Warm, wet weather should yield healthy berry and nut harvest

People have been talking a lot about the weather lately. As the rains fall in our area, tornadoes ramble over the Midwest and South, and snow still falls in the Rockies. Something is screwed up for sure.

With this wet weather and accompanying high temperatures the trees have greened up more and more. Most trees and shrubs are all in flower. Let’s not have a cold snap like last year. If they all produce fruit it will be a banner fall of berries, cherries and nuts.

There is not much bee or butterfly activity in the wet weather. Hopefully the millers and some species of fly are doing the pollination job.

Actually, black flies and deer flies feed on flowers as they grow into adults. That’s before they try feeding on you. I saw Deer flies today (5/29) so they must be feeding on something.

It’s going to be the year of the mosquito because of all the moisture. If you have old tires, flower pot bottoms, or any standing water you are adding to mosquito population.

I once looked in a rain barrel that someone was using to water their flowers and it was alive with mosquito larva.

I haven’t seen any noseums yet, but if we have a few warm nights they will be upon us. If the flycatcher birds could get through the raindrops they would surely be having a picnic.

There was a Bluebird singing around View (Arts Center) yard the last few days. A few Tree Swallows are on nest and should bring off a big batch of young.

The wildflowers seem to be thriving in all the rain. They will be fine if they can keep their heads above water. I’ve seen several Pink Ladyslippers and a few Yellow Ladyslippers.

The patch of Yellows that the Deer spared me are doing well under a wire cage. I have two double blooms and a couple new blooms that have seeded from the old patch.

The Large Round Leaf Orchids are putting up a flower stalk already. Last year they were at about this same stage when a frost hit and killed them all.

I got some great shots of Blood Root at Crown Point. Normally they have already bloomed and only the leaves of the plants are showing.

The rock walls outside the fort were covered with Red Columbine which attracted the Hummers. We must have released well over 20 of them from our nets.

Normally all you have to do is pick up the net pocket and they put it in reverse and back out. One got tangled and we had to use our crochet needle to get the net off it.

It was wet and it had gone into tupor (relaxed sleep) to conserve energy. We got it out and it laid in our hands for couple minutes before it flew off.

Other flowers that are in bloom are Spring Beauty, Foam Flower, all kinds of Violets, Trout Lily, and Bunch Berry. There is a nice patch of large Solomon Seal on a rock on the curve at St. Peter’s Hill.

The Azaleas are coming into bloom along many of the lake shores. They give off a pink glow that makes for a great refraction picture.

Beaver Lake and Eagle Falls up by Number Four have many blooming along their shores. I also saw several along White Lake as I drove by today.

I have a couple in my yard that were shared by Mart Allen a few years ago. They came with Poison Ivy attached, but I cured that quickly.

The invasive Tatarian Honey-suckles are in full bloom and are moving slowly our way north from Otter Lake roadsides. A few of the ornamental bushes have escaped, or have been planted as food for birds. They are pretty but will take over your yard and woods in a few years.

It’s the same story for Garlic Mustard which will replace all the wildflowers in an area when they become established. They are now in bloom.

If you look around the new Adirondack Bank parking lot you will see what it looks like as it’s everywhere. It probably came from seed in hay or straw that was used to help get the grass started.

Does will be dropping Fawns locally. Leave them alone, but that’s another story. See ya.