Rose Cottage Ltd

I throw fish food most evenings and over the course of a few seasons, a local Heron has figured out this might be a good time for him (or her) to catch a evening meal.

I’ve noticed since even last year that this bird is getting more bold about “following” me – or rather the path the fish food is taking – which in turn helps him identify where his (or her) next meal is coming from.

The lake has an overabundance of Bluegill – this Heron’s particular favorite, and the lake’s water is still too low heading into Summer 2012 so, having a Heron drop by to grab a fish or two – while not pleasant for the captured fish, is part of the natural order of things on the lake.

This Hosta is now one of my favorites. For anyone who thinks Hostas are merely green plants with big leaves, a Hosta can provide a touch of color and variety in sunny or shady locations.

These require minimal maintenance, although they will droop in very dry conditions, they go away in Winter, and just start blooming mid-to-late Spring.

For something you can plant, and walk away and almost forget about, it offers a pretty showy result.

Just saw the first Hummingbird this morning at Rose Cottage (central North Carolina.) Hope all those feeders are ready – Hummingbirds are ready to rock and roll their season – and they’ll be arriving thirsty!

Looks like these baby Cardinals expected my sister to at least bring some food if she was going to turn on the lights! These new babies were hatched just this week in Florida. This time of year, new “growth” seems to be happening everywhere you look.

Great photo – I know these “children” will be well looked after until they are out of the nest and off on their own…

Okay, enough with the wind! Yesterday I clocked a 30mph wind on my weather station and with the temperature at 58 at that particular moment, it felt C-O-L-D outside. This morning’s temperature was just above freezing. I thought I was done with my wood stove for this season but I guess I won’t be putting those logs away just yet.

Third-Year Clematis

The Clematis shown above had one or two flowers open and lots of buds this past Sunday and it appears to be getting enough protection from the wind and good afternoon sun to keep on blooming.

Fortunately, the flowers that are blooming due to the warmer-than-usual temperatures we’ve had for the last few weeks, seem to be “maintaining.”

This is about Year 5 for my Persian Lilac shrub. It extends upwards to around 7 feet and put out double the blooms of last year.

These beautiful flowers have an incredible fragrance, the plant has proven fairly disease and insect-resistant, and I only wish I had a few more! I may be adding to my Fall garden shopping list this year…

If you decide to plant one of these in your garden, give it plenty of room to grow. New growth from the base will make what is a fairly small plant Year One and Two, a much larger prospect by Years Four and Five.

Here’s a little savings coupon in case you find yourself in garden shopping mode this Monday morning…

Dreary days here don’t make for great pictures but with only 3 of these on the property, thought they deserved a post.

This rather showy Mountain Laurel has a brief blooming season here at Rose Cottage – usually right around Easter. Trying to find the 3 flowering plants on this 7-acre property each season is a bit like hunting Easter eggs…

Okay – an evening early but you get the point!

Last year’s resin birdbath didn’t make it too well through even a mild 2011/2012 Winter. This year’s selection will not have the same problem.

The resin birdbath developed cracks near the base early on – making it a chore to keep it full of clean water. Repeated attempts to repair the cracks were temporarily successful at best. Sometimes you just need a better product. With temperatures expected in the 90s sometime this coming week – this was good timing for the birdbath solution.

This heavy concrete model is also not going anywhere on days when the winds coming from the adjacent open pasture can meet or exceed 50 mph during Spring and summer storms.

I guess a week’s worth of well above normal temperatures have a few construction projects starting a bit early this year.

This particular goose chose this same spot last year for her nest. She was successful so, being a mother looking for a place to nest for 2012 – here she is again. I noticed her walking around the area last weekend so threw a few handfuls of straw and dead leaves in the spot. As you can see, she’s quickly put them to good use.

Her goslings were born May 19th, 2011 so as I mentioned, I think she’s about 2 weeks early this year. I’ll follow her progress and hope she has a successful “season.” Since this location is about 10 feet from the back of the house, I guess she’s decided close proximity to humans is safer for her than a more isolated location where fox, raccoon, and other wild animals may invade her nest.

There are currently about 4 pair of geese having territorial issues around the lake for nesting zones. It will be interesting to see who wins the war for the other prime spots, which locations they choose, and how successful they are at keeping the nest safe…

UPDATE: Just found last year’s calendar and nesting 1st day in 2011 was April 11 – well ahead of schedule this year as I thought.