More rain

It's seeming pretty wet now, but I feel like any amount of rain now is drops in the bank, hedging against the heat and dry spells to come. The long-term projections have eased for the Southeast -- we're in the 'improving' category in the U.S. Drought Monitor charts, much better than the 'continuing drought' category, but we're certainly not out of the woods yet -- we're running a 3 inch deficit this year already, after a 20 inch deficit last year.

The impact on natural communities is hard to detect, but is evident none the less. We'll see weakened mature trees senesce, and less tolerant understory trees die too, after the stress of last summer's heat and drought.

Interestingly, some plants are remarkably abundant this spring. Both color forms of Viola sororia are everywhere -- in lawns, along roadsides, in ditches, etc. - providing a lovely blue haze from a distance. I don't mind them; they're attractive and a nice reminder of spring.

A woodchuck relocated

I'd been keeping the Havahart trap closed at night, not to nab unsuspecting racoons, opposums, or skunks. But after lunch today, and after a rainy morning, I put the door up, and thought I'd refresh the spinach later on.

But when I got home, my gardening companion was heading to the backyard with his camera to take a picture of what turned out to be an attractive young woodchuck, enticed by wilting spinach and Chuckster bait. Not the giant herbivore of my dreams (bad), but a cute herbivore that just needs something to eat. But not in my vegetable garden.

Between last year's drought (awful) and the woodchuck(s) eating everything green and watered, last year was not my most productive vegetable gardening season. So I'm not anxious to repeat the experience.

My gardening companion had happily volunteered to be the relocation expert; we determined that the grassy edge near a nearby lake, and adjoining golf course, would be an excellent habitat for this young woodchuck. S/he scampered out of the trap towards the building, but hopefully turned around for greener pastures.

Downy woodpeckers

Downy woodpeckers are our smallest woodpecker, and common throughout North America, I'm just learning right now reading the account in Cornell's All About Birds. I put up a new cake of suet a couple of days ago, and this male has been avidly visiting.

He's not too skittish, so even on a grey morning with minimal light, I was able to get this shot, before he finally decided to retreat to the nearby dogwood, and fuss mildly. He did the 'whinny' call that you can hear on All About Birds.

The photo's blurry because the light levels were low and my lens isn't that long, but it's recognizable, thanks to the digital darkroom!

His bright red patch on the back of his head is an attractive contrast to his black and white feathers.