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May 25, 2006 - A world clothed in greenThe Suffolk Times • May 25, 2006 I can't believe it, another day and th sun is out. For a while there I thought it would never stop raining. I wonder how people stand it when it does rain for long periods of time, like when the monsoons take over for months FOCUS U S on end. Those rainy ON days we just had turned our drea- NATURE ry world into one of green over- by Paul night. The lawn, Stoutenburgh the garden, the pasture and our woods all of a sudden turned green. I had to put on my Bean boots and walk out into the new world that had awak- ened from last winter's sleep. It was a good thing I put the boots on, for every blade of grass had its own sparkling ball of dew that washed my boots as I walked along. Looking back to where I came from, my trail was as plain as if it were etched in snow. I stopped at the smoker, which hadn't been used all winter, just to check it over, for now a new season has started and Larry or Ed and others will be looking for a day to smoke some of the fish they catch. The door swings open and what do I see but two — no four — black, beady eyes of two deer mice peering out of their snug little nest. The noise of the door set them off and run- ning, their little hands and feet groping the side of the rusty firebox. My move- ment sent them off and they disap- peared out of sight. I wonder how long they were in there. Pretty smart, I'd say. They knew where it was nice and dry. With the collection of empty hickory nuts that lined the inside of the smoker I'm sure they had a plentiful supply of nuts for their winter's stay. I'd have to remove their cozy nest, for they surely wouldn't want to be there when the smoker is in use. When I did close the door on the smoker, I saw one of them scurrying through the leaves. It would have to find new lodging• wor n Paul Kight aiongsicie the smoker is a une four or five evergreens that showed w bright green shoots on the ends each branch. These were the result our planting small Christmas trees ;'d been given from my son's tree .m. Each year we plant another one. Ley surely looked good. The green n 0 inches in height by the end of the I'm sure you all know you can tell the age of an evergreen by counting the growth between. the new branches and the old. This distance between growth branches can tell what kind of growing season the tree has gone through. In .- P�rPntinnally unod year the Rrowth might be 10 or more inches, while in — a poor, dry year the distance between growth branches might only be four or five inches: So much for mice and trees. We enjoy our pussy ow t at grows alongside the toolshed. This early arrival has always produced great long stems, with their wonderful and welcome fuzzy buds. We always leave a good number of untouched branches so our cutting will not damage the tree. By now most of the fluffy, silvery, vel- vet -like catkins have changed to their pollen - loaded flowers that are awaiting pollination by insects. For those who don't have a pussy wil- low bush and want to get one, look for a friend or someone who has a good tree and ask if you can have a few cuttings Put them in water and leave them until they sprout leaves and roots. Then plant them outside and keep watering them. They are easy to grow and fun to have, so try rooting some. Good luck. As I pass through the garden, I al- most want to look away, for our garden has been completely devastated by moles or voles that eat the roots of everything. You can feel their burrows under your feet as you walk along. Two of my favorite roses are nothing but gnawed -off stumps; I lifted them out of the ground with no effort. All the roots had been eaten and the main taproot had all of its root covering eaten off, What with the deer devastating my once - productive orchard and the havoc wrought on my garden by these under- ground devils, there's not much sense in trying to raise anvthinv_ i. i 1 .T Out in the pasture the cows are try- f ' everything but a few plants that don't find what Barbara had seen just a - J n few days ago — a woodchuck, or stay away from has now become quite groundhog. This is a first for us. She noticeable and that is the buttercup, th e was doing the dishes when she saw `, this "thing" up by the windmill. The one you held under the binoculars told the story and, sure a enough, there was "a first" for our it a girl friend ?) to see place. We haven't seen it since then, if they liked butter. At but I'm sure it isn't far away. any rate, the reason the Woodchucks are loners and true Out in the pasture the cows are try- ing to keep up with the new greenery. They do a pretty good job and eat everything but a few plants that don't find what Barbara had seen just a suit their taste. One of the plants they few days ago — a woodchuck, or stay away from has now become quite groundhog. This is a first for us. She noticeable and that is the buttercup, th e was doing the dishes when she saw one with the waxy yellow flower — the this "thing" up by the windmill. The one you held under the binoculars told the story and, sure chin of a friend (or was enough, there was "a first" for our it a girl friend ?) to see place. We haven't seen it since then, if they liked butter. At but I'm sure it isn't far away. any rate, the reason the Woodchucks are loners and true cows and other grazing hibernators when they go into their animals don't like but - winter's sleep; their heartbeat slows tercups is that under that down to about four beats per minute glossy yellow blossom are cells that and their body temperature will drop contain an acid -like substance that says "No, no" to to about 40 degrees while they sleep our cows, who leave them alone. This, of course, helps the but- away winter's cold in their specially sealed chamber. In March or April tercups to spread their seeds around because everything else has been eaten groundhogs come out of winter's sleep to look around for a mate and a down to stubble. place for a new summer den. This sighting I looked the pasture over very closely, for I wanted to see if I could of the groundhog in our pasture is the farthest east that I have he of one Above: As Barbara showmg up. looked out the kitchen One last thing in closing: We had a bobwhite, or window, a new stranger visited our feeding sta- quail, visit our feeding station this week. What a great sound tion: a bobwhite, or quail. What a treat to hear its call to hear. It's just these simple things that fill our days and nights with inter - that lets you know there's est. Barbara was getting dinner when still room to have quail she heard this unusual call that made wandering about. But how her look twice at what was going on long will this open- country habitat last? Right: Graz- outside.Then there it was — a beauti- fu1, chunky bobwhite. With her camera ing animals stay away nearby on the table, she photographed from buttercups because our visitor as it checked over the seeds of the waxy blossoms' n the patio. It sampled a few and then acid taste. Left: On the Red ofE Perhaps it was looking for North Fork woodchucks something or someone more important than food. I hope seem to be moving slowly so. eastward. For the first time we saw one in our pasture