I was surprised to see so many mushrooms on a recent fall trip to Door County, WI. I know many varieties grow well into fall, but with the mild El Ninõ winter we seem to be having, many plants including mushrooms are lasting well past their usual growing seasons. The Coprinus comatus (Shaggy Mane) was the first mushroom … Continue reading Fall Mushrooms in Door County, WI
Category: Nature
Fall in Door County, Wisconsin
In addition to going to Northern Michigan for the weekend (Fall in Northern Michigan/Stumbling Upon Club-Mosses), Steve and I made a trip up to Door County, Wisconsin the third week of October. It was definitely peak colors that week and it was spectacular. The day started like this! Sunrise over Lake Michigan. After breakfast, we … Continue reading Fall in Door County, Wisconsin
Fall in Northern Michigan/Stumbling Upon Club-Mosses
Over the last couple of weeks I've been lucky enough to travel around the upper Midwest and see an amazing explosion of fall color. I spent one of those weekends visiting my mom Peggy in Northern Michigan. Once the rain finished, we went out to the woods to have a look at some of the … Continue reading Fall in Northern Michigan/Stumbling Upon Club-Mosses
More Baby Birds
All around the yard I hear the immature chirps of fledglings. Some are probably the baby cardinals I wrote about in my last post (A Rare Treat: A Cardinal’s Nest At Eye Level). Others are probably robins that nest frequently in the yard, although this year I haven't seen any of their nesting spots. As … Continue reading More Baby Birds
A Rare Treat: A Cardinal’s Nest At Eye Level
Right outside my front door is a Judd Viburnum that has been home to many robin's nests throughout the years This year, we saw some busy birds flying in and out, so of course I had to investigate. I assumed it was a robin as before, but a quick peak at the eggs and nest materials, it … Continue reading A Rare Treat: A Cardinal’s Nest At Eye Level
Spring Surprises
As I was walking around the yard the other day, a few surprises caught my eye. Why was there fuzz in the garden? On closer inspection this is what I saw! As best as I could tell, there were 4 babies snuggled in the nest The next day I went to show my husband…Gone! The Dead … Continue reading Spring Surprises
Spring Snuck Up On Me
Just when we were feeling like spring would never come, the weather turned and the snow melted. Always interesting to see what's been going on under the snow after all those months. When we see those early signs of life it gives us hope that the garden will once again be bursting forth in beauty in no … Continue reading Spring Snuck Up On Me
Winter Weariness
While we may not be having the horrendous weather some of my friends on the East Coast are having, we in Chicago, Michigan and the rest of the Midwest are having our own winter frustrations. This winter started out not too bad, but January and February have really kicked it up a notch. Record snow, … Continue reading Winter Weariness
The Blue Jays are Back (and That’s Not a Good Thing)
My mom, Peggy, has had an ongoing issue with blue jays in her yard. As I wrote before in Bullies at the Bird Feeder, they can be a real nuisance at her feeders. They eat an obnoxious amount of bird seed and really act as bullies when other birds try to eat. Now the latest problem is that … Continue reading The Blue Jays are Back (and That’s Not a Good Thing)
Superbowl Snowstorm
Much of the country has been having their share of big winter snowstorms and we here in Chicago got ours this past weekend. The snow started Saturday late afternoon, and didn't end until the lake effect finale finally moved on around 6 am Monday morning. All total, this end up the as the 5th biggest … Continue reading Superbowl Snowstorm