Busy Days...

 Prairie Spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteata)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

June has been more akin to July or August I think...not necessarily humid but definitely hot and dry for us.  This has kept us fairly busy on the acreage.  We don't have working wells and the gardens are both a fair distance from the house...our early mornings are spent hauling buckets of water in a little wagon behind an old mower that still "moves" but that's about the extent of it!  Ha!  Hey, everyone makes due with what they've got , right?

 Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium campestre)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

The pastures got a boost a couple weeks back with some badly needed rain but we've about tapped that out now...I'm waiting to see if we have a repeat of last summer and things go dormant once more.  In the meantime though we've had some nice forbs and grasses return, and some even showing some good signs of spreading some.

 

Fringed Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison 

 

Every year the Fringed Puccoon seems to move some distance...I suspect ants help the cause...however it has shown up on the south pasture now!  I suppose it may have always been there, but with the sheep grazing so closely there 15 years back, they may have just barely survived and are now attempting to recover?  Or perhaps birds moved it?  I'm sure it's seed would be a perfectly fine meal!  

 

Ground Plum (Astragalus crassicarpus)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

Our north slope on the gravel hillside has a small compliment of Ground Plum...I get a kick out of some other common names like "Buffalo Plum" or "Buffalo Berry"...either way its a forb I've run into on other hillsides and pastures in the area...the rabbits and deer in an isolated location like this (small acreage surrounded by mostly crop ground) can decimate or even eliminate tempting tid bits like the Ground Plum...I also find voles a real issue when the resource is so limited!  Last spring I cut some hardware cloth and tried placing some small barriers around these to help dissuade the constant pruning.  This spring I was surprised how well they responded...more robust branching has so far escaped becoming a rodent salad bar. 

Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

Large-flowered Penstemon (Penstemon grandiflorus)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

Prairie Ragwort (Packera plattensis)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba) 

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison 

 

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

Prairie Garlic (Allium canadense)

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

 Many, many others have had a good showing...including the Prairie Garlic (Allium canadense)...I first noticed this allium back in 2012...in the NE corner of the north pasture...had always seen the Prairie Onions (Allium stellatum) here in the fall but this one was a surprise bonus.  This allium has since appeared in several other location - all are on the lower mesic ground - likely the preferred soil type.  The Prairie Onion is always on the gravel hillside - haven't seen it mix with this allium.

 

Prairie Grasses of June

photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison

(click on image for a larger view) 

 

The warm season native grasses are back and showing well...as I type this I'm thinking I've forgotten to look for the Western Wheat Grass, which we do have a small stand...shame on me!  Oh well.  I did manage photos of the June Grass, Porcupine Grass and the Scribner's Panic Grass.  

I admit I'm the reason we have so much Porcupine Grass in the north pasture.  I was finding it in the ditches adjacent to the acreage but hadn't seen it in our pastures...thought it odd.  One June, when I noticed the Porcupine going to seed I picked a few and dispersed them here and there...they immediately took - had them showing up the very next year.  Now I pick from the pasture and try and seed the ditch cuts made by the county back in 2008 - a major source of erosion that the county created on their own, much to our disgust!  I keep trying to introduce things that can get a foothold there and hopefully its helping.

We've had a week straight of mid to high 90's and this morning as I'm writing, it tried to rain...rather paltry amount - maybe a couple 100ths of an inch.  Pretty nasty winds too though; hope we don't have chain saw work ahead of us!  That's never good. 

With today our last chance of rain for the next week or two, I guess we'll be hauling water to the garden and a few select trees this afternoon.  But there'll be a slight reprieve in the temperature today and maybe tomorrow before were back into the oven.  Grateful for those small blessings!

I'll insert a small plug for something I believe is worth your time.  It is something that we all must wake up to and seriously give thought to.  We should all be more proactive than most of us have been (myself included) when it comes to our home planet.  It's the only one we have, why are we treating it like its not?!  I watched a good program a couple days back.  It's the latest film produced by David Attenborough (and likely the "last" film he will do - he's 93 after all!) "A Life on Our Planet". 

This is a MUST watch and listen. We've over stepped the climate/biodiversity/deforestation boundary - are we listening? Or should we say "Who's Listening"? Attenborough is not trying to make us feel better, but to shake us from our complacency. Do we want to hang onto our personal "life styles", or close our eyes to what we're doing? Are we growing numb to the mantra that science has been trying to impress upon us? There is a chance...but will we embrace it...there is a chance. Are we listening?  Try and give "A Life on Our Planet" a watch...it is not a waste of time.

Have a good Summer ahead and be good to one another!

 

Too Fast...

As usual - Spring is moving by too fast.  We've had so much cool weather...several light frosts and very little rain...until just a few days ago.  No we've had our first 1" rain in May here...we had a pittance in April and March as well.  But that one inch and all the humidity brought on by southern Gulf air has transformed everything into a jungle of green!  Although we are being listed in a "Severe" drought so far this year, it "looks" pretty enticing for the moment.

Gray Catbird

photograph -  © Bruce A. Morrison

Most of our favorite birds have returned...still waiting on the Dickcissels.  Although most are "favorites", we seem to have some very social Gray Catbirds this spring; so fun to watch!  It is bird song heaven around here now, and even the Cricket Frogs started singing last night.  You know the temps have warmed the water when your hear these little buggers...the American Toads have been singing each night for some time now too, and the Chorus and Northern Leopard frogs seem to be done with their monkey business for another year. 

 

I've been working in the pastures here more than normal...trying to rein in some bad actors.  Been mowing parts short and seeing what shakes out when I keep it up through the summer.  Right now there's some really nice things blooming - all the usual early/mid spring forbs like Blue-eyed Grass, Starry Solomon Seal, Fringed Puccoon, Ground Plum, and the Golden Alexanders. 

 

Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium campestre)

photograph -  © Bruce A. Morrison

 

The Blue-eyed Grass in the pasture varies from blue to light blue, to white.  I automatically look for it here on May 15th each year...I've only found it earlier in unusually warm and early Springs.

 

Fringed Puccoon (Lithospermum incisum)

photograph -  © Bruce A. Morrison

 

The Fringed Puccoon is always out before or with the Blue-eyed Grass, and I'm beginning to find it in more locations around both the north and south pastures.  I'ts likely always been in both but possibly the grazing of sheep and/or cattle in years previous to our arrival had suppressed these and they're just making a come-back again...? 

 

Ground Plum (Astragalus crassicarpus)

photograph -  © Bruce A. Morrison

The Ground Plum is a fun one...I personally like the common name "Buffalo Berry" but the fruit is more "plum" size and in appearance.  I guess its edible but its restricted to just one location on the pastutre and I'm being very protective of it...would like it to spread around some.

I'm far behind with chores around here and these are all the forbs I've been able to photograph so far this spring!

Hope your spring is a nice relief from the covid year we left behind, and that you're able to get out and enjoy it again; its moving too fast!

Be good to one another and see you again down the road to summer!

 

So Look Forward to Ephemerals!

                                                         

Waterman Prairie - Pasque Flowers (Pulsatilla vulgaris)  

(photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison)

Those wildflowers of Spring - who doesn't look forward to seeing these little beauties?  I fondly think of them as "ephemeral"...they last such a short time as a whole.  But getting to see the first of the Spring is real tonic.

Waterman Prairie - Pasque Flowers (Pulsatilla vulgaris) 

(photographs - © Bruce A. Morrison)

 

 I don't usually think of Pasque Flowers (themselves) as ephemerals, although they don't last nearly long enough.  No, when I think "fleeting", I'm more inclined towards those woodland flowers that are virtually missed if I don't get to the timber often.

Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) 

(photographs - © Bruce A. Morrison)

Spring Beauty is one flower that many people miss because it is so diminutive...the plant itself rarely taller than 6 inches, and as small as just 3 inches.  Each blossom barely larger than a third of an inch across.  I was at a childhood park along the Des Moines River in Ft Dodge (IA) visiting my wife's mother when I took a break and went down to the river timber below her place; that maybe I might catch them.  I was lucky - the ground was peppered with them.

 

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

(photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison)

 

While photographing the abundant Spring Beauty, I noticed carpets of other plants but almost none had bloomed yet.  I did manage to find a spring woodland flower that also grows on our own acreage - a Dutchman's Breeches.  Now these mature fairly quickly and I'm often caught late even with those growing 30 feet from my own house!  But I got lucky here 😊

 

I wandered around the yard and grove this morning, but only see some future signs of ephemerals here and there...it was a very harsh and dry summer and fall on the property last year so I don't know what if or any affect it will have on our pasture or the grove.  Time will tell.  In the meantime I'm looking forward to more of those spring ephemerals...so happy Spring is here; wishing you a good one too!

 

 

 

All is Good!

 

"Plymouth County Barn Bales"

oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison 

 

I guess I'm still trying to think positive about the faux-like Spring we had last week...it was hard to work on this painting because it was sooooo nice out!   It got into the 60's and even had some nights well above freezing - and it virtually took out the snow!  It was "that" close!  Oh well...

 

Yesterday we had a good 5 inches of snow - very heavy wet stuff...today it has snowed non-stop here, nothing heavy but persistent...looks like a winter wonderland again.

But the painting is finished and I really did enjoy this one...love thinking of summer as I work!  This image actually sat in my mind for several years...the barn was real, but it likely no longer stands.  Hard to say...I did quite a bit of repair on the structure, but decided not to give it a fresh coat of paint - it needed some "ambiance". 😉

 

Next week is supposed to be in the 50's each day so Spring is really coming...my studio work may suffer, but all is good!

 

 

Out of the Deep Freeze and Loving It!

 

"Morning Glory" (framed)

oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison 

 

It's good to get out of the freezer! Yes it has been a frigid one the last half of February...nothing to write about, besides my fingers have been too numb to type!  Ha!  

 

Well I did try to warm things up a bit in the studio...have been doing some small commissions for people and then decided to try something just for myself...I decided a "Sunrise" was in order.  Haven't really done a sunrise just for a sunrise's sake...had done a painting many years back that had a sunrise in it, but it was done more for the mood and color play in the landscape...that was a painting called "Daybreak - Southwest Corner Fence Line".

 

"Daybreak - Southwest Corner Fence Line"

oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

My latest depiction of a sunrise is "Morning Glory"...it was painted from a sunrise one morning this past August here across the valley from the house and studio.  I was a little unsure of this one as it was a very vivid sky with more color than I've ever thrown into a sky on the easel before!  But after I got into it, I was really enjoying the process!  In fact I've missed painting skies for the sake of it and do want to do more...doesn't need to be another sunrise but then again maybe so...whatever happens is fine by me.  I'll post a larger image below for more detail.

 

"Morning Glory"

oil painting - © Bruce A. Morrison

 

It's finally March and this first day is a fairly pleasant (albeit somewhat chilly) one...guess that means that March has come in like a Lamb...hopefully Spring doesn't throw too many hard balls at us! But regardless, we're finally out of the deep freeze and loving it!

 

Struggling...

The year has started out quite pleasant...not great for driving I'm sure, but the cold foggy mornings have brought pleasant tapestry everywhere.  Its been a mild winter so far.

As far as critters visiting each day, we've had the usual Opossums and Raccoons at the bird feeders during the night and a flush of American Goldfinches, House Finches and a good crop of Purple Finches from up north.  Our Juncos all seemed to have moved south on the heels of the blizzard a couple weeks back and occasionally we still see a Tree Sparrow or two, which is unusual as most winters they tend to stay in good numbers through at least February or March.

Northern Bobwhite Quail

(photograph - © Bruce A. Morrison)

We have had one unusual visitor and I suspect is is an escapee from someone's pen.  We had a Northern Bobwhite for a few days!  It was very skittish and a loner so I don't have much hope for it surviving around here...we have lots of hungry Coyotes, Owls and hawks!  We had a Northern Bobwhite show up here in the valley about 18 years ago too, so this has been fun to see!

A bit of a rush this past Christmas in the studio, some last minute orders and a very slow postal service for shipping anything!  It makes it a bit hectic getting materials and supplies on time for clients!  But we got through it and now settling in for the winter.

I usually try and write a positive blog...I'm struggling with this one...even what to say.

We all witnessed January 6th.  I'm struggling to understand why some seem to think it was no big deal.  I'm struggling to understand why some of our legislators swore an oath to the Constitution, yet are loathe to carry it out.  I'm struggling to understand why people I thought were intelligent, believe anything a classic narcissist says. And I struggle to understand why we can't work together for the common good and benefit of one another.  

I truly hope that this nation can pull together, quit finger pointing, quit crying wolf and be good to one another.  Love thy neighbor as thy self - haven't we learned this yet?

Take care and cherish your family and friends.  I'll say it again - please be good to one another.

Christmas Was White After All...

Am I getting old or what?   Here we were plugging along, being spoiled with warmer than normal days - Georgie even cut Spinach from underneath her row cover in the north yard garden a couple days before Christmas!  We were feeling pretty smug about it all...even been putting off mounting the plow to the truck this fall/winter, I mean - why bother, right?

Ha!  Of course it snowed - it was Christmas yesterday after all!  I only remember one Christmas in NW Iowa when there was no snow, and that was in the mid 1950's!  I remember fussing about how was Santa going to get around - guess I should have looked at the bigger picture...hey he had to deliver to the southern hemisphere too - DUH!  Shouldn't be too hard switching sleigh runners to wheels right?

 But ya, reality raised its head and there we were...spending the last day of no snow and decent temps getting ready for a Blizzard Warning the next day...not a lot of snow, maybe 5"?  Hard to tell when its horizontal.  Pretty good winds...a basic white-out for nearly 10 hours.  Yup, sure looked like Christmas...should be a lot of happy kids anyway!  Us old grumps will just have to enjoy the view - it is pretty😊

Just a week ago we were all excited checking out the "Great Conjunction" of Jupiter and Saturn in the SW sky.  For a good 10 days I thought we were doomed to cloud cover each evening, but two days before the event we got lucky and had a good look...it was kind of cool seeing both Jupiter and Saturn in the camera lens together...were able to see 4 of Jupiter's moons also but not any of Saturn's (Its just a camera lens after all).  The next night we were clouded in again and it seemed maybe the best day - the 21st - might be lost as well.

But we got lucky!  It was pretty windy the evening of the 21st but I did the best I could with the camera/lens...could see just 3 of Jupiter's moons...Callisto was too far out and too dim this time but Saturn was now very close in view with Jupiter.  I tried taking some normal scenes with the two in the background but they just weren't shots I was happy with.  This had plenty of hype for a few weeks before but really (not to rain on parades or the "emotional" event some portrayed) I remember plenty of single planet observations of Jupiter by itself - closer in its orbit to Earth, and Venus - especially last summer(!); that were much brighter than this conjunction...but it really was cool to see both planets so close by one another in the night sky!

And now we're hearing rumbles of another snow system coming in about 3 days.  But its now winter and we'll just settle in to the rhythm of the season; at least the days are now getting longer - that's a positive!

I'm looking forward to a better year ahead...and I know of a few Billion people thinking the same thing...at least we had a White Christmas here and didn't miss out!   

Have a Happy and Blessed New Year, and be kind to one another!