Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Photos of the Week

The jackrabbits have finally lost their white winter coats. Up till recently they still had a lot of white. I wonder what triggers their color change - length of day, temperature? Will they adjust to climate change? This one seems to have made it through the winter with no notches in its ears from frostbite.

Jackrabbit

I always like to see the larches flowering. If the flowers were bigger they'd be quite showy. But they are small enough that I don't think most people notice them at all. They get three kinds of buds at the same time - the new needles, the pink flowers which are female, and the other less showy buds that are the male flowers. The pink flowers become large "pine" cones, and the male flowers become smaller cones. It's interesting how the flowers are surrounded by new needles as well.

Larch flowers

Larch flowers

The aspen flowers are out all the way now.

Aspen/Poplar flowers

The willow by the Innovation Place pond is not as far along. These buds look a bit like miniature corn cobs.

Willow buds

This smaller shrub's catkins were out though.

catkins

And last year's bulrushes are slowly disintegrating.

last year's bullrush

It's nice to hear the birds singing in the morning as the sun rises earlier and earlier.

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