Walkabout

Winter is not over, but the beautiful warm weather today offers a glimpse of spring.  

I took a walk around the yard this morning before the wind picked up.

The Snow Iris have pushed through the mulch.

Black Capped Chickadee

White Breasted Nuthatch

male Goldfinch - still in his winter garb

Snowdrops coming up under the Hydrangea

Hyacinth near the front door

One of two flies buzzing around the wildflower beds

Only one of the native bee nests remains untouched - so far.

The current Toledo Naturalists' Association newsletter has an article about one of our native bees, the Blue Orchard Mason Bee.

The female bee lays eggs in holes like these.  There may be as many as 6 in one hole, divided by mud walls.  

So, there is a chance that there are viable bees left to hatch this spring.

Daffodils pushing up through the leaves.  

The lighter colored greenery is Feverfew.  

The leaves of the Feverfew remain green most winters, following the soft rule that non-native herbaceous plants often remain green through the winter. 

This is helpful when trying to extirpate some of the more invasive non-natives, such as Garlic Mustard and Buckthorn.

I find the leaves and flowers of Feverfew attractive, however, and they are helping to stabilize the dry, wooded hillside, where not much else seems to grow.