HAPPY EASTER

The Easter bunny hopped by for a visit today....

Tamarack Tree Cone

Tamarack Tree Cone (aka Larch Tree Cone)

We collect these little gems and find lots of ways to enjoy them! Love to craft? The tiny cones (15mm - 20mm) accent a rustic wreath very well....We like to put some in a bowl and spray a few drops of our favorite essential oil on the cones to create a natural room freshener!

Catkins

Female Catkin

Male Catkin

The Catkins are flowers that grow on the Alder tree.  These flowers often appear before the leaves do.  You might see butterflies feeding on the catkins and leaves.

Alder is a hardwood and can be used to make furniture, guitars, and cabinets.  The wood of some alder species is also used to smoke salmon and other foods.

Did you know:  Alder catkins provide an early source

of pollen for bees, especially honeybees.

Gnome Home

Look what I found!!  A gnome home in this
tree stump!  I wonder where they are hiding??!!

Shelf Mushrooms

Amanita Mushroom species

Eastern Chipmunk

I LOVE peanuts....I really DO!!

One chipmunk can gather up to 165 nuts in one day.

I found his hiding place!!

Actually, this looked to be this little one's home for the winter.  It was a very deep burrow, where he was storing his food.  Chipmunks will spend most of the winter months underground.  They do not hibernate, but go into a deep sleep and wake only to eat every few days.  In spring, they may have to dig through a few feet of snow to get out.

Chipmunks have pouches inside of their cheeks.

They can store lots of food when foraging.

Chipmunks are very active in the daytime during spring, summer and fall. Besides peanuts, they love to eat berries, corn, mushrooms, insects, and plant roots

Did you know that Chipmunks have four toes on the

front feet and five toes on the back feet?

Back to the burrow .... (his cheeks are full)

Clowns of the Sea

Atlantic Puffins