Overrated Groundhog
Groundhog Day. Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary has been predicting the spring forecast since 1886. People have been planning their crop plantings and livelihoods on the decision of a rodent with a brain the size of a cashew. A rodent whose batting average is less than 40%. A rodent who is given credit for something he has no control over as it is really his “handlers” who determine if there was a shadow or not. A rodent whose handlers are not meteorologists, scientists, or climatologists. What a phenomenal waste of energy in todays climate of global warming.
Spring has been evident for weeks. No rodent was needed to tell me this. Of course, Boxes in Fields never had a true winter. Daily temperatures have been in the upper 60s for some time now. But still, groundhog day. Idiotic at best. Having planted a rescued palm tree from the drainage ditch in the summer of 2017, the once scraggly plant is now two foot tall and three foot around. Hoping to create a grove of palm trees where the spray field lies, more palm trees were rescued from various ditches. With high tide and high water tables, the ground is constantly moist allowing for proper growth. After the initial transplant shock and chickens scratching at the mulch, four have survived. As these are nonnative and take years to grow, this is a long term investment. Four down, ten or twenty more to go.
The bottlebrush has been preparing for blossoms for weeks. The plant starts with buds, then progresses to pods, and then flowers emerge. Bottlebrush are fantastic bug attractants. Especially yellow jackets. Not normally concerned with yellow jackets are they are prolific mosquito eaters, this new found love between yellow jackets and the bottlebrush could be an issue as the plant sits directly adjacent to the deck and it walked by/brushed by a thousand times a day. Yellow jacket stings hurt. Might have to consider moving the brush. Guess the temperatures in the low 70’s was great weather for both the plant and the pollinator.
Other than the bottlebrush, the only potted plant blooming is the coral honeysuckle (pictures can be seen on the Egg-celent post). All of the other plants blooming are wildflowers for whose name I don’t know. Many of these wildflowers are new yet again this year to Boxes in Fields. It seems every year new wildflowers pop up. What causes wildflowers to vary from year to year? Is it the rain/lack of rain? Is the winter/lack of winter? Is the spreading of wildflower seeds from various pollinators from year to year?
Some wildflowers are so tiny they are almost invisible to the naked eye. Take these purple beauties. They are smaller than the size of a pencil eraser yet they have such a strong scent. Lasting only a few days, they are bumblebee attractants. Funny to see a bumblebee on a plant so small.
Brambleberry flowers take days and days to open and then remain open for days and days. Unlike other flowers, they do not close at night and have been seen with spiders on their peddles at night. Bright white delicate flowers with bright green eyed spiders is a fantastic sight.
Other flowers, such as these clover flowers, are here today gone today. They are bright yellow and green and are in direct contrast to the dark green hibiscus it grows under. As the days get warmer and warmer more and more flowers are making their appearance. Whose knows what will appear tomorrow or next week with these warming days.
Or as it turns out, not with the warming days. As mentioned in previous blogs, early blossoms worry me as it to not too late for cold snaps. Yesterday it was 70, sunny, and gentle breezes. Today it is not yet 40, damp, and windy. Absolute layer weather. Layers and layers. Kids and parents all looked like the Michelin Tire man there were so many layers. I had on two thermal shirts, a t-shirt, a fleece jacket, and a hoodie. The poor Kid had on ALL of his sailing gear. Three long sleeve athletic shirts, two athletic pants, one layer of outside neoprene pants, neoprene shoes, two beanie hats, and a fleece vest. To sail, he had yet another layer of dry gear to put on along with thick gloves to wear over neoprene gloves along with two full face masks. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be sunny and 60. Good grief weather rodent, what’s it gonna be?