how
could
you?
My dad knows I love the wild black cherry trees, so when he spots a little seedling in his suburban yard, he pots it for me. I like this tree for it's fast growth, wildlife food value, yellow fall color, and it's beautiful wood. The last time I was home, Dad had two little trees ready so I slipped them in the narrow storage area in the back of the Jeep. That was a Sunday.
The next day, I went to work, forgetting about the little trees in my Jeep. By the time the work day was over, the poor little things were baked halfway down and needed the ICU part of the garden.
I wasn't sure if they'd pull through for a while, but this weekend I saw new growth, so all is not lost.
Down by the pond, the black willows are blooming and covering the water and everything else with downy puffs. The seem to have peaked now, but for a while the air was just full of floating down.
This is a tree I battle each year for control of the pond. If you cut a branch of it and drop it, it will sprout roots and grow. I like the willowy swamp at the south end of the pond, I just don't want to surrender the entire pond bank to it.
Side note: Blogger was treating me rudely yesterday so I don't know when yesterday's post finally showed (the hoppers), but it seems to be there now.
11 comments:
I just had to google the Black Cherry tree because I've never heard of it.
Should be an excellent tree to bring some color to all the acreage that you have up there. The website said it makes a great understory tree as well. It will grow in almost any soil, which is a bonus!
The images I found show the most beautiful flowers. I can see why you like this one. I'll keep an eye out for one for our yard up in g'ville.
Man, I learn so much when I stop by here.... thanks FC :)
Had to cringe when I saw the grasshopper pictures. It's that time of the year again, isnt it!
Pretty soon, we'll be seeing the caterpillars everywhere as well.
I understand blogger was melting down all over the internets yesterday!
It's so easy for little trees in pots to go dry.
We have a lot of wild black cherries - they all have these terrible black knot fungus growing on them, making big oozing black tumors on the branches. I don't know how true it is, but I've read that black cherry wood was so desirable a hundred years ago that many of the superior disease-free trees were cut down, leaving only those susceptible to the fungus, so now that's what we see.
We have black cherry (I think) up in Missouri. I see a few at Roundrock and many at Fallen Timbers. I know what you mean about the relentless battle for control of your pond. Our problem is cattails. While they are a good filter, they can ring a pond in only a few years.
(Also, your PureFlorida Wildlife Calendar is set up so only blogger members can make comments. But maybe you just don't want me to babble away there too.)
Hope those black cherry trees thrive, FC. And I certainly hope they are strong and disease free. That fungus sounds pretty awful.
I notice you didn't post about the wild black cherry faux pas until you thought all would turn out well.
I have some tomato seedlings I'm in the process of killing. You won't see me posting about them unless they revive :)
What a great blog! We live in the Pensacola area and homeschool. My 2 boys and I accidentally came across your blog this AM and got stuck for a *long* time going through the archives. You are a wealth of information and a gifted writer. We have bookmarked your site and will refer to it often for our state of FL studies. Thank you for renewing my love for this beautiful state and all her native treasures! (And foor bringing back memories of childhood tubing, camping, and fishing adventures!)
Becca in NW FL
Hmmm. Is it possibly you really had those trees too close to that fired up grill of yours?
Those poor little wild cherry trees. They grow wild here in Ky. as well.
A message to Pablo...We had a problem with cattails trying to take over our pond once. First we pulled out all cattails and then we got mallard ducks who ate the young cattail sprouts that tried to grow. Worked for us.
Laura,
You are quite the Googler...me too. When I share some odd tidbit with my students, I catch myself saying, "Google it and find out for yourself!"
BC is a great tree, not in your driveway where the black fruits would stain things. My driveway's sand so big deal. Didn't y'all have a grasshopper invasion a few years ago in SW FL?
Wayne,
Like shooting all the champion bucks...all the good genes are removed. I don't see fungus problems on Florida trees...knock on cherry wood.
Pablo,
I fear cattails too. I have planted Iris and sometimes worry (not anguish of course) that an emerging plant might be cattail instead of blue flag. So far so good.
I knew you would be the first to notice the Calendar link and I was wondering why it was taking you so long to post there. I'll fix that this evening. Thanks for the heads up.
Leslie,
Very observant young grasshopper. I don't like to draw too much attention to my stupid mistakes...I have a wife for that.
Becca in NW FL,
Gal, you made my day! Thank you so much for the kind words. Pensacola was my home for several years while I was in college and will always be a special place to me.
Pablo,
No...that would be the reason the dog is missing it's tail hair.
Abandoned,
Hey, I'm keeping that tip too...just in case the cattails find me. I love mallards anyway. We aren't allowed to freerange mallards in FL tho, due to our endangered Florida duck.
Uh, oh...homeschoolers will be coming here in droves...we have great networking skills. I've been keeping your site a secret from them seeings how blogger has enough troubles...now look what's happened. You will never be the same again.
By the way...we are strictly wood grillers...no gas.
Hick,
That's okay, I like networking with fellow teachers :)
Post a Comment