Blackberry winter, Tulip Poplars and Yarrow

Wildflower Update: This evening I was able to get a few pictures of tulip poplar blooms ... first with a ladybird beetle ...

 

Ir was a blackberry winter last week with lows in the 40's.  A heavy blackberry bloom this year in areas where I did not bushhog earlier in the spring.

 







The yarrow is blooming ... I love their fern-like foliage.

We have some large patches of a non-native plant, ox-eye daisies.  I have used their seed pattern in class as an example of fibonacci numbers in nature.

Pollinators and Wildlife:  We saw our first fireflies this week.  I am not sure we have any first generation bumble bees yet.  Lots of swallowtails but still no Monarchs sighted and no sign of larva on our milkweed plants (one colony below).  I have seen a few kingbirds working near our house.

Work on the Farm: I have put more supers on our honeybee hives.  We planted seven acres of wildflowers near Long Creek.  It is part of a ten year pollinator program with the Fish and Wildlife Department.  It took two evenings because it was a five foot no-till drill.  We are needing rain but it appears it is on the way this weekend.

Star-of-Bethlehem in our front yard around some trees ... left over from an old homestead.

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 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 Moon Nursery, Native Seeds and Plants
https://www.prairiemoon.com/
Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.
http://www.kelleybees.com/
and these organizations ...
Xerces Society
Journey North
Monarch Watch
Firefly Watch - Museum of Science, Boston
Sierra Club

Columbine, Stonecrop and Bishop's Cap

 

Wildflower Update: Last week, flowers on the limestone outcroppings were blooming.  Above our milkweed patches are now several inches tall, just in time for Monarchs to arrive.  The Mayapple blooms are winding down.  Jack-in-the-Pulpits and Bishop's cap are in bloom.

Lots of columbine last week.

 

 



Also, Stonecrop below ...

Pollinators and Wildlife:  We have seen several swallowtails nectaring.  However, I helped take a student group to the Keys during Spring Break and last week met our children in Champaign, IL to run in the half-marathon.  It has rained nearly every day in April and we are reviewing after school for the AP Biology exam.  My outside time has been cut back!

Work on the Farm: I have put on some supers but have been busy at school so this coming week will be time to catch up on work.

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 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

Large White Trillium ...

Wildflower Update: Below is Upland Cress from our greens patch.  Beloved in the south and known as Creasy.  I plant a patch each year next to our Turnip/Mustard Greens which is open to the community and usually draws over 50 pickers a year.

Large White Trillium is just starting to bloom ... lots of small woodland flowers ... Rue Anemone and Bishops Cap.  These were all taken with my phone ... camera USB port broken where I have most of my pictures.

Pollinators and Wildlife: This weekend I saw a few swallowtails in a hurry to nectar and several bumblebee queens nectaring.  It is turkey season here and the courting sounds start at day break and continue all day.  Lots of bees of all sorts on the turnip/mustard blooms.

Work on the Farm:  Our high school took its 8th trip to MarineLab in Key Largo last week during Spring break.  I was able to check our hives on Saturday ... all is well with good numbers and lots of bees bringing in pollen.  The tulip poplar bloom (our honey maker) should begin in a week ... hopefully it will quit raining so our honeybees can get to work.


We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 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


Firefly Watch / AMNH
Bumblebee Watch / Xerces

Wildflower season starts!

Wildflower Update:  This week was a big week for our twinleaf patches (picts above).  For years while coaching in the Spring, I have missed this early bloom ... but this year was wonderful ... hundreds of blooms.  Also, our limestone outcroppings have started to green up with a few blooms.

 

Polinators and Wildlife:  I have seen a few butterflies ... several blue azures.  Lots of small bees along with our honeybees but, no bumblebees to date.  Turkey calling every morning a daybreak.  Lots of rabbits on the move when I am bushhogging!

Work on the Farm:  I have started selectively bush-hogging.  I bushhogged all our milkweed colonies (over thirty large colonies, some are over 100 feet long).  Milkweed should be coming up next week.  Since then, I have bushhogged section of each field to keep the blackberries and sumac controlled, leaving large sections for wildlife which I will bushhog later in the early summer.  

    We have several flats of wildflowers to transplant later in April.  Lots of several species of milkweeds ... thanks Prairie Moon Nursery!

We support:

Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 years.http://www.round-house.com/Red Pig Tools, Garden tools, Made in the USA.http://www.redpigtools.com/servlet/StoreFrontFEDCO, Co-op Garden Supplies, Seeds, Trees and Bulbshttp://www.fedcoseeds.com/Johnny's Selected Seeds and Garden Toolshttp://www.johnnyseeds.com/Roundstone Native Seed ... A Kentucky Company!https://www.roundstoneseed.com/Prairie Nursery, Native Seeds and Plantshttp://www.prairienursery.com/Kelley's Beeskeeping ... A Kentucky Company! ... at least for now.http://www.kelleybees.com/and these organizations ...Xerces SocietyJourney NorthMonarch WatchSierra Club

Firefly Watch / AMNH
Bumblebee Watch / Xerces
Monarch Watch

Big Snows are gone ... spring is here?

A few pictures from the big snows (20"over three weeks) and low temperatures that caused us to miss ten days of school.  We continue to plant wildflower seeds in flats for our pollinator project ...

 

 

 

We support:
Round House, Jeans and Workware, Made in the USA for 112 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

Wildflower planting started ...

Patriot Pollinator Project III ... at our high school, we have started planting our wildflower seed for our pollinator project (year three).

This week we are planting bee balm, partridge pea, common milkweed, butterfly weed, coneflowers and more.  We are seeding directly into plugs and will transplant them to larger containers later.  It is fun to get started even though the weather is not cooperating outside.

The last of our 11 inch snow is melting today.  Three weeks ago, it was over 60 degrees F. and I was feeding bees thinking Spring was here.  Then some of the coldest weather of the year with the biggest snowfall in the last 30 years.  Getting some planting done is encouraging!

Some picts from last spring/summer below ...