Showing posts with label trees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trees. Show all posts
5/31/2015
new growth among the evergreens
3/26/2015
March - signs of Spring in Minnesota
The maple trees are seeping sap and bursting buds. The Robins are back for the nesting season. I'm sure I've heard the sound of warblers singing . . . .
1/03/2015
January - winter buds
Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica |
On winter days like these . . .
cold and windy . . .
it may look like the trees in the
wild wild woods are bare,
but when I take a closer look . . .
Black Chokeberry Aronia melanocarpa |
Viburnum (left), Forsythia (above), Lilac (below) |
These deciduous trees and shrubs actually formed buds last summer during their active growing season. To survive the cold of winter they have gone dormant.
But next spring's burgeoning leaves and flowers are already in place, so the trees won't need to use energy now to grow those complex leaf and flower structures.
11/14/2014
tree harvest
Birds survive winter on available seeds wherever they can find a harvest. Birch trees offer seeds hanging in clusters for American Goldfinches and Dark-eyed Juncos.
The seed pods on Boxelder trees are savored by Grey Squirrels too.
4/25/2014
blooming trees and shrubs
6/07/2013
new cones on evergreens
1/22/2013
dogwood in January
Two varieties of dogwood brighten the edge of the wild wild woods. Cornus alba 'Ivory Halo' displays dark rich red twigs in the winter. Cornus sericea 'Cardinal' glows with bright crimson bark, quite brilliant in the sunlight against the snow. They both provide a fine tangle for the red feathered birds (Cardinals, House Finches, Redpolls) to hide in plain sight.
1/04/2013
trees in January
Maple Acer rubrum buds |
The trees sent out new twigs and lengthened their branches last Summer. During Autumn, leaf buds were set on this new growth.
Now, in January, those buds on the deciduous trees in the wild woods are dormant.
The buds are actually embryos packed into a protective outer scale. Each tree species' buds are a different shape, size, texture, and color.
In Springtime, they will all open to become flowers and leaves.
Larch Larix laracina buds and cone |
12/08/2012
the mushroom tree
12/01/2012
shelf mushroom
This "shelf mushroom" was growing on a tree in the woods all summer. This type grows on trees that are probably rotting inside, so there may be a new woodpecker tree in our future. The mushroom looked vital from all angles, so I snapped photos thinking I would draw or paint it later. Now, after some frosty nights, it is even more interesting. Which one to draw . . . ?
11/25/2012
white spot Goldfinch
The American Goldfinches Spinus tristis were feeding this morning on seeds of the birch trees. This Goldfinch looked unusual because of the white spot on his head; it may be an albino variant, or a molting mistake.
boxelder seeds
The Boxelder Acer negundo tree has dropped all its leaves, but the seed pods remain for the birds to enjoy all winter. This cluster, dry and golden in the sunlight, hangs among fading red sumac Rhus leaves on the edge of the woods. The background green is the last-to-drop leaves of the invasive buckthorn Rhamnus.
11/17/2012
larch cones
Although a conifer, the larch is a deciduous tree. In summer it has lush green needle-like leaves; it will lose these golden leaves to the autumn winds as the needles dry out. This tree, Larix laricina, is more than twenty feet tall; it grows on the edge of the woods in the low swale that is constantly moist. This tree is also known as Tamarack Larch or American Larch. Larch are used as a food plant by the larvae of a number of butterflies.
11/09/2012
roost hole
Walking in the woods today, I noticed this hole in an old elm tree. It faces away from the usual windy direction, so probably a good roosting spot for some critter in the winter.
11/07/2012
sunset on wild woods
Most of the leaves have dropped, but the sunset lights the branches, twigs, and remaining leaves atop the wild woods.
4/03/2012
larch cones
The larch branches still bear cones from last year while this year's new cones open among them. The larch Larix laricina is also known as Tamarack . It's cones are approximately one inch tall, upright, initially rosey red and then turning brown. The cones fall in the second year and have a pair of brown long-winged seeds.
3/24/2012
maple flowers
The maple trees are blooming. When the first blossoms on this variety Acer rubrum appear, they are golden; they become red in just a few days. Once the seeds form they remain red in extreme contrast to the leaves that open gold and become green.
5/12/2011
5/07/2011
pussywillows
5/04/2011
maple trees in bloom
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