Bird-a-liciousness

 In answer to last week’s cliffhanger, I made rhubarb crisp, or crispy as it is known in Costa Rica. Crisp is certainly the path of least resistance. Easier than cake and WAY easier than pie.

Rhubarb crispy

We have a large fairy ring in front of the house. The name allegedly comes from an ancient believe that these circles marked where the fairies danced. That is a lovely image, but in reality, it’s from fungus. This particular fungus releases nitrogen and/or holds water, either of which would cause the grass to be greener on this well drained-slope. The fungus starts in one place and grows in all directions, dying back in the middle where the resources are depleted. If we are really lucky, we may see the fruiting bodies (a.k.a. toadstools, which never actually serve as chairs for warty amphibians—that’s another folktale) in a big ring on the lawn.

A fairy ring

The male goldfinches are nearly all gold these days, having overcome that embarrassing spring molt. I’ve also seen goldfinch couples hanging around the feeder. Nesting can’t be far away, although today feels more like fall than spring. It got down to 28° last night, and while today started out sunny, the sky is now gray, and we even had a very brief snow shower.

Goldfinch on the weathervane

We have only had blue jays around the property for a few years. I didn’t miss them, as they are generally noisy and aggressive toward our other birdie friends. Still, some consider them beautiful. I assume those people don’t know them very well.

Blue jay

I see a cute little chipping sparrow most days. He’s such a nervous little guy that it’s hard to get a photo. This is the best I’ve gotten so far.

The chipping sparrow wears a rust-colored bike helmet

The most exciting bird of the week was a solitary white throated sparrow. I have never seen white throated sparrows on more than one day each spring and consider myself fortunate if I see them during their brief stay. This is the first time I’ve been observant enough to notice the yellow eyebrows. It’s a beautiful little bird that almost always serenades us during our trip to the Boundary Waters every summer.

Best-focused picture

Most adorable picture

I had to cover everything in the high tunnel because I can’t quite trust it to not freeze during cold weather. In the house, my cucumber, watermelon, tomato, and pepper seeds are sprouting. I need to get them out in better light soon, but I have to wait until it’s warmer. They get so spindly when they don’t have enough light. Artificial light just isn’t the same.

Seedlings

The forecast for next week has temperatures into the 80’s. The poor trees won’t know what to do!