Spring Finally Happened

 This is the transplanted redbud in Mason. Pretty much at peak on Friday.

And the neighbor's crabapple on Sunday evening following a thunderstorm.  Knocked the petals into a carpet at the base.

At the farm, the dogwoods are now out - they weren't last week.

Most of the redbuds are past peak.

We had a very wet Saturday and Sunday morning.

 The woods are definitely greening up.

 I'm not sure but I think that this is a pink dogwood that hasn't popped yet,

 One of the newer apple trees.  Either I missed the bloom on the big ones or it is going to be a lean year for apples.

 I'm not sure but I think that this might be the invasive - autumn olive.

The warm season grasses in the prairie plot don't seem to be stirring yet,

There are some forbs in there that have started though.

 Other stuff emerging all over the place.

Even the oaks are greening up.  This is white oak.

 And red oak.

I'm not sure but I think these are chestnut oaks.

This might be damage from a rub or it might be winter damage from feeding.  I think that this is a slippery elm which I have seen the deer peel the bark completely off for food before green up.

 And then I found these things in cedar trees.

 Almost looked like an anemone growing out of a slug wrapped around a branch.

I'm glad that there's google.  This is what you get when you search for orange blob in cedar tree.  Would you believe that it is a fungus - link

 Joan first spotted this Baltimore Oriole at the feeder.

There was a lot of activity - grackles, doves, redwing blackbirds, red bellied woodpeckers, goldfinches, and some tiny little sparrow things.

Last week I sprayed some Butyrac (2,4,D-B) on the clover fields.

 It appears to be working on the thistle and other prickly stuff.

 It's May - lets be sure that the bucks have what they need as they start to grow antlers.

And they are - pedicles are bumps now.

 Last week was glorious weather - I did some trail work with the bobcat.

 This weekend was too wet - I didn't even get it out.  There's lots to do when time and weather permit.

Deer bolting last week at 6:00am.

 Right ahead of me entering the area to set up for turkeys. 6:02am.

 Last week I covered a lot of ground trying to find them.

This week I just set up on field edges and tried to call them in.  I find that they tend to come to the fields after a rain.  It was a theory anyway.  Didn't work.

Here they were avoiding me last week.

 Very pregnant.

Coyotes on the prowl.

 Groundhog.

 A happening.

After a good drenching on Saturday thru Sunday noon, it cleared up for Sunday afternoon.  I got some more spraying done and then we encountered thunderstorms on the drive home.