Willowchomp

Native Maypops popping and fruiting in NE TX.

Beaverworks upstream from their former pond. They have created 3 new ponded areas on the former 4’ wide spillway channel and with typical beaver-flair they have dam-scaped their mud-n-stick bulwarks with the native Sensitive Fern that abounds along the banks. Snacked on an inundated Ash as well.

Native Wisteria frutescens (Amethyst Falls) blooms profusely trained up a 50 year old stumpy Redbud (mother tree for dozens of Cercis in our NE Texas woodland.)

Blue sky on the beaver pond- one of three they built in response to the county road crew backhoe-terrorizing their primary pond for a culvert installation. Keep calm and beaver on 🦫.

Beavers working the night shift: they now have a series of four dams and new ponds in response to county road hooligans emptying their main pond for a new culvert install. The beavers and I are reconstructing that pond away from the reach of the dinosauric monster equipment. I work the day shift.

Ghost trees on the beaver pond offer nesting/perching sites for all manner of birds: woodpeckers, kingfishers, warblers, even egrets. We leave most of them to fall in their own time—often standing for a decade. At that point many become ‘sundecks’ for the pond turtles.

www.unchartedblue.com/new-evidence...

Acer p. ‘Seiryu’, an upright lace-leaved cultivar, always has the last word on fall color in our woodland garden.

Native Drummond’s maples in our bottomland woods. We’ve planted over a dozen in our wetland seepage and they’ve rewarded us with fireworks every year. All were two year old whips and now 7-8 years later are 20-25’ tall. Some have yet to go full color well into December.

BeaverSticks pond in this morning’s foggy light.

SK never disappoints; top drawer journalism exquisitely written! 🎶”And she won’t back down!”🎶 Bluesky is becoming mostly cloudy with a chance for rain.

We’re now starting our ninth year ’hosting’ beavers on a small piece of land across the road from our home property. The beavers over this time have cleared about .5 acre of willow, ash and buttonbush while turning a trickling spring-fed creek into a beautiful wildlife sanctuary.

Overflow water from the beaver pond snaking through part of our bamboo grove in one of many hand-dug swales. We’ve had over 4” of rain in the last week on our bottomland woods.

Beaver ponds aren’t just for beavers. As you can see, we’ve got our turtles in a row.

Moodlifter for Wednesday: the great annual chlorophyllic regression has begun in earnest in NE TX. Trees ‘green down’ in order to ‘fall color up.’

👁️ AM 🐜 ☕️ FA

Moodlifter for Wednesday: light and rising cane in the bamboo grove perfectly mulched by two 50’ pine trees.

Now we’re getting to the crux of the matter: remember approximately 50% of our fellow Amurcans read at a 6th grade level or below. Woke came in with Goldilocks but those others didn’t show up until 7th/8th grade. The overlap on the 50% and red hats is very high.

Blue sky on the water of BeaverSticks Pond after an all night, thunderous but gentle rain (.8). Much appreciated by beavers and gardener alike.

Friday moodlifter: Formosa lilies (some 6-7’ tall) trumpeting in our woodland.

Friday moodlifter: Three of a perfect pear. Started picking today; can’t wait for cobbler.

Moodlifter for Tuesday from our woodland garden.

Best newsletter read available with spot on perspective. Just finished The Last American Road Trip: enjoyed every mile and the behind the scenes look at every roadside attraction and destination. Please read if you haven’t yet. (Thanks Sarah)

Trump would hate it if you shared this.

One swimmer from the latest iteration of beaver families that have inhabited our beaver sanctuary pond over the past eight years. So cute and so very cautious.

Moodlifter for Monday: Big Blue on BeaverSticks Pond landing legs down;(especially for @sarahkendzior.bsky.social)

That would be awful. Don’t share this.

Moodlifter Saturday: Bluesky Mimosa. First major blooming on a tree grown from seed gathered locally, sown 6 years ago. From seedling to showstopper, and yes the fragrance is delicious.

Moodlifter for Thursday; I never plant any sunny containers without using Evolvulus—-best blue for Bluesky.

Waiting for someone’s Mom at our nursery’s plant display in NE TX.🌱😎🌿

Clematis ‘Henryi’ joyously expounding from 8’ up a Little Gem Magnolia.

Inside the boxwood topiary: cardinal’s nest full of eggs.

Our beavers doing beaverish things on the nightshift. Dropped a sweetgum that was scheduled for removal. As an arborist, I always marvel at the precision of their ‘beaver-hinge’ technique. They’ll be gnawing on this beauty for a week or so.

It’s still the Gulf Of Mexico.

Moodlifter for Sunday: looking westerly for the easter beaver. No sighting but the BeaverSticks Pond that they built certainly is full. In fact, with this morning’s light rain, it has risen!

6 year old ‘Orient’ pear (over 200 pears/year) on blue sky.

Today’s moodlifter: big pine (60’) on blue sky.

Lady Banks rose, full-tilt moodlifter for today.