Great Blue Heron

Caught this Great Blue heron sitting on a post. Later I got him walking away.

Their diet is mostly fish. I enjoy watching them stalk fish and then suddenly pluck one out of the pond.

Shingle Oak

Went to see a Shingle Oak I measured in Oct 2010. Looking at the growth in 3 full growing seasons. A tree of this size doesn't have to grow much to increase volume by a lot.

Looking at the bark there are marks showing where there has been branches before. And the top had been broken off because the branches were too mature for new growth. The 80 to 100 foot level of tree around here seems to be the top. Wind will break off tops growing higher. But is that the limiting factor in height growth for this part of the country?

There is always a respect for a tree that is healthy and has grown to be a dominate tree in the area. It is a Shingle oak and these trees are not dominate but they are common.

The tree seems to signal a change from woods to open field. This is a city park so the woods had been cleared out long ago when the park was created. What the park is is a green way that probably has a sewer line running along here. And the opening of this park allows access for pipe maintenance. This activity allows enjoyment of nature for me.

I am sitting currently in a dead end to the grass cutting that has a shelter of trees between the park and housing. A handy way for me to sit down and enjoy a a quite few minutes as I write this up.

It has rained the past 2 days and there is humidity in the air but the temp is under 80 so there is not much discomfort. Life is good in the woods and I enjoy each time I come here. Measuring trees is a way for me to get in the woods.

Right now there are clouds going over and the darkness speaks of rain possibly if the clouds get more uniform.

Yesterday we were walking along the Missouri and we could see rain clouds off in the distance with showers coming down at different spaces in the distance.

We decided to return to the car to miss the rain. I had left my camera in the car just in case I got caught in the rain. There was no use risking my camera for the opportunity of taking a good photo on a cloudy day was not excellent.

Anyway the Shingle oak is the sentinel of the park. Guarding or signifying a change in topography. And cover type. The tree does not have competition for height growth and there is room for branches to spread out across the sides but not enough for advancing branch growth.

Does tight bark give a signal of health growth. IE the growth is fast enough that the fissures of the bark don't have time to thicken?

There is a cottonwood tree to the south which is encroaching on the tree canopy. Notice in the photo how the tree is putting effort into growing more to the north to get away from the Cottonwood tree.

Measuring the diameter of the tree I cut away a poison ivy vine growing up the bole of the tree that would have effected the circumference. This as well will help the health of the tree in the future. Though it might be many years before the vine would have gotten big enough to choke the tree.

Hosta

Hostas are shade loving plants. By the 1950's these plants had fallen out of favor and then in the 1960's they started becoming more popular with gardeners.

 These Hosta plants are growing in my wife's garden.

Hosea 14:7 "Those who live in his shadow Will again raise grain, And they will blossom like the vine. His renown will be like the wine of Lebanon."

Red Headed Woodpecker

Found these woodpeckers along the Missouri river.

Red-headed wood peckers are attracted to burned areas and recent clearings. They usually nest in a hole on a dead tree or a dead branch on a live tree. Red-headed woodpeckers do not use bird houses. Starlings and bluejays will steal their eggs. 

The red head is striking to see. A beautiful bird to watch.

These birds are monogamous. 

Starlings will out compete the Red headed woodpecker for nesting holes.

The Brown headed cow bird will lay its eggs in a Red headed woodpeckers nest, but the woodpecker will not incubate the the eggs.

When light is low the white lower back also is a sure identification sign. The Ivory billed woodpecker also has a white lower back. Yet it is very rare and is twice the size of the Red-headed.

Psalm 19:1
"The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands."

COMMON MULLEIN

These Common Mullein flowers are prevalent in this field.

Cottonwood Seeds Blowing Down the River

All the white specks in this photo are Cottonwood seeds blowing down the Missouri river.

Butterfly and Flower

Looks like another Clouded Sulphur butterfly hovering above these flowers. The color is a little lighter

Bee and Cone Flower

I caught this bee working in some of our Cone Flowers

Younger N Red Oak

We found this younger N Red Oak that I will watch in later years. We were at this site in March 2011.

We went back looking to see young advanced regeneration. This tree looks really promising.

The stem is not completely straight but it is healthy and there is a slight opening in the canopy for it to grow towards.

Measurements:
circumferance 13.25"
Height  44'
Canopy 20' x 21'
Total 62 points

Notice the paw paw plant growing in the canopy above Chuck.

Clouded Sulphur Butterfly

Walking through a natural  field I noticed this butterfly. These butterflies are common.

Clouded Sulphur butterfly on thistle flower.

Pasum haw??

Clouds Near Sunset

White Ash Winter Bud

Bud pushing through the seed coat of White Ash.

Hackberry Flower

E Cottonwood Buds

Cottonwood winter buds.

Silver Maple Flowers

Red-bellied Woodpecker

I had been cutting wood in my back yard and stopped to rest after the gas ran out of the saw. After about 5 minutes the birds starting coming back into the area. I saw Blue Jays, Robins, many House sparrows, a few Blacked Capped Chickadees. Then I noticed this Red-bellied Woodpecker. I trained my camera to the spot and zoomed to 300 mm. This wood pecker was content to stay there for a while and I got many photos. This seems to be the best one.



Here the wood pecker has just taken off by jumping off the limb. He has not opened his wings yet.

Canon EOS REBEL T3
F-stop f/5.6
ISO-200
1/1600 sec
280mm

Coming In for a Landing

Lichens

Here is a shot of lichens growing on a branch.

Firewood 2

I decided to split the wood and move it. But as I got the wedge started into a chunk of wood the wedge just bounced out of the wood after I slammed the sledge down on the wedge.

Splitting was out of the question for now. So plan B is to cut the wood into chunks and roll them up to where I want to stack them. Then in the summer I plan to split what I can.

The problem with splitting wood in the summer is it gets hot.
The heat makes the work that much harder. Be that as it may that is what I will do.

After I moved all I wanted to pick up and roll to the pile. I got my saw and started cutting. What a difference I was making in the environment of sound. Instead of wind and a few birds chirping in the pre-spring afternoon there now was a roar. The bar was cutting through the wood and chips were flying. After a while when I cut a section I would roll it to the stack and go back and cut another one. When the saw ran out of gas I looked at the clock and decided that was enough for the day. I had moved a significant amount of firewood to where I wanted it stacked. Tomorrow will be another day and I will continue my work.




Here is the photo in mid January and the article I wrote then.

Pine Sap

Sap seeping out of recent pruning from pine tree.

Lightening Shreds Wood Fibers

Walking in a park I saw a tree scared by lightening. Looking closer I noticed the wood fibers were shreded and seperated down the path of the strike. The tempature of lightening can reach 50,000 degrees F. Yet when you look at the wood, there is no sign of being burned.

Shumard Oak Bud

 Shumard oak  tree bud above and the tree below. There is another tree that limbs low like this one I should visit to see if it is the same species.

 

Winter Bud of Eastern Red Bud

Small bud on the end of the twig. But there will be beauty in the Spring.

Sentry Crows

 Crows One easy ID of crows and other birds like crows, is a black bird that has wing tips that are seperated.

Hophornbeam Twig and Lenticles

Here is a close up of Hophornbeam twig. The white spots on the twig are lenticles, which are used for the plant to let air to escape from the tree. They are for gas exchange.

Black Cherry Bark

 Here is a photo of the bark of a young Black Cherry tree. The horrizonal lines are lenticles. These lenticles continue to show up on the bark of mature Black Cherry trees.

Crab Apples in February

Crab Apples still on the tree in February.

Maple Bud

Honey Locust

The forboding canopy of Honey Locust

American White Pelicans

American White Pelicans  must have found a school of fish for they swam in this formation eating the fish
below.

Eastern Red Bud Bark

Eastern Red bud tree that has these bumps up the bole. Are they burls?

Creation

 

 Job 12:7-9 But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you. 8 “Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you. 9 “Who among all these does not know That the hand of the Lord has done this,