APRIL PHOTO A DAY: PEARS ON THE WAY!

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A WEEK AGO THESE WERE TIGHT BUDS. The pear bloom has commenced. The Bartletts and Rescue are the first to bloom followed by Comice. We planted our three variety espaliered pear tree in 1996. So far the week has been dry but cool and some sun nearly every day. A little more warmth will encourage the pollinators to come out and do their job. Keeping my fingers crossed for a good crop this year.

APRIL PHOTO A DAY: APRIL TULIPS

THIS GREAT SPECIES TULIP is tulipa bakeri. Species tulips are great colonizers for large or small areas and they have just begun blooming in the last few days. They are relatively small, growing to about twelve inches. The color is a vibrant pink/mauve with a bright yellow center. The bloom period is several weeks and the flowers hold for almost two weeks. This is one of our favorites.

APRIL PHOTO A DAY: SANDHILL CRANES

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WE WENT TO OTHELLO, Washington area to view migrating Sandhill Cranes over the weekend. Small cameras have limitations and overall the new camera as a point-and-shoot does pretty well, but in this situation the zoom was not good enough. But, just imagine this as one slice of a fifty (?) acre + field. In this field there were thousand upon thousands of cranes and Canada Geese. We were as close as we could get to them without spooking them and had to stay in the car. It was a truly amazing mix of  sound and sight, birds as far as we could see – in flight as well. Really memorable.

These cranes were in another field about five miles down the road; probably four or five hundred.

APRIL PHOTO A DAY: HOSTA LANCIFOLIA

HOSTA LANCIFOLIA is the earliest hosta to fully emerge here and is another transplant from Grandma T’s garden. It’s elegant slim leaves shoot for the sky as they emerge and remain vibrant green all season.

APRIL PHOTO OF THE DAY: BUDDING PEARS

THESE FLOWER BUDS ARE LIKE LITTLE PINK PEARLS and will begin blooming in about a week, I think. If we are lucky to have fair weather for pollinators, we should have plenty of pears this year.