Burl's Big Turnip Patch, Skippers and Fall Colors ...

Wildflower Update: A warm autumn day with our trees at peak color or a little past peak. We still have some flowers (goldenrod, mist flowers, and dutch white clover) blooming in areas where I bushhogged late in the summer. This morning there was a thick fog and heavy dew.

Pollinators and Wildlife: We still have coneflowers, marigolds and zinnias blooming in our flower beds. Lots of skippers (Common Checkered-Skipper below), a few bumblebees and a couple of Monarchs. The deer and turkey on the move this weekend. While bushhogging our walking trail, a large bobcat ran across the trail and through the field. This is the second bobcat I have seen during the evening hours this year. It was beautiful!

Work on the Farm: I went through our honeybee hives this weekend and removed unused supers. Most of the hives appeared strong without signs of hive beetle. I taped up the holes drilled in the supers and put in entrance reducers. I started feeding today with zip-lock bags (gallon bags with about a half gallon of sugar water) on the top most super with a 2.5 spacer.
Our Burl's Big Turnip patch has been open to the public for free turnip greens. We have had dozens of people stop by for greens (turnip, mustard and creasy/upland cress). This turnip patch (over a half acre) is a tradition started by Sue Neal's Uncle Burl years ago. Picture furthest below ...

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 111 years.
http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
http://www.prairienursery.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Sierra Club

Fall Colors near peak!

Wildflower Update:  We have a few plants still blooming.  The plants are in areas we bush-hogged late in the summer.  Most of the plants are not large but have several blooms ... wing-stem and goldenrod.  Most of our plants have seeded and turned brown.  Our woodland ferns are growing after a week of rain.

Pollinators and Wildlife:  I saw a single Monarch after I got home from school.  Not many nectar plants remain for those late migrators.  Still hoping for the best with dozens of siting some days this fall.

Work on the Farm:  We have not been able to get much work done on the farm with ten days of rainfall before last weekend.  I will be checking out honeybees this week and put them to bed by closing down their hives. Our wildlife plots are doing well ... winter oats, wheat, austrian peas, buckwheat and sunflowers.  Most of the sunflowers were eaten by deer.


We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 111 years.
     http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
     http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
     http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
     http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
     https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
     http://www.prairienursery.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
     http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Sierra Club

Flower Duets, Ferns and Persimmons

 

Wildflower Update:  Flower duets (not the opera) - Pairs of Monarchs above on butterfly plants ...  also, a pair of Painted Ladies.
        Not many plants blooming as we start the second full week in October.  After a very dry September, it started to rain this week.  We still have dutch white clover blooming and some late wingstem, asters and mist flower.  Our flower beds around the house have blooms ... butterfly plants, marigolds, zinnias and a few coneflowers.  We had a dozen or so Monarchs each day earlier in the week but, on Wednesday, the sun came out with a light wind from the north and they took off toward the southwest.  With wildflower season winding down, the cooler temperatures and rain has brought the ferns in our woods back to life.  Below, a Christmas fern under a beech fern (?).

Pollinators and Wildlife:  The deer, racoons and opossums are feasting on the many persimmons scattered on the ground around our farm.  With the wind and rain this week, the ground is covered.  I like the bark on persimmon trees second only to sourwood bark.  Lots of lichens on this persimmon tree in our yard.
     While cleaning out the barn this week, an eastern fence lizard kept an eye on me while basking in the sun.  Lots of spiders still out this week.

 

Work on the Farm:  I finished planting our food plots on Wednesday evening.  It is late so, I only planted winter oats, wheat and winter peas.  Back to school on Monday and work on the farm will be limited with less daylight hours.

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 111 years.
     http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
     http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
     http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
     http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
     https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
     http://www.prairienursery.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
     http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Sierra Club

Monarchs and Rain Tonight ...

Wildflower Update:  The fall nectar flow is nearing the end.  Flowers where I bush-hogged during the summer are later and just now blooming.  Our pollinator gardens have some late blooming plants.  I planted several Tennessee Coneflowers and they are in bloom and beautiful.

Pollinators and Wildlife:  While outside after school today, I saw a dozen Monarchs ... six in one butterfly bush!  I thought maybe that the migration had peaked here but maybe not.  Still a few bumble bees and our honeybees are still working hard.

Work on the Farm: Still planting the last of the food plots and have switched to wheat, winter oats and austrian peas.  It has been really dry here for a month but we should get some rain later tonight and tomorrow.  Next week is fall break and I will be able to be out on the farm in the mornings.  Sunset over Long Creek below ...

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 111 years.  
     http://www.round-house.com/
Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.
     http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFront
FEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbs
     http://www.fedcoseeds.com/
Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Tools
     http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!
     https://www.roundstoneseed.com/
Prairie Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
     http://www.prairienursery.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
     http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Sierra Club