First Snowshoe in a While

 
I think I didn't snowshoe at all last year. It didn't snow before I went east. I took the snowshoes with me, but all they did was slide around in the car. The snow then came to Michigan where I wasn't.



So, I got out for a short walk today. Maybe half a mile. My stamina is still not good after that cold. Dang.

But the sky was lovely.



Remember the letter B? It's still growing. It's lost it's shape and is more fuzzy,



And the baby pines that clump spawned are now big enough to easily find.



Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to walk longer.

In other news: I hunkered down and made myself finish the first pass on the index. It just needs a couple of tweaks, but the bulk of that project is done. Wowser!

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It's B-b-b-back

 
Remember the nature alphabets? Remember the letter B? It's now almost unreadable.


The top of the B has gotten fuller and taller. The serifs are growing.

Here it is in 2010.


Here it is when I first used it as the letter in 2009


I like the white pines so much. I planted all of these myself. The tallest were less than a foot high when I put them out in 1992.

This clump has started producing babies on its own. There are now three little ones beside my trail that I did not plant. I first found these in 2014, but now they are clearly seen above the grass.



In other news: I skied yesterday and today, but the snow was much better today. Other than that it's been all editing. I'm over 2/3 of the way through Dead Mule Swamp Druggist for what I hope will be the last time.

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Five New Reasons to be Happy

 
Hi. I'm back.

If I couldn't find a reason to be happy today, you might as well take me out and shoot me. The sky was blue. The sun was shining.



I walked around my little loop trail out back. About a year ago I reported that there were five baby white pines that had come up on their own just to the east of the large clump on top of the hill.

Well, there are ten babies, not five! It's really hard to see them all in any kind of long shot. I've marked where they are. You'll have to take my word for it on some of them, but I counted carefully.



But I love to see "my" forest expanding. White pines grow fast enough that they will likely get tall while I'm still around to see them.



I should move the smallest one. They are much too close together to all survive anyway.

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Little Green Things Make Me Happy

 

It's amazing how baby pine trees can hide in the weeds all summer long. Today, I found five new white pines all to the east of the large clump my trail goes through.



They are probably too close together to all survive, but two or three of them should make it.

They are in two clumps.





I didn't manage to get the largest one in either of the closer pictures.

These aren't the same ones that I discovered in the summer. Not even in the same area at all. It must have been a good year for sprouting seeds. But in just a few years another few feet of my trail will go through trees!

Meanwhile, I seriously need to carry a saw with me on one of my walks. Some big branches (no plant material of value) are encroaching.

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Report on the White Pines and a Freebie

 
When I showed you the two surprise baby white pines a couple of days ago, I also realized how big all those trees are getting. That's one really nice thing about pines. They grow fast enough that you actually get to see progress.

I first showed you this view in 2009. I was thrilled that the babies were visible above the grass, but chose to highlight them with arrows. I had planted the taller ones about 20 years before that.



Here's the same view tonight. Makes me very happy!



And while I was out walking, I heard the red-tail hawk say "Keee-ee-eer." Spotted it far away, and had to go to optical zoom to capture it, so the picture isn't great, but here it is.



I think it's a juvenile from the white on the wings.

Spent most of the day working on a writing project and doing odds and ends around the house.

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Surprises in My Kingdom

 
You would think I'd never find anything new in the few acres I walk in my back yard. Wrong.

The first isn't too unexpected, but I haven't seen a single caterpillar for days now... no evidence that the monarch is making a cocoon. But that milkweed stalk was not about to give up the battle for life. It's trying desperately to sprout some new leaves. Just as desperate for food is one milkweed tussock moth caterpillar that was hiding somewhere. Any bets on how much of those little leaves will be left in the morning?

The next two are similar, and are complete surprises. I've shown you my clump of white pines out back, several times before. For the first time ever, I found two baby white pines that I did not plant. So these had to have grown from cones of the ones I did plant.

Not even tall enough to clear the grass yet, but maybe next year. Another of the ones I planted is probably doomed. It's too close to the others anyway, but I think it got chewed. So I'm happy to have two youngun's show up on their own.

Gave my trail program tonight. Decent turnout and sold some books. Hooray!

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Report on the White Pines

I'm sure you've heard the saying that when we plant a tree, we plant it for our grandchildren. Because trees grow slowly we rarely see the results of our efforts. However, white pines grow quickly, as trees go. Take the one above, for example. I know exactly how long it has taken for it to reach this size. That's because I discovered it in 1992 when I ran over it with the lawnmower. So, 19 years ago, it was four inches high.


Here's another observable growth. See where my shadow is pointed? Pretend that I could continue to walk straight ahead. Just two years ago, my trail- the path I mow- went between those two trees. Now, it would be a project to push through those branches.


This news isn't so positive. This view from summer 2009 shows some of the babies back by the railroad tracks. The one on the far right is was the largest of the small ones.

Deer will eat white pine in the winter, if they can't find anything better. I haven't had too much trouble with this, but one of Bambi's cousins developed a taste for Pinus strobus this winter. I think it will survive, but it's certainly not going to be the lovely, healthy tree that it was for quite a few years.

Sigh.

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Report on the Baby White Pines

 


Just a quick report on the baby white pines. All the conifers are showing their lovely new growth right now, but this is the year that I think the white pines are really going to shoot up. See how long those "candles" of new needles are? Those will extend and grow into bundles of the regular dark green needles.

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Baby Trees in Winter Dress

 



Remember seeing the baby white pines? I love watching them grow and sigh big sighs over every one that doesn't make it. Here's how they looked a couple of days ago.



The five that are marked in the top picture aren't quite the same five in the winter view. One of the ones on the far left must be still hidden by the snow. But you can see one more on the far right that wasn't tall enough to poke its head above the summer grass.

More snow on the way!

See The Trees are Growing