals have fallen even though the flowers just opened.
Ground White from Bloodroots
Picture of the Day for April 18, 2016
Another warm spring day has the birds returning and singing joyfully. A new arrvial is the Brown Thrasher, a bird which mimics other birds and songs in a series of doubled phrases. They have a extremely varied repertoire of more than 1,100 different song types and include imitations of other birds.
Songster Singing
Picture of the Day for April 17, 2016
It appears spring is officially here at last as the dandelions have made their appearance! But I can’t pick the pretty yellow flowers for my mom since the butterflies are landing on them for the nectar as there isn’t much else for food sources for the bees and butterflies at the moment until other flowers open up.
Sign of Spring
Picture of the Day for April 16, 2016
Although the trees are still bare, but with signs of new leaves budding out, it is a nice spring day to enjoy a walk through the woods or near a river as the birds are singing a happy tune today. The hike could include walk across a covered bridge like the one found in Amnicon Falls State Park.
Horton Covered Bridge
Picture of the Day for April 15, 2016
While walking through the woods on my way to fix birdhouses, I spotted a tiny cluster of Spring Beauties which had opened up. Normally they show more pink coloring, but I think all the snow flurries washed the color right out.
The First Spring Beauties
Picture of the Day for April 14, 2016
During my repairs of bluebird houses, where the squirrels enlarged the opening, I discovered another rodent in my birdhouses. And apparently this chipmunk didn’t read that they live underground as there was a grass bed inside once I evicted him. And the squatter was also a thief as his cheeks were stuffed full of my bird seed!
Squatter and Thief
Picture of the Day for April 13, 2016
The few poor wildflowers which had opened already were closed up tight with drooping heads and probably a bit frozen with temperatures in the teens the last few days. The sunshine this morning is revealing a few new glimpses of blue and hopefully with a warmer stretch, more flowers will start blooming.
Glimpse of Blue
Picture of the Day for April 12, 2016
Hopefully this will be the last dusting of snow for the season and the rain tonight won’t have the white flakes but just rain to flow into the river.
On the Banks of Eau Galle River
Picture of the Day for April 11, 2016
Yesterday, the critters were enjoying the warmer day and the little red squirrel was chattering my cats on the ground. He would go from branch to branch, but out of range of the leashes the cats were on, teasing them. Although my cats couldn’t reach him, the other little red squirrel could and they chased each other. Today the critters aren’t playing as much with the snowflakes falling around them.
American Red Squirrel
