A Montana October

Snow whirled around the house today, a never-ending merry waltz of snowflakes, evoking thoughts of the Nutcracker and the approaching holiday season.  But before I start listening to Christmas music and decking the halls, I felt called to pay final homage to a glorious Autumn in Montana.  Day after day of blue skies and temperatures in the high 60s - we didn't want it to end!

One day I was vacuuming the lower level when something outside the French doors drew my attention.  A Ruffed Grouse, perched on top of the cage protecting the Honeycrisp apple tree.  A closer look revealed five Grouse, stalking unseen insects and other delectables.  Surprisingly, I was able to open the door and snap some shots.  According to Audubon, Ruffed Grouse are "our most widespread and familiar grouse, found in woodlands from Alaska to Georgia.  Feeds mostly on plant material."

Speaking of the Honeycrisp, it produced apples this summer, the first time in the five years it has been in the garden.  My July 5, 2018 post tells the story of our two apple trees; the Goodland is necessary to pollinate the Honeycrisp, and yet the Goodland did not deliver any fruit this year.  (Head Chef made a pie from Goodland apples in 2018, as documented in this September 29, 2018 post.  It also produced in 2019.)

 

Hiking in Autumn may not yield many flowers; it is an opportunity to look more intimately at the forest floor, the trees, the moss and the lichen.  I was honored to hike with a former neighbor and Dear Neighbor Friend, fellow conspirators when it comes to observing the more delicate parts of our ecosystem. 

The lake below our property glistens with a Zamboni surface that deceptively calls for Charlie Brown and his buddies to skate figure eights to the Vince Guaraldi tune. (The ice might hold Woodstock but not much more.)  Hard to believe that four weeks ago we were planting seeds at the two entrances to our neighborhood.  

The moon was spectacular in October; I wish my talent for capturing it could measure up!

The shifting arc of the sun, a dipping thermometer and a little precipitation began to paint the landscape with the gold of aspens and larches.  Spores waiting in the soil erupted overnight into mushrooms.

By mid-October, Jack Frost added his diamonds to the palette.  And the Sun would come along and rub it out like a giant eraser in the sky.

Later the same day as this photo, we boarded the first of several planes that would take us to the UK.  As the sun set beyond the wing, we bade farewell to home and to Autumn.

Linking to Mosaic Monday

Mosaic Monday #139: The Garden Explosion

One of the many benefits of getting away from home for six days?  The changes in the garden jump out!  It's as though the plants have exploded in volume and color.  Upon our return, even #1 Son commented on its beauty and the multitude of butterflies.  I am thrilled to give you a peek into my oasis!

My fellow gardeners will not be the least bit surprised to read that the bee balm is the most significant butterfly magnet in my garden.

Of course, some species seem to prefer other plants, such as the coreopsis (upper left) or yellow penstemon (bottom).

Today, I was surprised to find a host of tiny grasshoppers hanging out on the prairie coneflower.  They weren't the least bit fazed when I leaned in for the close-up.

Speaking of critters, my commitment to let nature run its course with my native plants is a strategy that seems to be paying off.  The caterpillars that nibbled on the goldenrod do not seem to have had a lasting impact; if anything, the munching caused the plant to branch out and produce even more flower heads.  The aphid infestation on the asters has not destroyed any part of the plant.  And I wonder if, by allowing the aphids to linger on the asters and other plants, it kept them from flocking to the non-natives such as the burning bushes; the last two summers, those bushes had tell-tale leaf curl from aphids -- but not this summer.

In general, I am delighted that the garden has started to "fill in".  As faithful readers will recall, we started with minimal plantings three summers ago.  Through natural seeding, as well as my own strategic sowing of seeds collected from the garden, several beds have begun to take on the full, higgledy-piggledy prairie look that is my goal.   

The "big picture" views excite me, and close-ups are also a source of joy.

The fence baskets and deck pots are also coming along nicely.

The rock garden near the front of the driveway is still a work in progress, and that makes sense given it has only been in place two years.

I may regret planting this lamium, a perennial from last year's baskets; they are not native and can quickly take over a bed.  But for now, they provide color and interest while the rest of the plants get up and running.  Just another part of my garden journey!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time).

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #97: Gone to Seed

I am feeling a little under the weather.  Maybe it's a side effect from the second part of the shingles vaccine that I took yesterday.  Or perhaps it's a type of seasonal affective disorder, brought on by the ongoing smoky environment and the shortening days.  As I thought about writing a blog post this week, it took some effort to screw up the energy to do it.  I decided I would take an easy route, and stroll the back forty for some inspiration.  Do you suppose it is just a coincidence that most of the pictures are plants that have gone to seed? Gone to seed: showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect.  (Merriam Webster)

Despite ongoing spraying, thistles are abundant in our lower prairie.  A plant can produce up to 6,000 seeds that can persist in the soil for over 9 years.  As the saying goes, it's a marathon, not a sprint.  I have taken to cutting off the heads to at least halt the seed production.

The Labor Day wind storm brought down a couple of our aged aspen trees, with collateral damage on the younger aspens nearby.  A close look at the stump shows that it was becoming hollow; sawdust would suggest that termites were hard at work.  In the end, it was no contest for the 40+ mile an hour winds that day.  I used to put my trail cam near here, since the deer have worn a path through this grove of aspens.  They will have to adjust their route!  For now, they have been continuing to frequent the area to eat the aspen leaves that are suddenly within reach.

Shorter days and lower night-time temperatures are wielding Nature's paintbrush, revealing yellows, oranges and reds that have been hidden by abundant chlorophyll.

Not everything in my world of Nature is rolling up the carpets for the winter.  I can't tell you how many of these ant hills we have around our property, but I can tell you that they are still very active, as you can see in the video below.  I could spend hours watching this activity and trying to make some sense of it.  How tall does the hill need to be for it to be done?  Are any of the sticks food?  If not, who is focusing on the food part of the equation?  

I have written before about the beaver family that occupies the lake at the bottom of our property.  When the beavers moved in, they applied their superior engineering skills and very effectively dammed the creek and raised the water level.  While this is a boon for the wetland ecosystem around the lake, it had the undesirable consequence of dramatically reducing water flow to several of our neighbors, some of whom rely on the water for their cattle.  The battle of the brains began, man versus rodent.  How to restore some water flow without impacting the beaver, and in a way that the beavers would ignore?  Initially, every solution the team created was thwarted by the beaver; ditches were filled in overnight, pipes with holes were plugged with mud, strategically placed boards were removed and added to the dam.  It was equal parts funny and frustrating.  At this point, it seems the latest man-made engineering feat has worked, but only time will tell.  On my last visit to the dam, I observed that the beaver has begun constructing a secondary dam, 15 feet below the original dam.  It has not stopped the water flowing into the creek, but I am not sure the critters are done yet!  Watch this space!

If you look hard enough, you can also find some plants with blooms. 

I try to ignore for the moment that the daisies and knapweed are considered invasive here.  If I get too focused on them, this walk would turn into a weed-pulling exercise rather than the diversion it is meant to be!

Update: it has been a couple of days since I started this post, and I am glad to report that, physically, I am back to myself.  I do think it was the vaccine; no regrets about taking it, but it just reminds me that I do not make a good patient!  Mentally, I am still working on my attitude.  The forecasted rain for last night and today has not materialized; the skies are gray and the smoke lingers.  Logically, I know I should count my blessings and find myself a rich woman.  Thinking that music often helps bring me around, I went looking for "autumn" songs, and came across "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire.  I hope this post finds you well, but if you need a little pick-me-up, maybe this will lift your spirits and send your toes tapping!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time). 

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog. 

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back. 

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by. 

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully. 

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaic Monday #88: Glory in the Garden

You knew it was only a matter of time (oops, that was last week's post!) guaranteed that I would wax lyrical about my garden again.  Can you believe it has been 8 weeks since my last garden post?  Muchos cambios, mis amigos, so let's take a look!

Overall, I have been pleased with the outcome of my seed planting (7 out of 13 have come up, and 3 of those were sown in the spring).  54%, barely better than "average", may not seem a palatable result, but, given all of the seeds were hand-collected from last year's garden and that this was my first attempt, I am satisfied.  It has already taught me a thing or two about how thickly (or not) to sow the seeds.  As you can see in some of the pictures below, I could have been a little more judicious.

I sowed Rocky Mountain Bee Plant in multiple locations, and although it came up gangbusters in every one, since then only about half of them are thriving.  Last September, I wrote about these plants, which showed up in our "prairie" on their own.  I collected a bunch of seeds, but left the rest, assuming they would sow themselves.  I have not seen a single one in the prairie.  Go figure!  (In the mosaic above, there must be 20 individual plants in that cluster.)  I am thrilled with the number of columbines that have sprouted, especially since this is a seed sown in the spring.  Given this response, I will focus on seeding columbines rather than trying to transplant little ones.  If you are paying attention (!), you may be asking why there are only six pictures in the mosaic, when I said 7 have sprouted.  Good for you!  

Rocky Mountain Penstemon has also sprouted in half of the locations where it was sowed.  I so admire this hearty plant, and its deep-throated purple flowers, that I am over the moon with this result.  You may also be wondering about the little blue markers you see in the mosaic.  Inquiring minds must be answered!  Three weeks ago, I used these skewer sticks and blue painter’s tape to create little flags denoting sites with emerging plants.  This meant I didn't have to continually reference my seeding plan, and more importantly, prevented me from accidentally "weeding" something I would like to preserve!  (Sometimes, I am not sure, and the flag merits a question mark!!!  I am now pretty confident this is a Rocky Mountain Penstemon - time to update the flag.)

Rocky Mountain Penstemon when it's "all growed up" 

When we first installed our landscaping in 2018, I built a relationship with the Center for Native Plants in Whitefish.  Hailey Moore, the Nursery Manager, has been immensely helpful in a variety of ways – from identifying native and invasive grasses to connecting me with other resources.  In the two years that we have had these sand cherries, I saw significant die-off in the spring.  The first year, I thought it might be “normal”, but I decided not to make any assumptions.  Hailey let me know that Montana State University (Schutter Lab) offers up to five free lab tests per year for Montana residents.  So, per the lab’s instructions, I sent off a healthy sample and a “diseased” sample of the sand cherry.   I also emailed pictures to the lab. 

In less than a week, I had the results from Dr. Eva Grimme: "I suspect that the shrubs are affected by environmental factors like a late frost this spring.  I also found very minor browning/discoloration in the vascular system, which could indicate a fungal canker.  I recommend you check if the branches are still green underneath the bark - this means that they are still alive and may recover.  Prune out the dead branches.  Make sure to sterilize your tools between cuts.  Focus on supporting shrub vigor by providing adequate water and nutrients during the growing season."  As you can see, the pruning was dramatic, but hopefully it will improve the vigor of the shrubs (I have four of them) in the future.  I will also make a note to protect them from frost next spring!

Lower right: after pruning  Other two: "NORMAL"!

If I was self-indulgent, I might be inclined to tell you about EVERY ONE of my plants, but this post would be as long as War and Peace!  A few of them deserve to be called out (and I will, below, but for now, I will let these mosaics speak for the plants.) 

And now for the plants that deserve a special mention.  First up is aspen fleabane.  It has spawned at least 7 volunteers, one as much as 20 feet from the original plant.

 

Given my upbringing in the Midwest, the maples are near and dear to me – I already am in love with their shape and can imagine the day when they tower over the house and cast plentiful shade!

The shape of this Catmint is wonderfully symmetrical – a perfect choice on the part of our landscapers for a position next to the flagstone path that leads to the front door.

The scarlet Gilia is a fascinating flower.  When first installed, the three plants appeared as you see in the mosaic below - tall and spindly with flowers scattered along its arch.  The next year, we had many volunteers, but they never rose much above an inch tall.  And this year?  Shazam – blooms all over the place.  It turns out that this two-year cycle is normal for the plant. 

As faithful readers know, we planted wild grass/wildflower seed mix our first fall in the house.  I have been very pleased with the results – many types of grass, flax, poppies, black-eyed susans, coneflower.  And a few lupines.  One of them actually bloomed this year, which is not too bad for only its second year!

Now that my garden is really coming along, “big picture” pictures are more appealing.

Nature continues introducing her own plants to my garden as you can see in the collage below.  I have shown you arnica in the past; this month I have been able to collect seeds and hope that will be another successful experiment next year.

The circular bed around the Douglas Fir in front of the house has been growing so vigorously that my metal moose was getting lost in it.  So, I shifted it and the other decorative lawn art about 5 feet to the left.  Voila!

Doesn't it look like he is chomping on the yarrow?

After an initial slow start, the flower pots on the deck, as well as the flower baskets on the jackleg fence, are thriving.

Of course, my battle with critters is ongoing, from ground squirrels to rabbits to deer.  It was intense for a week or two, including the morning I chased a bunny around the entire house while still in my pajamas!  And then suddenly, no bunny.  Dramatically reduced numbers of ground squirrels.  Maybe the badger family is having an impact!  

The picture at left is the one and only apple blossom we had this spring - no fruit this year.  And don't ask me about the aphid infestation on our golden currants!  

But then I wake up this morning and see this.  Every gardener has her trials, but they all fade into the background when a new bloom erupts in all its glory.  

(I may be slow in commenting due to an overnight camping trip.)

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.

The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time). 

Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog. 

Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back. 

As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by. 

Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully. 

Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us.  

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter