Gleaning Facebook: April at Arrowhead

Northern Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) This has been snake week at Arrowhead. Milton found a nest of Eastern Worm Snakes (Carphophis amoenus amoenus) while cleaning out a mud hole with some heavy equipment. Thursday’s second-graders noticed the beautiful Rat Snake on the tree right next to me. I climbed down to the little creek to collect some Sycamore balls to show today’s second-graders and here was this guy sunning on the debris along the creek.

Vaccinium sp?

Blackberry? Dewberry? Rubus sp?

Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)

Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum)

Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia )

Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is one of those abundant native plants that is edible. The flowers, young fruit (beans), and leaves can be eaten.

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

Eastern Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)

Rat Snake (Elaphe [Pantherophis] obsoleta)

Rat Snake (Elaphe [Pantherophis] obsoleta) with several Homo sapiens -- These second-graders were wonderful in their response to this interesting animal. They watched it with wonder and respect till it slowly crawled into a hole in the tree.

Rat Snake (Elaphe [Pantherophis] obsoleta)
All kinked up.

Azure Bluets or Quaker Ladies (Houstonia caerulea)

LOVELIEST of trees, the cherry now  
Is hung with bloom along the bough,  
And stands about the woodland ride  
Wearing white for Eastertide.  

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,  
And take from seventy springs a score,  
It only leaves me fifty more.  

And since to look at things in bloom  
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go  
To see the cherry hung with snow.

-A.E. Housman

Maple samaras, like red spring blossoms punctuating
a patchwork of spring greens and winter browns.

Species? Vaccinium sp?

New leaves on a tiny oak tree. Species?

Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera)

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)

Fiddleheads probably of Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides )

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)
Look for the forked plants to find the little fruit 

Fiddleheads and fern. I don't know this one.

 

Gleaning Facebook: Spring At Arrowhead

Fiddleheads and fern. I don't know this one.

Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)
Look for the forked plants to find the little fruit

Fiddleheads probably of Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides )

 

Vaccinium sp? 

Blackberry? Dewberry? Rubus sp? 

Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) 

Sweet Betsy (Trillium cuneatum) 

Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia ) 

Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Redbud is one of those abundant native plants that is edible. The flowers, young fruit (beans), and leaves can be eaten.

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) 

Eastern Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) 

Rat Snake (Elaphe [Pantherophis] obsoleta)

Rat Snake (Elaphe [Pantherophis] obsoleta) with several Homo sapiens

These second-graders were wonderful in their response to this interesting animal. They watched it with wonder and respect till it slowly crawled into a hole in the tree. 

Rat Snake (Elaphe [Pantherophis] obsoleta)
All kinked up. 

Azure Bluets or Quaker Ladies (Houstonia caerulea) 

LOVELIEST of trees, the cherry now  
Is hung with bloom along the bough,  
And stands about the woodland ride  
Wearing white for Eastertide.  

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,  
And take from seventy springs a score,  
It only leaves me fifty more.  

And since to look at things in bloom  
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go  
To see the cherry hung with snow.

-A.E. Housman

I love this time of year, and the beautiful maple samaras, like red spring blossums punctuating the range of spring greens, are one of the reasons.

Species? Vaccinium sp?

New leaves on a tiny oak tree. Species?

Star Chickweed (Stellaria pubera)

Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)

Comments

Bill Barker
Good show Terrell thank you.

Frances Burk Herron
Thanks for sharing the pictures and info.

Sarah Anne
Terrell Shaw Verbena bonariensis

Deborah Lake Dawson
I just picked the first one in my Mom's meadow. Loved it but did not know what it was.

Sharlette Denise Holcomb
Great pictures! Love these!

Marilyn Murdock McLean
Terrell, I'm loving the Arrowhead pictures you post. Makes me miss it:/

Terrell Shaw
Come see us!

Delene Gray Buffington
I am sorry to say but the last time I went out there (last year) it looked horrible, No water in ponds, so grown u[ that you couldnt walk around the place. i was very disappointed in the condition it was in. Maybe its getting better!

Larry Madden
Thanks for sharing the pics and your knowledge. I hate it when people share pics and fail to identify or locate the subject!

David Matheny
Dad wore his black wool one for years...

Gleaning Facebook: Hewing Logs!

From Michael Burton's Facebook:

SteveCraw has been the chairman of the cabin committee for some time. He has been dedicated to the reconstruction of the building and quite eloquent in his invoking the heritage of native Americans and African Americans as well as the early settlers. He has contributed more hours than anyone to the most physically demanding work. Go Steve hew some logs with that adze. 

 

Gleaning Facebook: Trinity Yard Sale

Awesome write up on our youth and the upcoming yard sale in today's News-Tribune!

 

Gleaning Facebook: A Walk Through Burwell Wetland

Thank you to the voters in the city of Rome who sent such a clear message last November that we want our dream of a Central Park preserved for our children and grandchildren. Combining the city's beautiful and historic Jackson Hill property with our wonderful Ridge Ferry Park and thence our amazing nework of Riverwalks by preserving the 80 acres of Burwell Creek property. Here's our original plea:

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Save this mature forest from clear cutting then filling in, paving, and covering with apartments for folks who would never dream of sending their children (God forbid) to public school!

Share, share, share. Spread the word. Find at least ten new votes for change.

Vote NO incumbents.

Save Rome's Central Park!

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AND you the citizens overwhelmingly voted for our two leading candidates, gave slight majorities to three incumbants, and clearly rejected two incumbents -- leaving one of them on the commission by about 30 votes despite his minority support.

NOW, keep alert. Attend the City Commission caucusses and meetings on the second and fourth Mondays of each month. Remind the commissioners of our clear wish to use this city property as park land forever.

Lots of violets blooming around the wetlands today.

The Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is prettiest right now with the glossly red and green spring leaves unfolding. But don't touch.

Star of Bethlehem

Look at the tiny fresh clean spring leaves of Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and the huge hairy Poison ivy vine.

The maple samaras are everywhere right now. The Box Elders (Acer negundo) or Silver Maples (Acer saccharinum) may be the likeliest parents of this potential maple tree. I always thought Samara would make a great girls' name.

The beavers love the cambium layer of the trees. These trees seem to have survived the beaver attacks, so far.

See the recent beaver damage on these trees. A beaver lodge is in the background across the water to the right of the three big trees in the center.

Another invasive, the periwinkle (Vinca major)

Trails, cleared by some large machine have appeared recently over the land that used to be a landfill. These have uncovered a good bit of debris from the old landfill: carpeting, bottles, jars, etc. What's going on? Why disturb the landfill?

The early red leaves of some of the maples, are like flowers of spring.