Gillespie Creek
The weather remains warmer than usual and no significant snow has fallen. Yesterday, November 10, 2021, birds were feeding in a frenzy at my son Robert’s sunflower feeder. Chick-a-dee, Nuthatch, both white and red breasted, Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckersand a Cardinal fought for a foothold for hours. Today about 3/4″ of rain has fallen, the sky remains cloudy with temperatures above freezing. Gillespie Creek’s watershed remains at least 5″ below average in rain fall. Sadly the flock of Wild Turkeys that we have been watching grow and prosper in their County Road B habitat were all wiped out by a careless driver in the past week. I hold out hope that a breeding pair has survived somewhere near by. The best news is that plants in the greenhouse are thriving! Can’t you just imagine how nice it smells in there!
Loon Lake
Today the Loon Lake neighborhood’s final signature tree has achieved its fall splendor. This stunning Maple tree has always been the last to color and lose its leaves. Now we have finally identified the species. It’s as a Black Maple. This tree more commonly grows in the southern part of Minnesota and is native. My tree was a gift from friends Dick and Marsha Wetzler. Dick dug it up in his dad’s yard in eastern Minneapolis. I received it in October of 1990, for my 50th birthday. The first growth died. This second try has naturalized itself and become a beacon in the fall. As you see its leaves are huge, gold in color and its trunk now quite black. Earlier in the season it is more grayish.
