ready, set, grow

each year, burdock grows from nothing (ground level) to the size of a large monstera plant (chest high) all in about three months. with leaves reaching almost a meter wide. every year, i marvel at this dazzling speed of growth.

dried burdock leaves

take a peek

found some queen anne’s lace stems, and thought i’d open them up to see what is inside those little wicker baskets. looks cozy and inviting to me. and i bet those abundant seeds even have a bit of protein in them. i’m surprised some small animal hasn’t evolved specifically to make winter homes inside these plush little nests. perhaps the long thin stems are too fragile to build a proper home upon. still, it feels like a missed opportunity to me.

over-wintered queen anne’s lace stems, opened

life goes on

while we human animals impatiently wait for spring to arrive, the rest of the animal kingdom is getting on with it. they have a few short months here in the north to stake out their territory, find a mate, build a proper den or nest, have babies, and raise them to independence. we have two resident owls in our woods: barred and great horned.  they have all been calling out for territory and mates for the past month. i hear them around the clock, not just in the evening. who cares if there is still a foot of snow on the ground, there is no time to waste. and now is the time to procreate. surviving in the north has always been serious business.

barred owl feather

now available in technicolor

dreaming in technicolor as i wait for spring to arrive here in the north.

various dried botanicals (flowers and leaves)

you look familiar

my mom has a delightful clematis vine that surrounds her back door. so, i am very familiar with clematis buds and feel as though i could recognize them anywhere. but these stems truly tripped me up–looking just like clematis buds, but growing on straight stems…what the what?  sure enough, clematis recta! free standing clematis shrubs native to europe. who knew? look at how those bud stemlets still want to curl and twist just like their vining cousins. the world is full of wonderful surprises.

clematis recta