Spring Deer Hunt

After several unsuccessful days of hunting for fawns I bagged my first "fawn in the nest" photo of the 2019 Spring Deer Hunt season. This one is a couple of weeks old and after finding its hoof prints in the mud for days I finally got a photo. There are still more fawns out there to find and photograph.

New Fawns

This year's crop of fawns are starting to appear and I caught this scene along a township road.



I'm guessing this fawn is about two weeks old. This feeding lasted at least 5 minutes.



The fawn is full and now it's nap time.

Wildflower - Daisy Fleabane

Daisy Fleabane is another small (1/2 inch) wildflower that starts blooming in the late spring.



This small member of the very large Aster family has a pink tint to the ray florets when it blooms. The ray florets then turn white and surround the yellow center disk.



This large cluster of Daisy Fleabane was growing next to Mary's iris bed.

Lawn Mowing in the Northeast

Most of the lawns in our neighborhood haven't dried out from last year's record breaking rain and this spring's constant rain has made lawn mowing a challenge. Since grass in the lawns won't stop growing, it has become a common sight to see muddy tire tracks from lawn mowers in freshly mowed lawns.



Mud stained grass and ruts. The tree in the lawn died of root rot.



Standing water in tire ruts.



Almost every neighbor has a story about getting their lawn mower stuck on flat ground.



You know the mowing conditions are bad when you find a Snapping Turtle using a water filled rut in the lawn as a wadding pool.





Walking across the lawn leaves muddy footprints. (And it rained again after these pictures were taken)

The Moocher

As part of my daily routine, I went to our pond today and put out some corn for the family of geese, but before I had left a yearling deer came in and started eating the corn. This deer must have watched my past routine and knew if it moved quickly it could get an easy meal.



I got this photo of the "moocher" in mid-chew as it was trying to swallow the evidence.

Geese Family

The family of geese that moved to our pond earlier this spring are doing well and come to welcome me when they see my truck. Of course the fact that I bring food each time may explain their happy greeting. I can get within 3 feet of the geese and walk freely among them.



The little goslings have grown a lot (it must be all the corm I feed them) and are starting to get their wing and tail feathers.



While this flock has accepted me as a friend, they can tell the difference between me and Mary. Mary has to stay in the truck while I feed them.

Tale of Two Turtles

Question - Why did the turtle cross the road
Answer - To lay some eggs

It's egg laying time for turtles, and with two ponds in the neighborhood it's not unusual to find turtles crossing a road. This morning I found this Eastern Painted Turtle preparing to cross Joyce Road. After taking a few pictures I picked the turtle up and placed it on the other side of the road.



A couple hours after finding the Eastern Painted Turtle I found this guy on the road to our cabin. Don't mistake the face of this Snapping Turtle as having a smile. The beak of this turtle is like a powerful can opener and a Snapping Turtle will use it if given a chance.



Unlike the Eastern Painted Turtle which let me pick it up, this Snapping Turtle was in full defense mode when I approached and started to charge me. Snapping Turtles have very long necks which they keep retracted until they need to strike. Also note the rows of spike-like scales on each leg.



Not only did this Snapping Turtle have spikes on its legs, there are spikes on its tail.

Wildflower - Buttercup

Buttercups are a common wildflower with a small, 1/2 inch, bright yellow blossom on tall stems. Buttercups have an acrid foliage that is usually avoided by grazing animals because it is toxic and can cause irritation of the mouth and digestive tract. As a result, Buttercups are often found in pastures used by grazing farm animals. The toxic foliage of the buttercup becomes inactive once the plant is dried and therefore safe in hay used by livestock.



What the buttercup flower lacks in size, it can make up with numbers. This is the hay field next to our barn.



A view of the field from my drone. Our barn is in the upper left of the photo.

The Curse of Autumn Olive

Autumn Olive is a deciduous shrub native to China, Japan and Korea that made its way to the United States in 1830 as an ornamental. In the 1970s it was promoted by our local conservation office as a way to provide wildlife habitat and plants were sold by the conservation office in "Rural Landscaping" packages.

Its cream to pale yellow fragrant flowers bloom in early spring and bring on an abundance of pink to red berries. Each Autumn Olive shrub can produce up to 200,000 seeds each year which are eaten by birds and scatter throughout pastures and along roadsides.



While one or two of these flowering shrubs would be welcomed, Autumn olive is an invasive species with a goal of total world domination.

Autumn Olive can quickly grow to 20 feet tall creating a dense shade that hinders the growth of plants that need lots of sun.



While the fragrant flowers of other spring time trees and shrubs would be welcomed, the pollen and smell from hundreds and thousands of Autumn Olive plants in our neighborhood can be sickening (much worse than being trapped in a small room with an over-user of perfume).

Wildflower - Dame's Rocket

The Dame's Rocket is coming into full bloom in our neighborhood and large colonies have developed in areas of moist ground.



Habitats for Dame's Rocket include moist meadows, woodland edges and openings, thickets, semi-shaded fence rows, banks of drainage ditches and vacant lots.



Flower coloration varies, from different shades of lavender and purple to white and pink.

Dame's rocket is native to Eurasia and was brought to North America in the 17th century and has since become naturalized here.



It is considered an invasive species in some areas of the U.S. In Colorado it's listed as a noxious weed with plans for eradication or management. In Connecticut it is listed as invasive and banned to move, sell, purchase, transplant, cultivate, or distribute. It is prohibited in Massachusetts. In Wisconsin it is Restricted.

Tree Frog

We were visiting our grandson Reed this holiday weekend and while I was helping his dad cut down a tall tree, found this Eastern Gray Treefrog near the top of the tree. As I was showing the treefrog to Reed it jumped from my hand to Reed's shirt and climbed up to his shoulder.



Eastern Gray Treefrogs rarely descend from high treetops except for breeding. This treefrog was found clinging to this branch after the tree crashed to the ground and the branch had been 45 to 50 feet in the air.



Eastern Gray Treefrogs have specialized toe pads with a combination of mucous glands and surface moisture creates enough surface tension to support their weight when climbing on tree bark or smooth surfaces.

Rhododendron in Bloom

The rhododendron bush at our house is in full bloom, unfortunately this won't last too long.





The insects are busy checking every blossom.

Millipedes

There was a light rain overnight and I decided to explore behind our house for wildflowers. In the rotting leaf litter I spotted this brightly colored millipede. Millipedes can be distinguished from centipedes by the number of legs per body segment. Centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment, while millipedes have two pairs.



Millipedes, unlike centipedes, are not venomous and are predominantly considered to be non-poisonous. However, this millipede (Apheloria virginiensis) is reported to secrete cyanide compounds as a defense. It is recommended to wash hands after handling this millipede.

Wildflower - Starflower

I was walking through the wooded area of our West Hill property and found a large area covered with Starflowers plants. This is a very low plant with an erect stem about 2-8" tall that has a whorl of 5-9 leaves at its apex. One to three 1/2 inch white flowers develop from the center of the whorled leaves.



The Starflower is unusual because it typically has 7-petaled flowers and 7 leaves to the plant. While 7 petals are the most common, the plant can have 5 to 9 petals. The top two flowers in this photo both have 8 petals. While the Starflower is one of the more common spring wildflowers in eastern North America, it is listed as Endangered in Georgia and Kentucky, and listed as Threatened in Tennessee and Illinois.

Wildflower - Wild Geranium

The Wild Geranium is a wildflower that likes damp/partially shaded ground and I found this example growing at the edge of our lawn (next to the spot where I got the lawn mower stuck). I was lucky to catch this Twelve-spotted Lady Beetle (Coleomegilla maculata) on a Wild Geranium flower.



The Wild Geranium flowers are only 1 to 1½ inches across, with 5 rounded pink to lavender petals.



This wild flower can easily be used in a shade garden.