Drive-by spring shootings: fruit trees and dandelions!

Woodpecker on Cherry tree in better times

We'd ordered some bulbs from our granddaughter's school. Of course, they arrived AFTER they'd just visited. No worries. It was a beautiful day for a drive. A bit chilly, but the sun was lovely and all of our fruit trees are in bloom. I say 'our' and I really mean our region!

On a sad note...our lovely Cherry tree is dead as a door nail. Burned in the long winter two years ago, I have to figure out what to do with it. The birds, especially the woodpeckers, loved the fruit. They would spear a cherry and haul off with it!

Cherry tree in spring 2011
Buster is in the middle of it!

I really don't know what to do. It's dead branches look so sad. I might cut off the branches and leave the trunk, putting something on top. Perhaps an ornamental bird house in homage to all its bird friends?

In the meantime, here are my drive-by shootings of the beautiful trees. You will understand how much I appreciate the beautiful trees, and the lovely yellow dandelions after a cold, white winter!

I believe we should let the dandelions flourish. They are lovely in spring, much fun for kids and important for the insects.

Feel free to skip the photos, there are a lot, but what a lovely sight for sore eyes! Seeing the dandelions on lawns is heart-warming, as we know these homeowners are NOT using herbicides to kill them off. The lilacs are such a harbinger of spring. It's wonderful seeing people out working their gardens, too. Such kindred spirits!

Pesticides, pollution, bees dying, climate change, but Osprey rebound

Circle of life

Ah, my. For those to whom much is given, much is required. I consider it a privilege to live in the country.

I read an article that saddened me...

Osprey

Provincial "Flower" Dominates Landscape This 

Spring

Posted May 23, 2013 By Jeff Maguire

EMC Lifestyle - Spring has sprung and despite the rollercoaster temperatures one of the traditional harbingers of the season is now among the most prominent features in our community and across the district. The resilient dandelion always survives....

The climate change deniers in the US are shocking to me.

Everyone loves dandelions!

As are those who choose pesticides.
It is only recently that the Osprey are on the rebound.

"I know my correspondents on the anti-pesticide bandwagon (the winners in this debate as it turns out) will continue to scream and send more mail when they read this column." 

Devil's paintbrush

You bet! For those able to live in the country, there is much responsibility. We owe it to the critters with whom we share this earth, to respect them and nature. Lawns are not natural. Having a pristine lawn need not mean grass. We adore our lawn which, now that dandelions have gone, will soon be featuring Devil's paintbrush. It is all green. Clover is a great alternative.

Honey bees –
bees are dying from pesticides

Natural ground cover

  Many modern city folks are filling in small lawns with shrubs, bushes, and gardens filled with beauty. It's amazing how those who embrace nature are those who are unable to live in it.

Dutch elm disease
 is killing it

 Some give rural Ontario a bad name. It is up to us to keep on top of lessons learned.
Dutch elm disease, for example.
Endangered, extirpated or extinct animals are the lessons we need to learn.

I'm not the only one who is upset with this. Read what a wildlife biologist wrote (posted with permission).

Stewart E. Hamill - sdgcfo.ca

Stew Hamill is a wildlife biologist who lives with his family near Merrickville. He worked for 20 years with the National Capital Commission in Ottawa.

Jeff Maguire’s column (May 23) on dandelions and the cosmetic pesticide ban points out how narrow-minded, short-sighted, and selfish people can be when considering the environment and human health. If he would look up from his lawn he might see that the numbers of birds are increasing also, because fewer are being killed by the effects of pesticides. Yes, I have no scientific evidence of that, just anecdotal observations, but Jeff’s entire column is based on anecdotal evidence also.
My wife is a community nurse and she knows that cancer is rampant in our region. Again, no scientific evidence of what is causing it, but toxic chemicals are a leading candidate. We should try to eliminate as many as possible whenever feasible.
Jeff points out that the applicators of pesticides were wearing regular clothes. That’s the best evidence yet that the chemicals were not being applied properly or safely. If the professionals wouldn’t even follow directions, how could we expect ordinary citizens to take safety precautions?
Along with seat belt, smoking, and helmet legislation, the pesticide ban shows that sometimes issues are too close to people’s personal selfish concerns to be left to their own decisions.

I had the best day ever!

The kids came over today to celebrate Mother's Day. We provided the shish kabob, and sausage, Jean-Luc BBQ'd and they brought salads. After that, we had outdoor play. There is something about a three-year-old and dandelions!
The bugs are bad this year.

Wetland walk

We had an amazingly buggy walk in the woods!

Home time!