Buds and sprouts

 It sure has been windy the last few days. Terry complains that he can’t get his outdoor work done. Still, the grass is getting greener, and it does not take much imagination to see the buds swelling on the trees.

The peach and cherry trees in the high tunnel are showing bud development, answer the question one always has when planting bare root stock—are the trees alive? Thankfully, we’re two for two.

Swelling buds on the apple tree

Peach buds

Of the seeds that I recently planted in the high tunnel, the radishes are developing quickly with the lettuce not far behind.

Radish sprouts

Lettuce sprouts

The thyme, oregano, and chive that overwintered in the high tunnel are showing many new leaves. Nothing can kill chive, and it is looking particularly robust.

Oregano

Thyme

Chive

In the outside world, I noticed that the garlic is up. I removed the row cover. We are supposed to have cold nighttime temperatures at the end of the week. I hope I have not been too eager. I think garlic can take a mild frost.

Garlic

The tiny speedwells are blooming. It seemed like the first time I’ve noticed these tiny flowers (about 2 mm across), but when I looked them up, the name seemed familiar. I don’t know which species this is. My flower book says there are 20 species in North American, and it only included 10. I don’t think our speedwell was one of them.

Tiny speedwell flowers

The rhubarb is coming up!

Rhubarb

The hens are so silly. Last year, they learned to stick their heads through the fence to eat the greener grass on the other side. The old hens taught this to the new hens, and now I suppose the process will repeat for all subsequent generations.

The grass is always greener...

Every morning, I change the water in the nipple waterer in the coop. Until the hoses go on in mid-April, I haul a bucket of water from the kitchen. I empty the old water into another bucket and fill the waterer with clean water. Then I take the old water to the run, rinse the mud and leaves (kicked in by the hens during the previous day) out of the water bowl, and fill it with cleaner water. Invariably, the hens are more interested in the muddy puddles than the clean water.

Hens prefer mud puddles to clean water

The male goldfinches are going through their molt to breeding plumage. In this picture, the goldfinch on the bottom left is having a little altercation with a house finch.

Molting goldfinches

Here’s a house finch and a nuthatch. Check out the nuthatch’s little feet. It looks like the left foot isn’t holding the perch at all.

House finch and nuthatch

It’s good to hear the birds and chorus frogs again. As one day follows another, we become more confident that winter is over. Spring and early summer are my favorite times of year!