The weather was nice and Monday was the opening day of spring turkey season, so we stayed an extra day. I didn't have any luck. I heard some distant gobbles when I got up and walked thru the woods a bit.
This was my field set up in a turkey blind. When we packed up and left for the day, we managed to leave behind; a.) my computer, b.) my Ipad, c.) my backpack, d.) Charlie's toothbrush. So I made a run back out to pick up the missing items. Hence, a bit of delay in this week's post.
Behind Lucy and Charlie is the fish pond. We have three main bodies of water.
Looking over them in the other direction is what I have always called the frog pond. It's full of cattails, reeds and frogs.
And, out in the front of the property, we have another small pond which will now be the salamander pond. Of course, we recently learned that both the frog pond and the salamander pond have both frogs and salamanders.
I had a nice email exchange with an expert from the Edge of Appalachia Preserve
EOA Blog. She gave me some advice about what we were seeing in these ponds. Here's a video of some live tadpole action.
Tadpoles And this is a video of how kids study tadpoles.
Kids at the Salamander Pond
She said the salamander tadpoles have feathery gills and the frog/toad ones don't. Amy had a better photo with them both in one frame - in the collage below.
Anyway, we've been watching eggs hatch and tadpoles grow. This is a video of what may be some mating behavior.
Salamander Video
Scientists at work in an overflow puddle from the frog pond. It had a dozen or so salamanders just in that little puddle.
Some eggs in the frog pond. We know there are bullfrogs and salamanders in this pond. I think there are peepers too.
A lovely weekend so we decided to try dipping a line.
Lucy was first to land one.
She got a bass on the first try.
And Amy caught one herself.
There were also some bluegills caught. Here Charlie is harvesting the last of the daffodils for Grandma.
We found a few more morels but nothing like last week's bonanza.
Some of the prep with last week's harvest.
We've been eating them lots of different ways - here in cream sauce on pasta.
And in a barley casserole here.
Amy's collage of this week's harvest.
We went for s'mores this week too. Grandma's doing the setup while the rookies take a stab at it.
Here is the pro in action.
The result was generally approved.
As usual, lots of touring.
I put out a few minerals for the deer while Amy pursued her micro botany.
The result of Amy's efforts.
Jack in the pulpit new this week.
Trillium blooming this week.
Did I mention morel soup?
Lucy and Charlie each now have a new trail named in their honor.
I started spraying some of the clover fields.
Charlie helping me finish up the new "Charlie trail".
And here we are trying it out for the first time.
We have a couple of prime redbud spots. Here's a video driving thru one of the "tunnels" while Lucy explains how she names the tadpoles.
Redbud Drive
Out with Lucy after we tried the new "Lucy Trail".
In addition to Ranger ride photos, there were some animals on the trailcams.
Six deer in this frame.
Supposed to rain next week - we were lucky this weekend.
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