Tag Archives: Michigan oaks

Baby leaves and not quite acorns

New oak leaves and their flowers are providing fresh color despite the late surge of cold air this weekend. Hopefully the frost won’t interfere with the acorn production our abundant black and grey squirrels depend on. One has already taken the liberty of an oak flower snack while dangling from the branch tip. In a taller tree a neighbor’s kind donation of pork chop left-overs made Mothers Day breakfast for another fat black squirrel.

Gnawbone squirrel, vegan no more.

Pea, spinach, lettuce and radish leaves are growing day by day in the early garden and we have enjoyed the first asparagus of the year.

Snap peas and salads of the near future
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Biggest leaves, smallest pun’kin

The days of falling leaves are almost over.  A few stragglers remain in the poplar tops and some oaks will keep their rusty decorations till March.  The treetops often hold larger leaves than lower branches and a young Burr oak provided some trophy specimens this year.

Burr oak leaves

 

The Bluecircle leaf “grand champion” was a 5-year Sycamore that blanketed its lawn on North Watervliet Road with fallen giants.   Many had a span over 12 inches, and some were larger.   It was good that this naturalized area needs no raking – by Spring these enormous remnants of a good tree year will be gone.

Sycamore leaf measures 18 x 16 inches!

One pumpkin vine survived the groundhog chomping in the corn patch and bore a single tiny fruit. Maybe a fairy carriage?

Tiny pumpkin