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April 26, 2001 - Signs that spring had sprungThe Suffolk Times • April 26, 2001 Signs that spring has sprung when mixed with strawberries or cherries in a pie, you than have perfect COME WITH ME AS I WALK AROUNI to see the latest returns of spring. I open the sliding door and two gray squirrels run from beneath the bird - feeders. As I walk by the little gold- fish pond I can see at least three goldfish that have made it through the winter. It's remarkable how they can slow their body functions down to a point of barely existing and then, come spring, rejuvenate themselves once again. Heading out to the barn I pass the crocuses and daf- fodils we have scattered throughout the woods. I pass the little snowdrops that were the first flowers to bloom along the path. Now their white petals have gone and in their place are big green seed pods. I'm a little late, as:I can hear the cows scolding me for making them wait for their hay. They are already in the barn and are waiting with a look of "Where were you ?" Once they're fed, I leave the barn with the munching of the cows in the background. At last they're satisfied. These two have been with us for two years; now it's time to put one away and perhaps ge another young once to take its place. They never were pets. They were raised for food. The chickens are next on the list. They are always glad to see me. Somehow I must have foreotten to bring the scraps from the table out this morning. I look in the egg boxes where they drop their eggs and there is chicken crouched down doing her thing. I'll leave her alone and pick the eggs up later. In the meantime L feed them a scoop of grain and they're happy for another day. We lei them wander through the woods and scratch for bugs and hope- fully ticks. It's remarkable how they can turn the leaves over. Those tasks done, I head out to the garden and pass two dogwood trees I planted years ago. They're struggling to sur- vive, for now there is a new disease that is taking its toll on all dog- woods. Who knows if we'll be able to save these beautiful flowering trees from extinction. Remember what happened to the elm and the chestnut in the past? I pass the hemlocks that I planted as a windbreak. They are now com- pletely dead, ravaged by disease. Does this mean both our hemlocks and dogwoods are doomed? In the garden I walk past a spot of draba. Draba is the tiny white flow- ering plant you see growing in waste places or perhaps sneaking into your garden in early spring. It grows about two to three inches tall and has a dainty miniature white flower. In the garden I see rhubarb has already started un. Nothing finer to have growing in your garden. It takes little care and is always an abundant treasure to pick for cooked rhubarb or rhubarb pie. Barbara makes my specialty where she combines rhubarb with cherries in a pie. Now that's pretty hard to beat. I just put up two new martin boxe. It has been too cool for the swallows to return (martins are our largest swallows and have not returned as yet), so the boxes are up with house sparrows try- ing them out. I hope the martins arrive before the sparrows get established. We have enough com- mon sparrows and never enough of the handsome apartment - dwelling mar- tins. Not much else has shown itself as yet. I see buds swelling on my fig tree. I don't cover it and I always seem to get figs. The usual procedure is to wrap fig trees up in the winter- time, but I do nothing but trim out the dead branches each spring. It is in quite a good sheltered spot, which I'm sure helps a lot. My pruned -back butterfly bushes look like they've started to take hold with little leaves about an inch long. They surely attract the butterflies and bees. My patch of bergamot or Osweeo Does this mean both our hemlocks and dogwoods are doomed? tea is a mat of green. Soon that wig start shooting up and hopefully entice the hummingbirds to feast in my garden. Nothing quite like hum- mingbirds. Most of my birdhouses have been ripped off the trees or had the tops pulled off by raccoons. Evidently once a raccoon finds he can get into a bird box, he checks every tree on the property, and when he finds mice or birds in a box, he drags them out and has them for supper. The raccoons are getting a lit- tle out of control. Just a month ago one found a way through the wire enclosure to the chicken pen and did in some sleeping bantams. On my way back to the house I had to swing down by the pond. It's not much of a pond, as it originally served as an irrigation pond for the farm up back. We love it for it's a natural attraction for wildlife. I've had great blue herons,,, wood ducks, mallards, kingfishers, all feeding off the goldfish that are there keeping the mosquitoes down. As I approach the pond I see eight painted turtles all sunning themselves on a log. Being cold- blooded, they relish the opportunity to warm up in the sun. The females will lay their eggs in a warm sandy spot and leave . them to be incubated by the sun. I know they are reproducing because I saw little turtles last year. The big problem is that Mr, and.Mrs. Raccoon like turtle eggs and, after sniffing out the nesting sites, they'll make a meal of them. Later in the day when the sun starts to set, the spring peepers will start their mating chorus. It gets louder and louder as it gets darker. What's all the singing about? It's-a love call to the shy females. Once they lure the female to the pond and mating takes place, the female starts to lay her eggs. As the water warms up and the days roll by, tadpoles emerge and swim about. More time passes and soon the swimming tad- poles turn into young spring peepers ready to leave the pond and start their new life in the grass, bushes and trees.