Hickory leaf-stem gall

I was doing some clean-up with the brush mower today when I noticed this strange yellow/green object on a hickory tree.



After additional inspection of the hickory tree I found several more of the objects including this larger group of 4. After some Internet research I've determined the objects to be Hickory leaf-stem galls.



The inside of the gall was somewhat hollow with a dark material in the center.



The dark material in the center of the gall was very small Phylloxera aphids. These aphids cause very little damage to the hickory tree.

Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly

A couple of weeks ago grandson Reed and I found some Baltimore Checkerspot caterpillars at our pond, some of the caterpillars are now butterflies.

Fawns

I'm starting to see more of this year's fawns out exploring their neighborhood. I found these deer in Wysox Creek.

Cooling Off

The temperature has moved into the 80's and the neighborhood deer are using our pond to cool off. I was mowing the lawn at the pond and noticed several deer and fawns standing in the shallow end of the pond.



I saw 3 fawns use the pond to cool off.

Feeding Geese

Grandson Reed likes to feed the geese on our pond at least once or twice a day.



The geese are molting their old feathers now and Reed has a plan for some of them ...



Reed has been doing density experiments with objects he finds around the pond. He will take objects such as rocks, wood, flowers and feathers, and ask me if they will sink or float before tossing them in the pond.



He also likes to propagate wave patterns in the water. (This also requires hand sanitizer after testing)

Caterpillars

Reed and I were at our pond this morning to feed the geese and take a short walk around the pond. I was trying to locate a bird nest at the edge of the pond when I found several caterpillars feeding. Mr. Reed needed a closer look.



It was a Baltimore checkerspot caterpillar feeding on a plant known as turtlehead (Chelone glabra).



A close-up of the caterpillar feeding. Hopefully I'll be able to photograph the Baltimore checkerspot butterflies when they emerge.

Snake Wrangling

After this morning's breakfast we asked grandson Reed what he wanted to do today. His answer was, look for animals such as frogs, geese, foxes, deer, crayfish, snakes, etc. It didn't take long to find one of his animals. In our garage was a small Milk Snake and Reed was given the job of removing it from the garage.



Reed convinced the snake to leave the garage and move to the lawn.



Reed wanted to pick up the snake but we advised him this wasn't a good idea since milk snakes are more aggressive than the garter snakes he has handled in the past.

Trees are Dangerous

The warm dry weather has finally arrived so I've been able to work on some overdue tree removal in our yard. After one close call with a dead ash tree this spring, I wasn't as lucky with a small dead peach tree. I spent yesterday afternoon in the local emergency room getting a dislocated shoulder reset. Tomorrow I will see a doctor about surgery.



Since chainsaws are very dangerous tools, I decided to just manually push over/remove this small dead peach tree located in a very steep section of our lawn. I expected the tree to have dead roots and thereby pop out of the ground. The tree roots were securely anchored in the ground and after a strong push the tree snapped at the ground-line and I was launched over the tree and several feet down the hillside.



I tried to cushion my landing by making first contact to the ground with my head, but most of my body weight was transferred to my right shoulder as I slid down the hill. At this point my right arm was painful and unresponsive. It was another 20 minutes before I was able to get off the ground and return to the house for help.

The base of the peach tree.

Tree Removal

It was time to remove four Box Elder trees near our "red" garage that were starting to die and drop limbs. These trees all had a tendency to twist and lean toward the garage, which complicated the removal process. A lot of chain and a come-along anchored at the base of a red pine tree helped adjust the direction the tree fell.



Two trees down on the southeast corner.



The tree on the northeast corner had the most lean toward the garage and the fewest options on where to drop. I had to used my tractor as an anchor point for the come-along.



This photo shows the tree leaning to the right and top heavy toward the garage. Some damage to the rhododendron when the tree came down, but no damage to the garage.



The rhododendrons and azaleas should enjoy the extra sunlight.

Feeding Geese

The neighborhood geese know the sight of my truck means a meal and they head for the feeding area.



Mr. Reed throwing corn for the geese.



The geese quickly move in to clean up the corn.

Reed's Safari

Grandson Reed is back visiting us.

Reed and I stopped at our pond in the evening to feed the geese some corn and while leaving noticed this young fawn wading across the shallow end of the pond.



While we were watching the fawn in the pond, we were being watched by this deer (maybe the fawn's mother). Reed needed a closer look at the deer.



Reed needed a selfie of him with the deer.