Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Spring Across The North

It's almost the middle of the month of May, but the leaves are only beginning to show their green growth (willow). Birds from rose breasted grosbeaks to phoebes to pine siskins to goldfinches are making their nests (the phoebe is nesting under the garage porch eave for the first time in 15 years) and the Canada geese are already parading on our waterways with their goslings.
Our garden is peaking a bit of green cold crops from under the coat of mulch, warmed in their bed. The cold crops are tolerant of the seasonal dusting of snow (yes, still possible, as last weekend showed) and few hours of freeze at night that characterize our cool Lake Superior spring.
The coyotes were yipping and carrying on at our field and woods edge last night at around midnight. They woke me at the advent of my slumber, which I was glad for - to hear them roust about closely. I will go out to our back field to check the red pines that we planted and have been watering. One of them was dug up and dead; noticed on Sunday when I was carrying water from the stream to water the trees. I wonder what chose to dig the little seedling up. No tracks could be seen.

I am beginning to pack for the 9 day Wilderness First Responder class that I am taking in Wisconsin over the next week plus. Tough time to be leaving, with so much to be done around here, but it seems that each season has its own reasons for me to stay home...

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