by Judy Appel | Nov 11, 2021 | Uncategorized
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.
by Judy Appel | Nov 6, 2021 | Photos
Canadian Geese Coming in for Landing
European Starlings
Judy’s Resident Northern Mockingbird
Quail Run Hole #6 Killdeer Resident
by Judy Appel | Nov 6, 2021 | Uncategorized
Saturday morning, October 30, I flew southward on a Airbus 321.
Weather was “Clear and a Million” as my pilot son would described it. From my window seat framed pictures show a patchwork of subtile fall colors passing below. River valleys provided the quilted boarder of white fog fluff of Minnesota countryside. Passing over the more flat, arid farm lands of Kansas and Nebraska circular irrigation circles dotted the land with symmetry. Several creative farmers equally divided their soil circles into perfect 180 pie cuts anticipating spring planting. We passed over Colorado just south of Colorado Springs. Only a slight muting of dry mountain tops hinted of a recent dusting of snow. Clearly drought parched lands continue to beg for a return to more normal periodical rainy weather patterns.
I drifted in and out of dreams. Preparation for the departure had been intense. Flying is a relaxing transition for me. I enjoy flights where the plane gently rocks periodically to let me know that the pilots are awake and all is well. This day I had also been calmed by a pretty powerful Bloody Mary purchased at the newly constructed Zone Cocina restaurant across the aisle from Gate 9 F. Boarding the plane my belly was full. This charming dog slept through the flight near me.
My delightful neighbor picked me up, took me to lunch, and delivered me to my desert home. She recently retired, bought an RV and is now into a vagabond life of travel and meeting new people. It’s a joy to listen to her enthusiasm .
Unpacking was simple. Time and energy were left for a neighborhood walk.
Northern Geese were not far behind my flight landing. A flock was preparing for their splash down on the pond in my Quail Run neighborhood. Listening I walked out on my patio to scan the sky above my home in the Valley of the Sun.
A new world ecosystem surrounds me. Please join me as we explore land, sky, water and living creatures over the next few months.
by Judy Appel | Oct 21, 2021 | Photos
North Wind Dispersing Milkweed Seeds
Sunrise Over Frosty Beaver Lake Depression
Fairy Ring in White Pine Forest
Trumpeter Swan Reflections
by Judy Appel | Oct 8, 2021 | Uncategorized
October is my birthday month.
The beauty of the changing colors of deciduous trees, mild weather and delicious scents of the autumn season have always lured me into the woods in October. Up here in the Gillespie Creek neighborhood the forest is often silent midday.. Early morning and late afternoon the songs of Sparrow, Vireo, Chickadee. Wren, Nuthatch and Finch are syncopated by the bold calls of Cardinal, Crow, Blue Jay. Mornings, Swans trumpet, Sandhill Cranes Coo, Canadian Geese Honk. This week faint calls of migrating ducks mix into the joyful symphony .
A deep breath brings the perfume of falling leaves and pine needles. Each now seeded grass clump emits an essence. All olfactory stimulation is sweetened by the lingering Wild Aster blossoms on a sunny day. Mist in the morning deepens the aroma..
A walk in the wild is calming to me. I always leave the woods refreshed and smiling.
Have I seen all the birds? No. Is there evidence of the processes that bring about all of Nature’s visible response? No
Walking along, every creature knows I’m intruding into their territory. Crunching leaves along my footpath have signaled my presence. The gentle tap of my walking stick alert Garter Snakes of an invader approaching.
Birds often silence. Many other hidden processes engage preparations for possible danger approaching .
This week wild mushrooms are featured in my newsletter. Researching mushrooms, I find a compelling story.
Two sources: a YouTube Power Point prepared by Brewster Johnson and an essay by Meg Schader of “Sciencing.com” give a bit of insight into one of these mysteries.
The Wild Mushroom; Tree Connection
In an article published 9/30/21 Meg relates recent revelations. Mushrooms are the communicators of the forest. Brewster Johnson presents the astonishing fact that the surface mushroom reveals only 5% of the entire plant. The mushroom itself is simply the reproductive part of the mushroom organism. According to Meg scientists believe that trees exchange messages through 95% of mushroom systems (fungi) living below the surface by entwining their networks with tree roots in a mutualistic relationship. The mushroom fungi form an intricate web of communication amongst the tree roots, helping to distribute messages and nutrients between a wide network of interconnected trees.
What do trees talk about with the help of the mushroom network? They send stress signals, alert neighbors to impending dangers like bugs, toxins and deforestation. The trees then release hormones and chemicals to defend themselves from predators.
L
Look closely at my photo of the Horse Mushroom. Do you see the slug with its antenna stretched out on the mushroom’s underside spore surface? I find that some mushrooms are carnivorous. Nematodes are their prey! The mushroom can paralyze the nematode within a few minutes of its contact. Interestingly the nematodes, the same pests that often infest our garden Hosta are the most abundant animal in the soil. Mushroom help to control them.
Treasure the often hidden garden mushroom. Not only are Horse, Puffball and Morels delicious to eat. Each lives its hidden life purposely, an instrument for sustaining the balance of life on our changing planet.
