Hello and welcome to this wonderful month of April. Last month sure lived up to its reputation with all the changes in weather so now I am hoping that April lives up to its reputation as well. You know April Showers? I love the rain and we sure can use the water.
The water would not only raise the lake levels, but it should help with the mushroom growth and keep the fire danger low. The one downside of the rain is that it makes the grass grow so then we need to get to work maintaining the beauty of our lawns.
Last month brought with it so many black birds to my house. Red-winged Blackbirds in flocks of a hundred were common for a while. The flocks infiltrated with a smattering of Starlings, Grackles and Cow Birds. I loved listening to them chattering out there and they seemed to appreciate the grain that I put out daily.
Have you ever wondered why male Red-Winged Blackbirds arrive before the females? Why do they not travel together when they spend the rest of the year together? Well, the answer is pretty straight forward. The female Red-winged Blackbirds return to their breeding grounds once insects begin to hatch as they require a higher protein diet to lay eggs.
As we approach the nesting season, I am reminded of the age-old debate of should I or shouldn’t I clean out the nest boxes. Personally, I clean mine once a year because Bluebirds do not clean them out. However, some birds like the House Wren will clean them out before each new use and woodpeckers prefer to have wood chips in the nesting box that they can remove themselves. I guess that it makes woodpeckers feel like they have excavated a hole themselves.
Warming weather and the woods coming to life once again this spring makes me think of the bounty about to present itself for us to take advantage of. Fresh mushrooms, ramps (aka wild leaks), fiddle-head ferns, milkweed, burdock and many more.
There is also the opportunity for putting by some fish each spring while they are spawning. Crappie and other panfish are great to harvest and freeze for later and usually easier to find and catch during the spawn.
My only request when foraging is to study and know what it is that you are collecting. Yes, spruce tips are safe and easy to find, however the common yew can be mistaken by some, and it is poisonous. So please be careful.
The other part of my request is to please harvest sustainably. Never take more that you will use and never take beyond the allowable harvest by law. I have seen a small lake ruined by the over harvest of a couple greedy people.
It’s turtle crossing season. By that I mean that turtles will soon be crossing our highways on the way to lay their eggs. Being cold-blooded they also love to warm up on the pavement soaking up the heat left from the sun. Please be watchful of them and if rescuing a turtle from the roadway please do not pick them up by the tail, that is very harmful to a turtle.
Thats all I have for this month so until our next visit, please help keep our woods and waters clean.
