Another jack pine down

This is a more dramatic photo, the tree came up by the roots.

There won't be many jack pines left in the area in a few years ... they dominate some areas of the forest. I'll be planting oak, maple, walnut and other species to replace them where I can.

Beaver damage

The beavers have been busy again this winter, taking down more trees.

There seems to be no purpose behind this -- they don't use the lumber, the trees are increasingly far away from their dam, and there's a bunch of half-chewed trees all around. When I asked him about it, Rick said that beaver behavior is a lot like humans. Sometimes they just cut down trees because they want to.

I've yet to see a lodge, but they have two dams in the nearby stream which ensure a regular flow of water. The stream didn't freeze over all winter.

What a difference a week makes

Last Friday, we had a blizzard here that dropped about 8" of snow. On Monday, I could barely get out of my driveway because the wet heavy snow had compacted and frozen. Today, I started planting some seedlings in peat pots on the deck.

As they say in this area, if you don't like the weather ... wait a few days.

I started up a bunch of herbs, peas, beans, summer and winter squash, zucchini, and lots and lots of kohlrabi (which is great when it's fresh and not in the least bit woody).

I might have jumped the gun a bit early, but I'll pull the seedlings inside the house if it gets too cold.