After the cold nights and very cool days last week, most of the maples and other trees dropped their leaves at peak color or even green. But the oaks are the stars of the skyline now. This beautiful weekend with the abundant sunshine has highlighted the golds, coppers and bronzes of the many majestic oaks […]
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The last few days have been a whirlwind of color change in the trees and shrubs. Maples went from a few red or yellow leaves to all shades of yellow and red from apricot to watermelon. Oaks turned golden and burgundy. All of them are rapidly shedding leaves, so they turned just in time. Walking […]
The weather finally turned crisp and the leaves have been whirling in the breeze. This morning, the sun rose butter yellow and the clouds were steel grey highlighted with salmon. As the sun rose, the very tops of trees were painted with the golden light. There are still mosaics of leaves on the ground and […]
The leaf fall has started and you can walk under a tree in a mosaic of colorful leaves: brown, yellow, orange, gold and red. When a tree, like a maple or ash is fully in color (two or three shades at least), it is like walking in a kaleidoscope with the light coming through the […]
The asters and goldenrods have really put on a show this year. There are still beautiful white, blue and purple clusters among the yellow and still sunflowers blooming. The Gentians came a little early and were spectacular. I was amazed at the numerous huge clusters of grapes along the trail. The grapes and small crabapples […]
The Michigan Lilies are blooming in my yard. I love the chandelier look of the flowers as they curl the petals up and drop the stamens down. All things Black-eyed Susan should be blooming now and the lilac blooms of the Bee Balm (Monarda) are drawing bees and hummingbirds. Ox-eye daisies are peppering the road […]
We drove to 10 1/2-mile road and parked to walk back toward 9-mile road. The cooler weather and overcast skies helped to showcase the many ferns on the trail. There were large stands of Royal Fern in the ditches, along with Sensitive Fern and Cinnamon Fern on the edges of the woods. In the woods […]
The Hepatica, Bloodroot and Dutchmen’s Breeches have finished blooming and the Nodding White Trillium are turning pink. I have tall Red Trillium that have grouped themselves as a bouquet below a large group of Large Flowered Trillium. It is beautiful. I have Shooting Stars, Twin Leaf, Gold Seal and lots of May-apple and Smooth Solomon’s […]
The more typical spring weather came in quickly. The cold nights and cool days, especially with the rain are really good for the wildflowers. It slows the opening and gives us a longer season with these beautiful ephemerals. The snow trillium are opening in my garden and they are so lovely and petite, a pleasure […]
It seems like only a few weeks ago we were watching the ice slowly melt, leaving Jenga style crystal structures along the walkways. Then came the record high temps followed by freezes and at last some 5 days of near record warmth. The Spring Ephemerals have responded with alacrity. In my garden, the Hepatica are […]
Deep Winter Deep winter was late this year, not coming until February. The below freezing temperature makes everything look like crystal. When it snows, the snow is so dry that it sits on the icy remnants of old snow like a dusting of icing sugar. We had wonderful sun-filled days. They almost made you feel […]
Snow Cycle Snow falls lazily from the overcast sky. Flakes drift lightly, occasionally twirling in a draft of air, landing lightly on all the surfaces that were clean earlier. This is the beautiful cycle of snow, hypnotically fascinating as it falls. No white outs or heavy blowing snow—just gentle wafting of flakes. The cold ensures […]
Deep Freeze The air is so cold that the snow is like sugar sand and you can’t take a deep breath without a muffler to warm the air. When you look out across the fields, it looks like stiff meringue is spread over everything. It is such a bright white in the sunlight. Even the […]
Icy Mornings The clouds cleared overnight and the sickle moon is still hanging in the southern sky. The absolute transparency of the sky is punctuated by the palest yellow of the rising sun in the east. To the south is a line of salmon color, starkly brilliant against the dark tree shapes. As far as […]
Ice fog When I was young in West Texas, the occasional ice fog occurred when just the right temperature and atmospheric conditions coincided. For us on the airport, it meant the ubiquitous and relentless wind ceased for a short time and airport activity ground to a halt as no one could land or take off. […]
Well, we went up to the rail trail in Sanford today–just past the bridge on M30–lots of the usual flowers. Bouncing Bet, Flowering Spurge, Bee Balm, Black-eyed Susan, Evening Primrose, Wild Parsnip and Queen Annes Lace were prolific. Along the sides of the trail, still unmowed since the flood, were the homes that washed away […]
We went for a drive on Sunday and couldn’t believe how many Oxeye Daisies, Yarrow, Fleabane and clover flowers we saw. There was also a lot of yellow Hawkweed and St John’s Wort as well. The Liatris and Lupine give a blue note to some areas. Lots of Crown Vetch and other colorful clovers are […]
I have enjoyed the Spiderwort (Tradescantia) in many colors in my yard. It looks really nice with the many Canada Anemone and the Sundrops (Evening Primrose). The Coral Bells are waving nice stems of bells and the Wild Geranium is still blooming in spots. My Liatris (Blazing Star) are up and ready to bloom and […]
So, 38 or 40 at night to 90’s during the day in one week! Summer is around the corner. All things Dogwood and Viburnum have burst into bloom. Raspberries and Blackberries are in full bloom. My favorite combo along the trail and in my yard is Canada Anemone and Wild Geranium. About the same size […]
