Design

Hmmrph. In spite of glorious spring weather in late March and April in the Southern U.S., the combination of a long, cold winter (extended into February) followed by a series of suddenly warmer days has meant that pollen from our native oaks and hickories has been released all at once, showering EVERYTHING in a golden dust. Rain last Thursday settled things down for awhile, but this week, more sunny days mean more pollen. The counts are remarkable and setting records. Achoo!

Eastern gray squirrels are an adaptable species, so are quite at home in our wooded gardens and urban neighborhoods. We've had lots of fun watching them in our garden, especially after they were banished from the attic by a new gutter and roof, so now live in leafy dreys up in the old red oak trees. Their preferred foods are acorns and hickory nuts, but they'll also eat mushrooms, fruits, and young leaves and buds. They do dig holes everywhere this time of the year, sniffing out buried acorns and hickory nuts & checking out whether there might be a tasty bulb planting. I don't find this tremendously bothersome, although they do dig holes in my flats of young lettuce and container plantings. But I just smooth the potting mix or soil back and figure I've got plenty of seedlings anyway. They have a habit of chewing young buds and leaves this time of year, and folks that have young trees that are particularly desirable (think Japanese maples), which must have sw...