Image of the day - 2012

[Todd Boland]

That Braya is far more attractive than our native endemic Braya fernaldii and B. longii, but ours can be long-lived if grown VERY lean!

[cohan]

A short-lived beauty, Braya linearis:

The efloras of NA distribution map was amusing-one dot in the middle of Greenland!

[Hoy]

A short-lived beauty, Braya linearis:

The efloras of NA distribution map was amusing-one dot in the middle of Greenland!

Seems unlikely although it prefers alpine habitats here. The flowers are less showy than on Lori's specimen.

[cohan]

I think the dot is only meant to indicate that  it occurs within the political boundaries of the state, but it does look funny in this instance..

[Todd Boland]

I think the dot is only meant to indicate that  it occurs within the political boundaries of the state, but it does look funny in this instance..

Especially when the middle of Greenland is nothing but an icecap!

[Gene Mirro]

(We are hoping now we are rabbit free that some of the other species might start to do their thing).

Tim, how did you achieve rabbit-free status?  My rabbits are much too clever for the Havahart trap, and I don't have a rifle or shotgun.  They also appear to have a peace treaty with the many predators in my neighborhood.  A few days ago, I stepped out onto the porch, and one cat took off east, another took off west, and a rabbit headed north.  When did cats start schmoozing with wild rabbits?  

[Tim Ingram]

Gene - our garden is on the edge of town with fields on several sides and we made the effort 30 years ago to put a rabbit fence all around it because we have a big collection of fruit trees. This lasted OK for 20 years or so and then we had the opposite problem that rabbits got in to the garden and started to breed, and then couldn't get out! The next step was to get a Jack Russell, who certainly kept the rabbits out but kept escaping over the old fence. So now we have a five foot fence to keep the dog in and the rabbits out and it works well! If you do grow a wide range of especially choice plants this does become a good option, even if expensive, just for peace of mind. We used to catch them with a trap but once they take up residence it's a losing battle.

[Jandals]

Gene-putting up a rabbit fence was the best thing we ever did . Like Tim , we are surrounded by fields and many of our plants are in raised beds with sand or compost mulch . During the winter and early spring when the plants are dormant these beds became rabbit magnets . Lots of digging and browsing on new spring growth and lots of frustration and hair loss on my part . The fence fixed all that ( once I got rid of the pesky wabbit that I built the fence around ) and brought great peace of mind .

[Hoy]

I wish I could fence out slugs too

[cohan]

The slugs went crazy this summer with our cool wet weather, so I bought some iron based slug bait and sprinkled it around a few affected plantings- it worked very well! I think if you put it out at the right time, you can put it in a ring around beds to keep out the slugs... They still have most of the acreage to do their thing naturally

[Hoy]

I've tried the kind of slug bait which is possible to get here but it hasn't worked - or the slugs have managed to destroy many plants before they died

[cohan]

The next day there were lots of little dessicated slugs ( I felt a little guilty!) and then the plants were able to recover next year I will spread it sooner!

[cohan]

Yesterday in the woods here..

[Hoy]

The next day there were lots of little dessicated slugs ( I felt a little guilty!) and then the plants were able to recover next year I will spread it sooner!

I think your climate is drier. Here the stuff quickly moulds or disintegrate due to rain.

What delicate little bird do the dancing in the spruce? Nice shooting, Cohan!

[cohan]

That was during a wet summer period- that's why the slugs were doing so well! I can't say whether it was as wet as your weather, but we did have nearly daily rain at some points, and I didn't even have to water 3 inch seed pots outdoors more than a couple of times in as many months...
I don't think those pellets broke down that fast, maybe yours are different? Anyway most of the effect was in the first night!
Most evenings I was indoors as soon as it was dusk since the mosquitoes were unbearable as soon as the sun began to set, but I happened to be out a bit later one evening, and after an afternoon rain, the slugs were out before dark crawling over everythingand on plants several feet off the ground- I bought the bait the next day 

The bird(s) is a black capped chickadee- the spirit of the boreal forest here, and common around the yard year round, along with their less abuncant cousins, the boreal (brown headed) chickadee.. They rarely sit still for even a few seconds, as they constantly flit about to comb every inch of the forest for insects summer and winter! They also love the sunflower seeds I give them at the feeders and nyjer seed when I have it...
When I go out to fill the feeder in the morning, they start flying around the yard and making noise in anticipation, and fly from bush to bush with me as I approach...