The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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Second/third weeks of May, 2019
Pacific Northwest
My last wildflower walk was in shady woods. This time let’s see a sampling of native wildflowers that are blooming on the sunny roadsides and paths near my house in mid May. All these plants do best in full sun and are pioneer species after clearing or fires.
The Orange Honeysuckle is in peak bloom. As a vine, it can grow way up nearby trees, twenty feet or more. It has no scent I can smell but obviously it’s attractive to hummingbirds and bees (who tend to chew through the base of the flowers to get to the nectar).
Several Rose family native berries are flowering now.
Thimbleberry may be the sweetest of the Rubus berries. They don’t last long once the fruits mature later on. The big soft spineless leaves are handy throughout spring-summer-fall if you find yourself needing to “go” out in the field (ie TP leaves)
Most Rubus plants are thorny. Dewberry aka Trailing Blackberry grabs your ankles and scratches them bloody. The berries, once they appear, are small but sweet.
Salmonberry blooms much earlier. There are still a few flowers out there but mostly it’s setting fruit now. The Salmonberry was late this year, likely due to our extremely cold snowy early spring. I know it’s late compared to its usual fruiting because this is one of the times of year I used to take students out on field trips and I had to routinely wrench them away from the Salmonberry bushes where they lingered along the way munching on the tons of ripe berries.
Along the seashore, a couple more natives in full bloom:
The glory of early summer, Nootka rose, is already out in full bloom. Roses used to burst into flowers in June but they’ve been blooming earlier these past years. Global warming has shifted a variety of plants into blooming earlier, and based on what I’ve experienced over the past few decades here, this is one. Nootkas are ubiquitous, along roadsides everywhere and dominating field hedgerows. They stand out in every way, including their luscious fragrance. The aroma waxes and wanes as you walk or bicycle along a road or path.
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Cloudy today in the PNW islands today. Had some sprinkles overnight. Cooler, temps in the 60s.
What’s the nature news in your neighborhood?
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