# Tramping thru Our woods.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Tramping thru our wood the orginal property the last few days. Today I was searching for Ramps,Ransoms or Wild Leeks. Our daffodils are really growning the last 3 to 4 days and Ramps are related to them so figured some would be up.
Well they are not up but I would have gotton some if they had been. Sure would go good in a goulash.

Saw the first butterfly of the week Tuesday afternoon a Mourning Cloak, theyare blach with light yellow dots on there trailing wing edges. 
Also saw a male Pheboie which return a bit before the females.

Yesterday when I had finished cutting up the tree in my lawn customers yard I had several Kildeers running around near by.

This morning I saw my first snake of the spring, a gardner.

The creek and banks is green with forget me not. when they bloom mid June the creek will be a sea of blue. They will bloom even if we get a major rain storm they will be blooming under 6 inches of water.

No trout Lilies or trilliums either.

 Al


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I'm at my house outside of Austin. I'm watching the new bees get water from a water feature that I got at a yard sale. The bees like that better than the dish with rocks for landing spots nearer their hive. 

I am watering a couple of raised beds with veggies and one with flower seeds starting to sprout. I had brought some daffodils down from Missouri, and they are getting close to blooming.

Watching the bees at the hive is AMAZING. Some are coming in with DARK orange pollen on their legs. Beautiful.

Last night I had a very large doe in my front yard. She didn't seem concerned about me being here.

The hummingbirds are back.


----------



## snowlady (Aug 1, 2011)

My daffodils are really popping up. I picked leaves and stuff out of a tiny part of the landscape rock then went to the timber. When I get cramped up picking thru the landscape, I head to the timber to pick up branches. I cut some vines too. They are bright green with huge black thorns. They creep up to the top of the trees and will bend a tree down if not kept cut down. Too early for trillium and jack in the pulpits yet.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

This is strange, I also saw a Pheobe, garter snake and Mourning Cloak today. 

The Mourning Cloak was first, it flew right past my face from the east toward my big Sycamore tree. The Pheobe was in the apple tree, next to the chickadee which was looking over the wren house which the chickadees have nested in the past 2 years. Last was the garter snake. I was trimming back the currant bushes and raspberries which are invading the small garden. As I turned to pull the poke weed stems I saw the coiled snake in the middle of a huge brown Sycamore leaf which was laying on the ground.


----------



## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

I'm watching the snow melt.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Yesterday walking rhe Pups in the morning my stormy discovered another gardner snake.
Saw a pair of sand hill cranes beside the woods in the corn stubble. 
this morning had a Bald Eagle Fly over and dip down to check out the pond.
May have wanted duck for dinner?

 Al


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I've never seen Sandhill cranes. I would like to, sometime. Maybe next year.


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

The first green I saw in our timber, outside of the evergreens and Holly, were the greenbriars. My walks along our trails are usually done with loppers in hand, and I have become rather fixated on cutting down every batch I see. They are a scourge.


----------



## snowlady (Aug 1, 2011)

GTX, that is exactly what I have. I hate that stuff. I do the same with my loppers. I’ve pulled miles of it out of the trees. Yesterday, DH said we were going out to “ pick up sticks”. I had no idea that included pulling fence, too. The was also stick picking involved.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

We have a lot of sandhills that are here all summer and late into the fall. I believe if the water sources didn't freeze in the winter we would have them all year.

Allium are up here now figure won't be long and look like this.









 Al


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

The green briars will climb your trees and choke them out. They will stop a grown dog running full speed thru the brush.
I despise greenbriar and they are now learning to despise me.
Since they have runners below the ground, lopping them once won't kill them. Repeat it each time one tries to pop up from the ground is how you starve them and eventually cause them to die out.
There are mornings I walk our trails I might have a bear smoking a Pall Mall at a stump and I won't notice because my eyes are fixed on those green tormentors.
Just as an fyi, it is also known as cats briar and the devil's yarn.


----------



## snowlady (Aug 1, 2011)

Ooh Devils Yarn. That’s about right!


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I knew the deer were shedding seen it weeks ago. Last evening walking the dog thru the woods came up a spot I would have sworn a deer got hit by a car if it had not been in the woods. spot about 2 feet long and 18 inchs wide just thick with hair. I have watched deer for years and have never seen a deer lay on its back and wiggle like dogs do some but that is what it looked like.

I still have plenty of deer hair for making flies so din't need all that, maybe it will become bird nest building supplies.

 Al


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

That would have been neat to see. I've seen spots where cows did that but not deer.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I walked by there again this evening, decided it would not come out in a picture.

 Al


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Morning walk thru the woods with my Stormy after the rain quit for a brief while. YEA the Ramps are up but not enough to harvest yet. Be chopping at the bit now so I can make soem ramp soup(wild leeks).
Soon there will be fiddle heads and Morels too.

 Al


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I have some ferns up but not the ostrich ferns.
Saw 4 snakes as I was cleaning the drainage ditch. 3 brown snakes and a pretty yelow striped garter.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I have seen several garter snakes so far. Mostly found by my Stormy dog, make the dogs leave them alone though.

Had turtles on the grass mounds in the pond sunning them selves a couple days this week.

 Al


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I love seeing turtles sunning themselves. It's one of my favorite sights when we go for a pontoon ride on the lake. 
Did you know Bald eagles will eat soft shell turtles? Before the shut down we attended a park program and the naturalist told about finding a pile of soft shell turtle shells underneath an eagle nest.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I saw a bald eagle about a week ago fly over and dip to have a closer look at the pond. But in the UPPER see them all the time. watch them catch fish out of the bay all the time too.

Al


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

As part of my son's now stay at home college education, he has to, twice a week, walk or run for 30 minutes and upload the results thru an app to his instructor. So, he accompanies me on my dawn or dusk treks along our trails. Late yesterday, we were about 500 yds from the house, when we could hear our dogs barking. Shortly after, we could hear the unmistakable high pitched yipes of a pack of Coyotes not far beside us. I am so glad I had kept the dogs at the house, or I'd have been in timber all night tracking them down.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

When I hear the coyotes that close to the house I call a friend or two. We try to call them to the gun I just don't want them so close to the house.

But if there is to much life stuff going on I will carry a hand gun when I walk my dogs.

Al


----------



## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

A sidearm is on my hip about as much as my pocket knife. We are currently setting up animal fencing just out of sight of the house, so they are going to be an issue. I am counting on it being in the short term.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

LoL I don't carry a pocket knife.

Al


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I started carrying a pocket knife several years ago. Even a small one comes in handy.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I quit carrying several years ago I flew a lot and they always wanted to take them.

Al


----------



## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

alleyyooper said:


> LoL I don't carry a pocket knife.
> 
> Al


 We're going to have to make a note in your file Al. A couple more like that and we may have to suspend your man card.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Yes by all means take the man card, just don't try to give me a sissy card like so many have who do carry.

Al


----------



## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

Man needs a pocket knife Al, hell, even women folks oughta have one. Just a handy tool. I hear ya about the security thing though. I had to go to the District Court here 6 or 8 months ago on a civil matter. 

Surrendered my pocket knife (should have remembered to leave it in the truck). When I left, I just accepted my knife. When I got home I discovered that it was a smaller model of the Old Timer I had surrendered. All worked out though, when I contacted the security officer and we worked out the exchange.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

All that trouble over a pocket knife. Could see it if it were a pistol or a rifle but a pocket knife?
Here you can't even go in the court house with a cell phone, camera ya know.

Al


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Any time I have to go into the courthouse I leave my knife in my purse in the trunk. I have to take it off the key ring but the only time I go to the courthouse is to pay property taxes. The hospital emergency room is another matter. I just hand them the whole key ring, they put my name on the envelope. You have to show id to get the envelope.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Friday morning Stormy and I were walking our center path came over the hill there is a rabbit dead beside the trail. Don't allow stormy near it but give it a good look, head gone and intrails nearly all out of the body. Appears we had scared the killer off.
Saturday evening I take Lily up that trail and get where the rabbit had been, nothing but a mess of fur. Seems the killer was a hawk we had scared off by the looks of the hair pile. Afraid it didn't take a real good picture.




At least I know now for sure the deer hair would not have came out at all.


I met several of my girls out there today. they were very skidish seeing me with out the dogs. What is that man up to was the look on their faces. We know him though he keeps talking sweet nothings to us.

Love those radar dish ears. I got teased as a kid for my big ears.


The shedding sure makes them look raggedy.



Hey Momma why are you down here all alone? All the others were back down the trail, they were afraid of me with no doggies. You sure are looking ruff but I suppose a lot of girls feel that way today with not being able to go to thre beauty shop.




Al


----------



## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

Great pictures Al! Thanks for sharing. The girls are definitely putting away their winter coats. They will be pretty again come June


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

They should have their pretty red summer coats here by May or mid may at least.

Al


----------



## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Trampling thru our back porch photos (from Saturday, 4/11).....


----------



## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

One of these days I'll get the initiative to post a picture of the fifty or so turkeys roaming about the place, if the granddaughter can stop taking up so much of my picture taking interest. Got one male that is particularly handsome. Saw him taking it out on one of his dames in the backyard the other day. Called the wife's attention to it but she said it was porn


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Al, I thought it was a good picture of the rabbit fur. It's a lot more than I have seen in a pile. Most of the predators here are cats and foxes, they don't leave piles of fur.

I don't get to see deer that close. Too many people for them to feel comfortable.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

I talk to my girls. always let them know I or the dogs won't bother them.

Is funny when I am alone even though I talk to them they get nervous. Yesterday they were up and moving when I was walking about back there. This morning with the dogs they just laid there chewing their cuds.

Al


----------



## Twp.Tom (Dec 29, 2010)

Small deer in our village......


----------



## Twp.Tom (Dec 29, 2010)

Still lot's of snow here!


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

It's pretty. One thing about snow, it makes you appreciate the green growth in spring much more.


----------

