This Princeton elm tree developed a shrubby form, due to deer browsing. I’ll try to develop a central leader over the next few years, however, it’ll be a challenge. At least it’s growing, now that it’s finally protected by some wire.
Category: April 2017
Brilliant Redbud in Bloom
The saturated bloom color of native redbud, with giant purple alliums just starting to wake up. This particular redbud has evolved into a shrubby form because it’s on an exposed slope.
Slope is Stabilizing
Low-growing junipers, highbush blueberries, ajugas and willows help prevent erosion on this steep slope. We let last year’s seed heads remain on the little bluestem grasses. In the center, a highly-pruned red maple starts to leaf out along with red-twig dogwood, right. Between them, closer to the pond are alders and viburnums.
Royal Purple Smokebushes Leafing Out
Among native dogwoods, willows, viburnums, false spiraeas, clethra and buttonbush the colorful foliage of the Smokebushes is beginning to stand out.
Yellow Lantern Magnolia
This is the first year this small tree has had so many blooms.
Another photo, for scale. Amazing!
Gymnosporangium Juniperi-Virginianae
A close up of what cedar-apple rust looks like. They’re not necessarily bad for the juniper, but can infect apple trees as far as a mile away, so we try to remove as many as possible. Another thing that looks like it’s from a distant planet!
Juniperous Virginia…Ornaments?
What are these orange thingies hanging off the eastern red cedar, we wondered? Turns out, they’re an undesirable gelatinous fungus known as cedar-apple rust, perhaps a result of all the unusually wet weather we’ve been having lately.
Otter
One morning we woke up to find an otter swimming in the pond!