Looney weather fit for wildflowers and slugs…
Loon with Chicks. Photo by Ellie George
We escaped the big gully washers but folks to the east and south of us sure got more rain than they needed. We went to Utica on Friday and saw the water washing through parking lots and across Route 5 by Jay-K Lumber.
Hidden loon on a nest
Their plants were getting watered—actually drowned—in brown water that covered the parking lot about five feet deep.
They had over seven inches in a two-day period down there, and all that after several days of rain the week before.
The Moose River hadn’t come up that day but Saturday everything emptied out and it was roaring.
Caught too close to a loon nest
Not a day I wanted to be rafting or kayaking, but I’m sure some tried it just because they could.
Lots of water birds and land birds got washed out for sure. I had a few hen turkeys that hatched babies before all the wet weather came.
Since then I don’t think any made it off the nest as I see lots of hens along the highway without any chicks.
Moose at Helldiver Pond
I haven’t seen one ruffed grouse with young. When it’s wet like this for a long period of time, even after they are hatched the chicks get a foot rot.
Some of the loons weather the storms and hatch chicks while others are still sitting on a second nest after their first one went under water.
If you see them on a nest don’t get too close and drive them off. Let them do their thing.
If they are off the eggs for too long during the last week of incubation the chicks get chilled inside the egg and won’t hatch.
Give them some space as they are such beautiful birds.
Many of the seeds in my garden never came out of the ground. My peas did okay but only four green bean plants of the five rows I planted came up.
I never saw any lettuce or swiss chard plants as I think they washed away.
About the only thing that’s liking the wet conditions are the slugs—and there are plenty of them crawling around.
They seem to work mostly at night but when it’s wet like this they are out during the daytime as well.
I put crushed eggshells around many of my plants and it seems to help.
There are also some crystals that you can buy made specifically for slugs. They hide in damp dark areas of your garden and we sure do have these this year.
They like all kinds of leaves but big ones seem to be their favorite.
They may be slow movers but they are big eaters once they get there.
Most of the flowers seem to be doing okay but are coming in about a week or two later than normal.
Some of the flowers in my garden are doing great.
My foxgloves need staking or they become cut flowers for the house, as they are over three feet tall.
The hollyhocks are so big we can’t open the windows as they have grown half way up the windows.
The Deer have been known to eat the leaves off, but so far they have only nibbled on a few of my hostas for a salad.
I’ve checked several pad leaf orchids and none of them have a flower this year.
The large and small purple-fringed orchids seem to be doing okay.
The rose pegonias and grass pinks in the bogs just started to bloom this week.
Every day is Community Pride Day when you are out and about, but that’s another story. See ya.
