elainegrey

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Kinda long, with images

WEEK 7

High on 15th of 71°F, low on 18th of 24°F.

Each day of the week produced a little more power, ending with 14.4 kWh produced on Feb 18, last day of the week.

At the end of week 6 we had a red fox trot by one of the cameras, quite clearly. It's exciting to see one, and yet, a little sad. Red foxes are not native to North America and out compete the gray foxes.

I saw my first Claytonia virginica (Virginia springbeauty), a tiny spring ephemeral that opens in the sun. The very first was down at the creek, but inspired to check, i found one where i had transplanted them under the south-most apple tree (i think that's the Grimes golden.).

Helleborus with red and yellow flowers in our front window bed - Helleborus 'Tropical Sunset' HONEYMOON® Series

Helleborus with wine colored flowers in our front window bed - Helleborus X 'Winter Delights Violet'

I saw my first Claytonia virginica (Virginia springbeauty)

Continued bittercress. The Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream beauty' (snow crocus) in the original hugelkultur bed began to bloom (above left, petals cupped) , and some of the "tommies" ( Crocus tommasinianus 'Roseus', above right, petals flaring out, stigma and anthers visible) also still blooming there, but not in the orchard. The impulse crocuses of spring 2023 are sprouting in the thick mulch of the front window bed and near Picchu's rock. (Some others should be in the orchard.) The Hyacinthus orientalis 'Roman pink' is also blooming, and the remnant hyacinth from the previous owners is budding. Roman hyacinths are closer to the wild form than the stiff Dutch pillar of blooms, but the perennialize better. The lovely apricot Dutch hyacinth hasn't shown it's face again, but the Pink Romans are multiplying. I surmise the white hyacinth might have fallen off the deck (so many things found when we cleared behind the deck) and set seed, with the seed that had more wild type characteristics surviving. I want more Roman hyacinth!

A ring around the sun on the 17th and the moon on the 18th, as colder temperatures arrived.

The week ended in a blur of living in my head on Zoom.

WEEK 8

We've had frost and frog song this week. Temp High 70°F (on Thursday) Low 22 °F (on Monday & Tuesday)

Again the week increased in power generation (except for rainy Friday and Saturday) 19.2 kWh produced on Feb 25, last day of the week.

On Thursday i saw my first violet, and on Friday's work walk i noticed that the autumn olive is greening up (to shade out any spring ephemerals long before the trees leaf out.) Friday was also the first daffodil.

Thursday even had a high of 70°F

As of Saturday morning, no trout lily or tiny bluets.

I noticed the morning brightening much more. On Saturday, when i went out to let the cats out, the full moon (well, an hour to full ) was setting. Arcturus was visible over the closest tulip poplar. Near the bare cherry was another visible star so i looked up its name, Vega. I now have the first and second brightest stars in the northern sky in my mental map as morning companions.

Misty moon rise in the mossy glade : Mostly dark with a bright moon with rays in the mist and glimmer on the ground

Photos from Saturday morning: Left: a side lit elm tree, the transparent blooms that fill the air with pollen illuminated by the sun; Right: for the small moss patches in the driveway, sporophytes - a tiny forest of thin filaments - appeared overnight

OK, i'm still posting by email with this, so i hope the heavy images are OK.

Crocus tommasinianus "roseus" inventory (not in airtable): * in bedroom window garden near the holly, * south berm, center top, * south berm, just west of pet path, top * south end of west arm of HK bed