Red trillium, or wake robin, is appearing on the forest floor. It is one of the first flowers of the season, taking advantage of the light before the foliage returns. Trillium is a striking plant, but its scent of rotting meat is for a slightly different audience. Click on the image for a larger view.
Category Archives: Life at Home
Daylily—Edible Plants
Our daylilies are emerging. While the daylily (hemerocallis fulva) is known as a decorative plant, it is also edible. This time of year we eat the young shoots by stir frying them in soy sauce and serving them on tofu. We harvest the shoots when they are only a few inches long. The ones pictured here would be a little too old. Click on the image for a larger view.
Wild Plum, Spring Blossoms
This spring has been wet and gray. The foliage is just starting to appear on our trees. However, our wild plum has come into blossom. This is our messenger of spring. One corner of our land glows with these brilliant white flowers. As the blossoms mature, they turn a deep pink. Click on the image for a larger view.
Spring Lights
Young trees in our field in near infrared. Click on the image for a larger view.
Spring Lights
The spring foliage of young trees in our field. The foliage is white because the image was taken in the near infrared. Chlorophyll is highly reflective in infrared. Click on the image for a larger view.
Green
Our forest in July. After a long winter, it is hard to imagine the intensity of the canopy foliage. Click on the image for a larger view.
Trees
Click on the image for a larger view.
Receding Ice
Our forest floor. This has been a warm week and the snow pack has mostly receded from the forest. Click on the image for a larger view.
Spring Thaw
Sunday was warm and sunny. Spring could be smelt in the air. This trend is expected to continue through the week. Winter finally seems in retreat. With the melting snow pack comes our vernal streams and ponds. This water is clear like glass. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tracks
When taking Hikari out at night, we mostly hear the wind in the trees. Most animals keep a distance from the house because of our dog. So it is always a surprise to hear the sound of a large mammal being startled, as happened the other night. The next day, not only we found evidence of the animal, but also of its other two companions. We often see small herds of deer this time of year, but they usually avoid the area around our house. Click on the image for a larger view.
