Tutles, Awake!

On Wednesday I propped open the turtle-arium lids and did some spring cleaning.  The mulch in the opening of the underground "bunkers" was removed and the overgrowth cut back.  Terrance was awake and making progress on digging his way out of the rear of his bunker.  Tiberius was nowhere to be seen.  Terrance weighed in at 403 gm, very nearly last fall's weight. 

Then on Friday, Tiberius was spotted sunning himself.  He weighed 420 gm, again similar to his last 2023 weight from October.  Rehydrated food was set out and by day's end, both turtles had tucked in to some of it.  I have meal worms for them now, but the weather turned cold and rainy, so I'll feed them live food when the sun comes out.  

In other news, today was the bonsai club's saikei workshop.  A very decent crowd turned out.  My effort with 5 boxwoods turned out very pleasing.  I started with the large green oval tray that was badly overgrown and tore that down.  

Before

Then I cemented the recycled coral stones into place last Wednesday.  Also ahead of time, I separated the two 1-gallon potted boxwoods into individual trunks and reduced their root balls somewhat.

Today at the workshop, I added a base layer of soil, trimmed up the boxwoods, placed them, topped off with more soil and moss.  Bingo!  Instant saikei.  

This Day...

... will be an historic one:  former President Trump spent it attending his trial in New York.  We shall know in a few weeks what the outcome will be. 

Meanwhile, on a more pedestrian and botanical note, the Nature's Notebook gang was out in the Cottonwood Gallery today.  Besides tracking the usual suspects, we saw Abronia in bloom and a probably Townsendia incana right in the middle of the path.  There was also a Fendler's dandelion, Taraxacum fendleri and a small hedgehog cactus with a mighty flower. 

Abronia fragrans

Townsendia incana

Taraxacum fendleri

Echinocereus rigidissimus

Kodama

A quote from the Arnold Arboretum e-newsletter this morning:  

In Japanese folklore, kodama is the name of the spirit that dwells within old trees. I found it fascinating that Japanese culture has developed a vocabulary to describe that energy. In Western culture, such notions are often associated with spirituality or mysticism. Most everyone I know, spiritual or not, has had some experience when they were awed by the natural world. To stand with this katsura, connecting with an organism that has been present on Earth for generations, it felt possible to sense its kodama, or at least my interpretation of it. How fortunate we were to have such an experience, and to know such elder organisms are found and protected in our natural world.

This past Wednesday I worked on my 36-year old Ginkgo, getting it ready for the Bonsai Club's Mothers Day Show.  I removed all the wire (just in the nick of time) and trimmed some leggy bits.  I've put a few of the resulting cuttings in water, but I'll have to move them to a rooting medium if they are to have any chance at all.  

Before

After

I'll wait until the leaves have reached full size before I consider another light trim to get this year's growth into shape.  Going for the classic candle-flame profile.  

Lilacs

This week the French lilac on the east side of the house finally opened its blooms.  The fragrance is intoxicating.  The buds have been swelling for the past two weeks and looked like they would be open any second.  

The Great Eclipse of 2024

 Schlepp and friends were at it again, viewing an eclipse.  Last year it was an annular one, right over ABQ.  Back in 2012 it was also an annular eclipse.  This one was partial, the centerline going south and east of NM.  We got to see 77% through high, thin clouds.