August 25, 2008

Getting Ready for Fall
by Adam Lieberg

Fall is just around the corner, which means firewood has become a top priority here at the Barn.  Tom and I decided that instead of driving all over the valley looking for the perfect firewood trees, we would save some time and energy by just bucking up lodgepole from the forest around the homestead.  There’s no shortage of dead and dry wood, and after a couple of days work you can’t even tell that we’ve been out there….except for the sawdust.

Firewood shed

The bears must also be thinking about the fall as we have noticed them really keying in on the berries around the valley.  In particular, we’ve seen the grizzly bears going after serviceberries, hawthorne apples, and chokecherries where they are available.

		<< Serviceberry
>> Hawthorne
		<< Grizzly bear hind foot track in mud near berry bushes pictured above.
>> When trying to decipher grizzly from black bear scat, some of the old-timers say that if it’s enough to fill a baseball cap, then its probably grizzly bear.  This particular pile could have filled up 1½ baseball caps.  I wouldn’t bet against the old-timers, especially when there is grizzly bear tracks next to the scat pile.

Garden Update

The onset of fall also means that is harvest time in our garden.  The following are pictures of some of the veggies ready for the eating.

		<< Beans
>> Peppers (this baby is hot!!)
		<< Squash
>> Siberian Tomato.
		<< We just planted a variety of lettuce seeds that we are hoping will help feed our students later this fall…so far so good.

Wildflowers and Wildlife

Most of the native plants around the Homestead have long gone to seed, and some of those plants are now bearing fruit.  A walk through the adjacent woods reveals a lot of different red berries you might want to be aware of.

>> Bunchberry Dogwood This attractive little bunch of berries does not taste as good as they look, and while the berries are edible they are also mildly laxative…so be careful!
		<< Baneberry The dark red berries on this baneberry plant look like candy to me, but BEWARE, the entire plant is toxic and could even cause a heart attack if eaten in large enough quantities.
>> Painted turtle at the pond.
		<< I found this unusual track in the mud.  I thought it looked like a snake track so I looked around until I found the culprit pictured below.
>> Garter snake
		<< We have had a family of Sandhill Cranes hanging around the homestead for a few days now.  They appear to be eating the crickets that have taken over the fields by the millions.
>> Skunk track in mud near pond.

Last week the hot weather blew up a fire west of the Mission Valley, which made for a good sunset.

Sunset behind the washhouse.		This is actually looking east at Condon Mountain and the Swan Range.