The other day, Mike spotted this deer standing in our neighbor’s front yard. I subsequently followed the deer, along with a police cruiser who was trying to entice the deer into the woods or back towards the direction of the swamps. I know it’s common for people to spot deer in suburban New Jersey, but it’s not something you see everyday here on Main Street. He eventually disappeared into the woods.
This little robin is living in a nest in my arborvitae with two other little robins right outside my front door! They’re so close to the door that you can watch the mommy robin feed her babies. It’s TOO CUTE! (Coincidentally, deer LOVE to eat arborvitae trees. Arbs are like candy to them. Fortunately, the deer in my neighbor’s yard didn’t make it anywhere near our little nest.)
There’s momma!
She won’t fly up to feed them if I’m standing outside, so this was taken from inside the door, hence the bad contrast. Plus, she literally drops the worm into the baby’s mouth, then flies away. It all takes a split second, then she’s off to search for more worms. It’s kind of intoxicating to be so close to a little family right in my front yard. Next project: find the bunnys’ nest.
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 10:34 am
Eleven days after Easter: Can you see the drama of the dogwood watch? From a distance, I would never have noticed that this tree is on the verge of beginning to blossom.
Zooming in on the same picture, I see a hundred bullet pointers! (That’s what pointers that have little round dots on the end are called in info-graphics.) Is it just me, or are you just as excited as I am to see all those dots turn into big beautiful flowers? It’s a yearly miracle!
What do you think: is that the moon above or the sun?
I was trying to get both buds in focus but seriously blur the background.
Shifting just a little in my frame, I get the fireplace blurred in the background instead of the arborvitae. Wow, it really changes the whole look of the picture. Backgrounds, even blurry ones, are SO important!
(This is the picture above, zoomed in really close.)
Months before we started to see leaves emerging, and the coloring up of the petals, and the slightest hint of the petals beginning to open, this one bud was inside that tree, ever so slowly pushing through. I think of trees as being asleep in the winter, almost lifeless. But that’s SO not true! The miracle is happening. I just can’t see it until the dawn of spring.
I wonder what other little miracles like that are happening all around me right now that I’m missing. What else is just below the surface? My dogwood is reminding me to slow down, rest, appreciate the miracle of starting again.
We have five super-official guesses as to how long it will take our dogwood to reach full blossom.
I said 21 days after Easter — April 13.
My Gemini alter ego said 11 days. (Since that milestone has come and gone, my alter ego is the big loser.)
Brad and Heidi both said 17 days — April 9.
Carolina Girl said 23 days after Easter — April 15.
Jeff from Linden said 40 days — May 2. (Love the symbolism of “40 days.”)
What’s your guess?
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:15 am
NOTE TO EVERYBODY! PLEASE READ ON…
Above, that’s my front yard.
MY E-MAIL IS DOWN AGAIN.
That’s a leaf on my October Glory red maple.
So I thought I’d post a few pictures of my trees, all taken yesterday. Something pretty to look at while we wait for e-mail to return.
Isn’t this one of my Red Sunset red maple cute?
But if you need to reach me, you can either call, or E-MAIL ME AT jwsphoto@gmail.com.
Above, deep inside my Red Sunset Red Maple the leaves are much less red.
He’s bright red on the outside though.
See?
Full-length pictures of three trees: Top, Bradford pear is just beginning to show a little orange on the leaf tips. Left, an Armstrong maple glimmers in the morning sun. Right, October Glory red maple is not yet at peak color.
The October Glory may be red on the outside, but inside, she’s decidedly yellow.
That’s the October Glory on the left, growing into one of the Bradford pears.
And this is the other Bradford pear on the left, and my sugar maple on the right. LOTS of color this year! Lots of leaves too. Anybody want to organize a raking party?
From underneath the October Glory, an arborvitae is bright green in front of the red sunset.
The Greenspire Linden usually turns soft yellow, but not this year. So far, pale green.
That’s one of the Armstrong maples in the background. So pretty!
A leaf on my October Glory.
I love fall
*sigh*
I hate when my e-mail is down.
Happy honey-baked ham day!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 8:48 am
“I know why your
arborvitae keep dying,” Bradley said.
I did not look away from my computer screen.
“Mom!”
“Yes Bradley. You were saying?”
“Would you at least go out and take pictures of your arborvitae? They miss you. They’re dying because you’ve stopped paying attention to them.”
All this time I thought it was because of Bradley’s moisture-hogging, shade-birthing maple tree.But no. Uh, sorry. I have to end this post early. I’ve got trees to save…
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 7:09 am
Lost two more
arborvitae this winter, and not only that, but my
Tree Grower’s Diary Web site was dead all last week. Little problem with the host not receiving the check I sent, and they never responded to my online customer service ticket, so anyway, after more than an hour on the phone this morning, all seems to be up and well again. Well, except there ain’t nothing that’s going to bring those dead arborvitae back. I need a new screen tree! Help!
posted by Julie Walton Shaver at 11:41 am
