Wednesday, 8:00 AM. 54 degrees, wind S, gusty. The channel is rough with white caps and the sky is overcast, the barometer again predicting rain.
The hummingbirds are back! Either they were a day late or my projections were a day early. The males at least are back to establish nesting territories and the aerial battles will soon commence.
Amelanchier canadensis, called Juneberry in the Midwest and shadblow in the east (because it blooms when the shad run) just began blooming here, this one on 11th street, and they are as beautiful as dogwoods although the blooms only last a few days. The berries soon follow, and they are very good, but the birds usually get them first. Shrubby commercial varieties are small enough to be netted and they are a good crop for jams and jellies.
The flower pictured is Fritillaria imperialis, also called crown imperial, an old-fashioned bulb little used today. Very pretty, they smell like a skunk. They evidently have the virtue of keeping critters out of the spring garden with their noxious s odor.
No comments:
Post a Comment