Friday, March 4, 2022

GREEN SPRING GARDENS - 3-2-22 - PART 1

It was another sunny day on Monday, the sun was shining, the skies were blue, and it was a mild day temperature wise at 62 degrees Fahrenheit.  Time to get out and go for a walk around our favorite garden. Happily, the blossoms were starting to show on some trees.
On their flag you can see Witch Hazel. It is planted in various parts of the garden.  It would be nice to see this in our own garden.  
Above is the plant color I am used to finding. I didn't realize that there was a bag worm hanging from one of its branches until I was browsing through photos on my laptop.  If looked at quickly, they look like a clump of dead leaves to me, this without my glasses on mind you.  I was also focused on taking photos of the Witch Hazel. There can be 300 eggs or more inside these things.  If you click on both links, of the bag worm above and the tent moth, they are very destructive. 
As for the Witch Hazel, when I saw these in my photo below, I was intrigued by the different color.  It's very striking.
When I did a search on this particular shade, there were other names mentioned If you go to this link it will show you.
I read: "The genus Hamamelis is made up of five to six different species most of which are large woody shrubs 10 to 20 feet tall.  Hamamelis is made up of two non-native species, Chinese witch-hazel (H.mollis), Japanese witch-hazel (H. japonica), and four species native to North America, Eastern witch-hazel (H.virginiana), Mexican witch-hazel (H. mexicana - considered a subspecies of H. virginiana, though some geneticists consider it is a distinct species, Vernal witch-hazel (H. vernalis), and Big-leaf witch-hazel (H. ovalis).  One hybrid, xintermedia is also very popular."
Always on the look-out for birds, I spotted a flurry of movement in one of the bushes near the main gazebo.  Expecting to see a squirrel, I saw an American Robin on the ground, darting into a bush and hiding under the leaves.  I have been practicing with the zoom feature on my phone, more importantly my reaction time without startling my subject too much.  It's not the sharpest but as I like to say, it's a memory.  I read here that American Robins are fairly large songbirds with a large, round body, long legs, and fairly long tail. They also belong to the thrush family and are the largest of the North American thrushes.
But first, this day I felt like walking a little further and we went down the hill to the pond area.  We always pass by the ruins of a small building.  I don't know what this is, whether it was a resident or a place for storage.  There is no sign that I could see but it's an interesting structure that always piques my interest. Added note: 3-10-22 - I came across a very interesting article mentioning this structure.  You can read about it here if curious.
It was relatively quiet as we walked to another gazebo we like to sit inside sometimes, not today.
I have shared this before on our other trips to the garden.
The nesting box is ready and waiting.

I was looking for water birds.  All we found today were Canada Geese and Mallards.  They are always a welcome sight and I will share more photos soon.


Thanks for dropping by and have a
great weekend.






47 comments:

  1. We have Canada Geese and Mallards everywhere, all year long. The Mallards will even come into our yard. The Witch Hazel is just so WEIRD!! I love seeing it here, because I have never seen any in real life.

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    1. I have to drive a ways to see a Canada Goose :) I see them around but not near our house. I do hear them fly over and honk which I love. I remember seeing Witch Hazel for the first time a few years' back. Thought it very different!

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  2. This made me wonder how Witch Hazel got it's name, so I Googled it. Here is what I found: Witch hazel’s name originates from its use as a divining rod; the forked twigs bend slightly when dowsing for water. The Middle English word wiche means pliant or bendable. Dowsing was, and continues to be, a very important ancient craft in determining the best location to dig a well.

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    1. Thanks for the info Ginny, very interesting :) Gregg told me that his grandfather on his homestead in North Dakota used to do this dowsing.

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  3. Lovely pictures! Spring is on the way.

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  4. I've heard of witch hazel but didn't realize it was so attractive. The gazebo and ponds ARE attractions in a whole 'nother way, but the robin is so picturesque!!!

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    1. Yes Anni, love the robin :) I wish he had hung around long enough for more than a snapshot.

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    1. Muito obrigado :) Um abraço e um feliz final de semana.

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  6. Beautiful garden. 62 would feel like a heat wave right now.

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    1. Thanks Ann, it certainly would and I believe we got higher than than today. It was wonderful! We had all our windows open :)

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  7. Hello,
    Looks like a beautiful day for a walk. Love the Robin and geese, the witch hazel blooms are pretty. Take care, enjoy your day and have a great weekend!

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    1. Thank you Eileen, happy you liked them all. I wish you the same :)

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  8. our mallards are busy doing the srping thing and soon we will see them wandering with family across our roads. i love this witch hazel and this is the first viewing ever of it and I had no idea it had flowers. its beautiful. bob uses witchhazel a lot.. not the plant the one with alcohol in it. this park is gorgeous and you had the perfect day to wander and lighting for your photos

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    1. Thanks Sandra, I look forward to the ducklings arriving. Such darling little things. We occasionally see them crossing the road here too and drivers are very patient letting them cross :) I see a lot of witch hazel in the parks here. It was a perfect day.

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  9. What a beautiful day -- and absolutely delightful to see spring beginning to burst in your world! I'm still waiting for a robin. Maybe today!

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    1. Hopefully you have seen that Robin by now :) Thanks Jeanie!

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  10. Early spring is a great time to get out and see the first signs of spring. Great photos of early spring.

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  11. Oh it has been delightful, hasn't it? I am so ready for spring. I can smell it in the air.

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    1. Hi Latane :) it certainly has and I am ready for spring too :)

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  12. You do have nice gardens in your area and this is no exception!

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  13. Always enjoy your outdoor rambles, Denise, as they are filled with information new to me like this one about witch hazel. Aside from the bagworms, it looks like an interesting plant and very colorful. We still have snow on the ground, so it will be awhile before we go on any park rambles. As for mallards and Canada Geese, we have plenty of both on the Nashua River now, along with gulls.

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    1. Hello Dorothy, I hope our snow disappears soon :) I would love to see all your water birds on the river.

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  14. I so enjoy seeing your jaunts to such beautiful parks, Denise. Witch hazel is so intriguing to me. I've never seen the orange variety though. Seeing the robins surely let us know that Spring is right around the corner. Have a lovely weekend.

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    1. That makes me happy Martha Ellen :) This was my first time for the orange witch hazel also. It was good to see the robin and hopefully many more will be arriving soon. You have a lovely weekend also :)

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  15. Such a nice place for a walk, I enjoyed your photographs.
    Happy weekend wishes.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thank you Jan, happy you enjoyed and happy weekend wishes to you also :)

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  16. There’s lots of good information here. Bagworm is a term I don’t recall but it seems to spell trouble for the plants it inhabits. Now I will watch for these droopy insect cradles!

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    1. Thanks Penelope, learning as I go along, though I was introduced to those tent moths 30 years ago when we first moved to Virginia. The bagworm is new by a couple of years.

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  17. Looking forward to more photos as spring comes in, my favourite time of year!

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    1. Mine too Christine, thank you. There will be more next week :)

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  18. I've never seen Witch Hazel before, not have I heard of/seen bagworm.
    Beautiful shots of your day at the garden, and the one of the little robin is very sharp.

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    1. Thank you Great-Granny G :) glad you enjoyed. I like learning from the photos I take, some I know before a little, some a lot, others nothing at all and I love learning :)

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  19. It's always so good to see the Robins appear. Haven't seen any here yet but we know they will come. Happy weekend to you.

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    1. It certainly is Ellen, hope you get yours soon. Happy weekend to you also :)

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  20. That looks like an excellent place to walk.

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  21. All up until tomorrow and then I think the flowers are going to go into shock. 100 percent chance of snow! I'm wondering how much we are going to get.

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