Sharing nature with kids

A school field trip today had me rethinking my volunteer activities in the future -- it's such fun to share nature with children, even on a chilly February morning.

It's magic to encourage noticing furry buds of Japanese magnolia or showing them a "tea" plant.

Even if it's not as vibrant as it is in spring, summer, or fall, nature (in the garden or in the woods) is always magic.

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Lake views

I've taken to walking on the dikes above Lake Hartwell with Woody in the mornings.

The winter views are open and lovely, and the light clear with winter's low humidity.

I'd walked occasionally on the dikes over the years, but there's something now about the expansiveness of the view that draws me now, and I've become a "regular," I suppose.

It's a grounding walk -- I'm mindful now of leaving the Upstate for the mountains of Western North Carolina in a few months for the final time.

And shedding the saved articles, folders, memorabilia, and stuff etc. of decades (both related to work and home) -- hmm.  Both much harder than I ever anticipated, but freeing too.

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Celtic spring

Today marks Imbolc, a Celtic holiday I'd never heard of -- before signing up last fall for a online nature and place-based writing course marked by Celtic holidays.

Hmm, so far we've gone through Samhain (All Hallows Eve/Halloween) and Winter Solstice -- now Imbolc.

Imbolc seems to have turned into Groundhog Day (in North America), in an odd turn --  as the holiday is really about celebrating signs of spring and lengthening days.

So why not thoughts about whether we'll have more weeks of winter to come, or not?

Japanese apricots, crocuses, and snowdrops are already in flower (non-native all).

Prunus mume (Japanese apricot)

Our first native is usually Hepatica, but usually not until late February (lots of posts in the past about first spring flowers!)

I'm noting, too, that in 2009, I wrote about exceptionally early flowering (in January) in our non-native flora, including winter annuals like henbit.

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Signs of spring

Even though it's just at the end of January, there are signs of spring to come. Buds swelling, bluebirds and robins flocking, songs beginning.

I saw a group of 8 Great Blue Herons last week on my morning walk along the dikes above Lake Hartwell.  Most unusual, as normally I'd just see one, or two. 

On this day, too, there were bluebirds foraging in groups, most unusually. Maybe picking up a few dead insects in the grass?  They kept moving ahead of Woody and me, seeming intent on their foraging.

The giant Lonicera fragmantissima in back is now in full flower, and supporting honeybees on warmer afternoons.  We planted it almost 20 years ago as a small, bee-supporting shrub, and as a lawn replacement, and it's flourished.

In our last spring here, in this place, I'm noticing (again) the cycles of the seasons, and what we've contributed to make a vibrant and supportive landscape for birds, bees, etc.  Hmm, it also supports woodchucks and squirrels, and a recent interloper, deer! 

Who knew that deer relish unripe persimmons!   

a normal persimmon crop for our old tree

I've posted quite a bit about the venerable Japanese persimmon we brought with us from Georgia.  I've so enjoyed it.

But deer apparently ATE all of the unripe fruits this fall, amazingly.  I didn't know who the culprit was, until this week, talking to a fellow who was a veteran, and had been stationed in Japan (and loved harvesting persimmons in u-pick sorts of places there. 

He told me that deer loved unripe persimmons!

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Woodpeckers, wrens, and others

Our birdfeeder in the mountains is a platform feeder, which my gardening companion FILLS high with black-oil sunflower seeds each morning (which we buy in 40 lb. bags at the local feed and seed -- in this case, a Southern States store).

When we're there, it's mobbed with the usual seed feeders - tufted titmice, cardinals, and the like, as well as the occasional blue jays, doves, and house finches.

It's always a special treat when the red-bellied woodpeckers drop by, snagging seeds.  We saw several this weekend. 

A search for past posts about red-bellied woodpeckers pulled up all sorts of interesting reminders of past sightings, in addition to other thoughts.

Here's a red-bellied woodpecker we saw in 2012 outside our kitchen window.

A click on the image will take you to the post about this sighting.

The clear and loud calls of Carolina wrens are evident -- I don't think it's breeding season for them, yet, but it's coming.

The days cleared yesterday as the storm passed north and east of us, with nothing more challenging than rain and a few flakes.

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Transitions

I've FINALLY got my camera (a venerable Nikon D100) and lens back after their cleaning and "spa" aka repair at the Nikon facility (in the lens' case).  

It's been months, thankfully much of it filled with travel with a small Panasonic (my hubbie was the photographer), and many images to post afterwards.

There's actually not too much of interest right now in the mountains.  Gloomy skies, dormant perennial beds, and vegetable beds filled with frosted veggies!

I hadn't downloaded any winter break trip photos to my laptop, so am just reminded of last fall's color, looking at the Lightroom stream that's popped up.

This was in November, 2014.

Fall, 2014

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Flowers, mosses, and lichens

There was an extraordinary diversity of mosses, lichens, and flowers in Chilean Patagonia!

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