Deer ticks

Spring is here and we are spending more time outdoors enjoying the warm weather, but this warm weather also brings out the Deer Ticks (Ixodes scapularis). Mary found this tick after doing some yard work.



Deer ticks have a two-year life cycle, during which time it passes through three stages: larva, nymph, and adult. The tick must take a blood meal at each stage before maturing to the next. Deer tick females latch onto a host and drink its blood for four to five days. After the tick has consumed its blood meal, it drops off and overwinters in the leaf litter of the forest floor. The following spring, the female lays up to a few thousand eggs in clusters.

Ticks are very hardy creatures. Expect them to be active even after a moderate to severe frost, as daytime temperatures can warm them enough to keep them actively searching for a host. In the spring, they can be one of the first invertebrates to become active.

Busy Bee

Wildflowers are starting to bloom and honey bees are busy collecting nectar from any flowers they can find. It was a cool and windy day, and the honey bees were working on the dandelions behind our barn.



The little yellow "dots" on the honey bees are pollen grains from the dandelions. Hay fever season has started.

Wildflower - Spring Beauty

I was walking around our West Hill property and found large patches of the wildflower Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica). This perennial wildflower is about 3-6" tall and is one of the earliest-blooming wildflowers.



This low-growing plant has tiny underground tubers that can be prepared and eaten just like potatoes. Another common name for the Spring Beauty is the "Fairy Spud." The tiny, sweet tubers are high in potassium and vitamin A and are a good source of calcium and vitamin C. They can be eaten raw, boiled, fried, roasted, or mashed.

Looking for Shade

The warm spring weather has returned to the neighborhood, but most of the trees haven't developed leaves to create a shady foliage canopy. Some our the local neighborhood deer haven't completely shed their winter fur coats and found a cool, shady spot next to our cabin.

Young Buck

The warm spring weather is here and this young neighborhood buck is shedding his winter coat and starting to grow his first set of antlers.

Bald Eagle

For the second time this spring I found a Bald Eagle near the bridge over Wysox Creek. Bald eagles are opportunistic feeders and subsist mainly on fish, which it swoops down and snatches from the water with its talons. I spotted this bald eagle in a tree next to Wysox Creek and it may have been waiting for the trout stocking of the creek which was scheduled for today.

Trapping a Pipeline Pig

The pipeline operations crew was on our property today to trap a "pipeline pig". Part of the routine maintenance of a natural gas pipeline is to remove water, scale and rust from the pipeline using a device called a "pig". The "pipeline pig" is inserted into the pipeline at a valve assembly known as a "pig launcher" and pushed through the pipeline by the pressure of the natural gas until it is caught in the "pig trap" at the other end of the pipeline. With the "pig" in the "trap", valves are positioned to isolate the "pig" in the "trap" section and valves are opened to release the excess pressure in the "trap".



Once the excess pressure has been removed from the "trap" section the door can be opened and the "pig", water and pipeline scale can be removed.



Due to cold weather, the water in the "trap" had turned to ice.

Wildflower - Teasel

Most wildflowers wilt and fade away shortly after they bloom, but Common Teasel doesn't go away easily. After its flowers disappear the egg-shaped seed head can still be found a year later.



A close-up view shows the thorny spikes that cover the seed head.

Snow!!!

SNOW... it was a couple of days late for an "April Fools" joke. We went all winter without any measurable snow fall and now we get 3-4 inches of snow after several days of temperatures in the 50s and 60s (F).



This storm started as a warm rain that changed to snow with high winds overnight. About 2:30AM I was awoken by the sound of the howling wind and the crash of a nearby tree. I then discovered 4 inches for snow on the ground and our electrical power was off. At daybreak I could hear the sound of a chain saw and found the power company working to restore our electric service. Our power was restored about 8:30AM and by the afternoon the snow had melted from the roads and green grass was visible in the lawns.

Enjoying a Spring Day

The local deer have had it easy this winter without any snow cover and I found this deer enjoying the warm spring weather.