Spring Cleaning

A cool but sunny morning and a pool of water enticed this sparrow to take a dip. After a pretty good soaking it shook off in a nearby bush of honeysuckle, sounding like a kid softly thumbing a deck of cards.

Egg Duty

Our Osprey is incubating the eggs. She is tucked down into the nest, especially in this cool, blustery weather. We will be looking for hatchlings around the first week of May.

Snow Fountain

My ornamental weeping cherry is near peak flowering. Hope this latest storm doesn't strip it of the blooms.

White-throated Sparrow Trois

Still here and probably here for another couple weeks, the winter sparrows fill the spring air with song. An article in the morning paper quotes a bird watcher stating that neo-tropical birds have been seen in a south eastern NC swamp.

Hawk, another look

Here's a look at the Sharp-shinned hawk just before he flew off. This is a good look at the skinny legs that helped to identify the hawk.

Green onions

Green onions that I let go to seed provide some architectural interest in the garden. It's also a great idea to mix an onion in with your flowers. The leaves are puffy, give 'em a gentle squeeze and they feel like a clown's animal balloons.

Arugula flowering

The pretty little cross shaped flower of Arugula. We have a bunch flowering now; soon little seed pods that are similar to radish will form and give us plenty to plant in the future. Meanwhile a fresh patch of new seedlings will supply us with the peppery leaves we love in our salad. This is a pretty hardy herb, it overwintered well here.