Tag: currant bush

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04/08/2023 Bird Haven Trail at Black Mesa SP

Invasive storks bill geranium in the mowed areas near camp and road.
Clove currant is thinking about blooming!
Don’t know what this seedhead is but it has cool divisions inside like a pinwheel!
Last year’s dried up silver leaf nightshade.
Saltbush (Atriplex sp) leaves
This trail has one bench before it merges with the Vista trail. There is a second bench on the Vista Trail towards the park office, overlooking the RV camp area. The trees shading it are hackberries.
Briar thought the flat rock was boring but Mom and I saw lots of good stuff here.
We saw several fast ants on the big flat rock.
Here are two smaller rocks together. Look carefully in the crack for a small green bit.
Zoomed in- do you see the green nub yet?
Here it is, an adorable baby cactus seedling!
Most of the cacti here seem to be the ribbed Echinocereus. I’m not sure about the baby since I don’t know if the seedlings should be ribbed yet or not. we saw one Escobaria type earlier on the trail.
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04/08/2023 Picture Canyon, Comanche National Grasslands, Colorado

We hopped across the border this afternoon to Colorado (and time traveled to Mountain Time). Here is the sign for Picture Canyon under a cloud-speckled blue sky!
This sign points the way to more prairie! (Or, you know, the trail to the petroglyphs. )
Great rocks and lichens along the trail.
Just a hint of green spring on this tiny tough little bluestem!
This rock was very rectangular.
The chollas here were less sad than the Black Mesa ones. Maybe because this is an arroyo?
The sandstone cliffs were very tall but also a nice cooler microclimate!
A series of vertical line petroglyphs higher up in an eroded hollow area. There is another line through them so they almost look like fish ribs.
A human figure petroglyph!
The horse petroglyph was my favorite!
The horse petroglyph with Briar for scale.
Mom looked at holes in the rocks but didn’t see anyone home. I did hear and see some kestrels flying nearby and heard a Canyon Wren singing though!
These petroglyphs seem to show a horse on the left and two tipis (?). Without more signs it was hard for me to tell what were petroglyphs vs vandalism but most vandalism seemed to be names and initials.
This disk-shaped erosion in the sandstone was neat.
The cooler microclimate with shade and a different rock nearby resulted in some foliose lichens!
We found a flower blooming that wasn’t skunk bush sumac! Mom identified this as Ribes leptanthum, trumpet gooseberry. It has lovely flowers and very friendly spines too. We didn’t see many insects out on either species though, presumably because it’s such a drought.
Little sprinkles to the west (if it even hit the ground) on our way back to camp!
A multipurpose state line sign on a county road.
On the way back we stopped to see the replica of a brontosaurus femur that the park brochures note is on private property by the roadside. It is for commemoration of many dinosaur fossils found on the private property.
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06/27/2022

A paper wasp flies to mealy blue sage.
Using the two new wasp books, we narrowed it down to three species of Polistes: dorsalis, bellicosus, or fuscatus.
I’ll look this wasp up tomorrow in the pollinator wasps book.
It was going in and out of the hollow dead branch.
The native black currant is ripening!
Pizza with garden basil, garden onions, garden garlic.
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04/23 checking on the backyard

Blackberry has started blooming.
Native currant continues blooming.
Probably non native oxalis that was here already.
Maybe baby Salvia coccinea by the oak.
No idea.
Lyre leaf sage has just started blooming.
Giant ragweed baby (self seeded from last year’s volunteer).
Not sure who this friend is on the other side of dividing fence.
Frostweed is coming back.
The extra Maximilian sunflower we planted seems to be thriving.
A type of Solanaceae, I forget which one, but native. A volunteer.
A pokeweed coming up! Always good for the birds.
The right half of the clump is goldenrod that was already here.  The left half is something non native but I forget what.
The fancy something is going to bloom though I guess. I remember it’s not native anyways. So eventually it will probably go.
New Clematis is surviving.
New from yesterday Cleome (Rocky mountain bee plant) is still alive.
Rattlebox from yesterday settling in fine. Wild onions from home in front.

I’m becoming convinced this is the New Jersey tea I put out last year. Ironweed leaves around it.
Showy evening primroses are starting!
Frog fruit I transferred from prairie area to east of the patio appears to have taken root.
A seedling that probably got transplanted from home. 🤷🤞🤞
I seeded a native lawn mix in this area and I believe this is the buffalo grass.
The other item in the mix was blue grama grass; hopefully this is it.
The fragrant sumac was starting to wilt again so I gave it some water in a pot to leak out slightly slower.
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Everything is growing!

Spring is really springing today. It’s very humid and warm too though no substantial rain yet despite forecast.

Widow sedum is growing a lot since I put seedlings here in fall.
Possibly dill seedlings.
Blackberry is leafing out.
Red lake currant is budding.
Pink champagne currant budding too. 
Native “Crandall” currant budding.  I just got it this winter.
Native field violet or “johnny jump up” (Viola bicolor I think) is blooming in front yard near non-native chickweed (white flower) and non-native henbit (between the chickweed and the violet).
Spinach is a bit chewed on.
I don’t know when the lettuce grew this size but it feels sudden.
“Rhubarb” Swiss chard (named for red stems).
New Kuroda carrot.  The other two carrot varieties are also up.  I put jars over these first few in case bunnies like them like they like the mizuna and bok choy.  Mustard greens untouched.
Radishes getting adult leaves.
Collard greens from Judy sprouting.
In the plant window, mammolo (green ones) and red rubin (red ones) basil have been up a few days now.

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Fruit plants in the ground!

I planted the peach tree and currant bush in the front and back yards, respectively.

Briar supervised. We have no fence in the front yard but she likes to hang out and watch. The peach tree is hard to see but has the lighter colored bamboo stake next to it. I believe this dwarf tree is a genetic dwarf, not grafted onto a dwarf rootstock, so while I looked for soil line on the tree for planting I didn’t have to watch for keeping the graft above the soil.
Another underwhelming stick picture! The Crandall black currant is a native North American currant. Both this and the peach I made sure to water deeply per instructions. I put this currant on the northeastern corner of my “currant patch” (three others planted last year) just because it’s where there was room.
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Peach and currant planting

Well it’s my day off so it’s time to plant yesterday’s new arrivals. I secured them out of the way from box- and stick- interested supervisors Gram and Briar.

Peach and currant bare roots showing packaging
Ison’s vineyard packaged these with a nice bamboo support stake for the peach, some sort of water retaining goo/slush, and tied them together gently with a thick baling twine. I will save the baling twine to tie the peach to its stake.
This nursery’s instructions didn’t specify a pre-planting soak for the roots, but Stark Bros does and I’ve seen it in several books now. So, these new friends are getting a drink while I walk the dog (most important) and then dig holes (possibly more relevant to their interests).