SOME TREE TALK, AND SOME MORTAL ENEMIES

A  RED MAPLE LAMONG THE PINES

DIVERSITY

Friday,  8:30 AM.  36 degrees F, wind NNE, breezy, with strong gusts.  the sky is clear with little or no haze  The barometer is up, at 30.6" and the humidity is down some at 77%.  Things will start to dry out.
   Some previous dates for red maples to be in full bloom are: 5/04/08, 4/05/09, and 4/27/10, so this year's 5/09 is late but within normal range.
  We had a good trip to Northwoods Nursery in Rhinelander and brought back eleven trees to plant on city streets, including the Arbor Day tree.  it was a rainy day, perfect for transporting the trees, which have not yet leafed out, which is also a plus.
   The rainy day was quite beautiful, with red maples, poplars, and shrub willows all in bloom...also quite a few native plums. The overall effect was a bit like driving through an Impressionist painting. We saw no wildlife to speak of, the turkeys we usually see around Mercer must have been under the trees. The lower Chequamegon Bay ice is rotten but still there.
   We are increasing the diversity of our street tree plantings by using some species and varieties not normally used, such as ironwood and nannyberry (both smaller, native forest understory and woods-edge trees); ornamental pear and Japanese tree lilac; the native yellow birch, and the 'Royal Frost' birch, the later a purple-leaved hybrid selection of the white barked European birch and the native paper birch.  Some of our choices will make good street trees and some may fail the test, but we won't know until we try.
   Prediction: if the Bengazi coverup looks like it will destroy Hillary Clinton politically, the Clintons will place the blame directly on Barack Obama, and his presidency will be over, either literally or figuratively.  Despite the televised amity, the Clintons and the Obamas are mortal enemies, and will be at each others throats ere long.