Consider The Larch

AKA - Hackmatack, Eastern larch or American larch - Larix laricina – the Tamarack is one of my most favorite trees.

The tamarack is one of only three native North American larch species and is the most common.  Unlike other conifers the larch sheds its needles in the fall like bald cypress.  It turns a radiant golden yellow just prior to shedding its needles and with the arrival of spring grows a complete new set.  

It's spring time here and the rosy-hued structures shown in the photo are new female cones that appear in the spring and will eventually mature into woody, brown cones.

Tamarack is the most cold-hardy of any native tree and has the strongest wood of all the conifers. Tamarack also has the widest range of all the North American conifers.

While this species will grow exceedingly well in upland locations the tamarack prefers full sun and thrives in bogs, swamps and wet acidic soil.  It is often found in association with black spruce, balsam fir and northern white cedar.

Because it grows slowly in cold, wet environments the wood is surprisingly dense, heavy, hard and very durable in contact with soil. This natural rot resistance without chemical treatment makes it prized for fence posts, railroad ties, poles and boat building. 

Native Americans used the flexible and stringy roots, called watap, to sew-together sheets of birch bark for the assembly of canoes.  

There wasn't a tamarack to be found anywhere in the neighborhood when this property was acquired; although government land office surveyor notes identified it as a common tree on the peninsula before European settlement.  Large trees are very rare rare as most old specimens were killed years ago by the larch sawfly. And most certainly most found their way into fence posts and shingles as old growth forest was cleared for agriculture.

Tamarack grows so well here and being less suitable as deer browse has resulted in it becoming one of the top naturally regenerated species on our landscape.

Consider the larch....   

More Spring Blooms

Further evidence that you don't have to walk very far to take-in some of Ma Nature's work just take a stroll around the yard to take it in.  

Meet Cornus Stolonifera – Red-osier Dogwood – also known as red-twig dogwood and kinnikinnik.  It grows everywhere around here as individual shrubs or thickets.  It typically has multiple stems and this time of year sports flat-topped clusters of creamy white flowers that will lead to umbrella-shaped clusters of berries in late summer.  This fruit is popular with the birds which explains why this shrub is growing everywhere around here.   

The common name for this shrub comes from the red twigs that resemble osier willows that are used in basketry.  The Latin name comes from the rooting of branch tips the reach to the ground to form new shoots or stolons.  

This shrub was important to Native Americans for its use as a tobacco substitute or kinnikinnik.  The inner bark of young stems was split and scraped into threads and toasted over a fire before being mixed with real tobacco.  Edible plant enthusiast H.D. Harrington wrote that Red-osier - is said to be aromatic and pungent, giving a narcotic effect approaching stupefaction.  He cautioned that it should be used in moderation.    

For as long as anyone can remember people have used this shrub for basketry, wicker, farm implements, and weaving shuttles.  The bark takes-on a deep red color in winter and is popularly-favored in holiday decor.   

The word - dogwood - comes from the Scandinavian term “dag” meaning skewer (for the hardened sticks used to roast meat). And while this shrub has nothing to do with our canine friends it is always worth remembering that you can always tell that it is a dogwood by its bark. 

Winner, Winner....

 ....steak dinner.

I don’t do many food reviews; but here goes.

Doggo and I have been batching it whilst the missus is out of town.  Having consumed all of the recent leftovers, this evening I prepared an annual treat.

A small beef sirloin.  Precisely as I would a venison steak.

It was good; yet not extraordinary. Perhaps, as a wild game snob my tastes have evolved but it was chewier and less flavorful than my backyard whitetail.

I suspect I should’ve sprung for the scary-expensive beef tenderloin yet old habits are hard to break.

Nevertheless, dinner was delicious with a loaded baked spud, mushrooms and the sautéed garden asparagus sealing the deal. 

And because pupper performed a 30 minute down-stay while I dined she scored slice herself.

Pretty good chow if you can get it….

The Aerialist

I snapped the photo above in April of 2011 while turkey hunting; which for reasons of being concealed in a blind is good for all manner of wildlife observations.

Meet Tachycineta bicolor - the tree swallow. 

This blue-green feathered bird is an early spring arrival and they are a delight to observe as they are spectacular aviators who hunt flying insects.

As a cavity-nesting species this bird had historically been found only in wooded habitat where they nested in tree cavities.  However, the distribution of nest boxes by songbird enthusiasts has allowed for the expansion of its range to include open habitats,  They compete with bluebirds and house wrens for rights to nest in our boxes.  

I the photo the two birds were engaging in their courtship ritual and selection of a nest box.  I observed the very same ritual while turkey hunting this April; only it was bluebirds.  

And if you follow this blog the courtship, along with other nesting sites, has yielded another batch of bluebird hatchlings calling for cigars all-around.

But I digress. 

With regard to the tree swallows; both birds gather materials as the female constructs a cup-shaped nest of grass lined with feathers.  Four to seven small eggs follow about a week after mating. 

I took this photo the same day I took the bluebird hatchling photo immediately above. As soon as eggs are laid mama lines her nest with feathers gathered from all species.  They are incubated by mom for a couple of weeks and after hatching both birds feed the young who fledge at about three weeks of age.

Aside from being splendid aerialists the tree swallow is fearless. Evidenced above, mama swallow is not to be shifted from sitting on her clutch of eggs if some galoot pokes his nose in to take a photo .

Nest predation typically occurs by snakes, raccoons, weasels and cats. Birds on the wing can be picked-off by most any of the resident raptors.  It is during this critical nesting period I have to wear a ball cap when walking the dog as we get dive-bombed when approaching an active nest.

By the time August rolls-around these bird are gone.  Vamoosed!

They leave their breeding grounds to congregate in large flocks in marshy areas with plenty of flying insects to feed-upon.  From there they migrate to Florida, Cuba, Central and South America.  Other than the dive-bombing it is a hoot to watch this talented aerialist.

Mighty Oak

I was in the Naked City end of last week for various reasons and stumbled-upon this in a parking lot.

Hard to tell specifically at this stage but it appears to be a member of the white oak family.

I don't give it much chance of surviving such harsh, city conditions and the crappy location.

But I give it an "A" for effort.

Good luck little buddy....

 

 

Crop Duster

I was puttering in my raised garden beds when a shriek from The Missus pierced the air.  This was followed by urgent commands to the dog.  

The cause of the ruckus was this...

There was the Mother of all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) westbound, coming straight for our driveway only to stop at the property line, pirouette and head eastward all the while spraying the neighbor's field.  The drift smelled of fertilizer; nevertheless, since the dog decided to chase-down the alien contraption when we finally collected her she got a bath.

I recently took delivery of a UAV of my own; a DJI Neo, a small drone that I could use for photography and scouting that doesn't require a pilot license.  The very same company manufactures a heavy-lift agricultural model in the Agras lineup - the DJI Agras T40 and successor DJI Agras T50.  They're difficult to tell apart from one another but they're considered the gold standard of drones designed specifically for precision farming.

The basic design includes a four-arm layout featuring coaxial twin rotors - notably two sets  of propellers per arm totally eight blades.  Brushless motors drive the 54-inch carbon fiber props.  There is landing gear and a tank set-up that can be swapped-out in minutes for both spreading dry product (fertilizer, lime and seed) or liquids (fertilizer, herbicide or insecticide).

You'll note from the videos that there are no traditional high pressure nozzles.  Instead the drone utilizes spinning discs that atomize the liquid to an adjustable mist producing droplets ranging from 50 to 500 microns in size.  Impeller pumps deliver a flow rate of 16 to 24 liters per minute and an application swath can range from 22 to 36 feet depending-upon altitude.  Tipping the scales at a paltry 4.8 ounces (including battery) my miniature DJI Neo pales when compared to its farming cousin.  The AG version boasts a takeoff weight (aircraft, battery and payload) of up to 227 pounds and can fly at 15-20 mph.

Avionics include a phased array radar, binocular vision and real time kinetic positioning guided by Global Navigational Satellite System (GNSS) ensuring no overlapping or missed crop rows.   There is a camera for piloting by First Person View; however, once a field has been flown for mapping purposes control is handed-off to an autonomous system for flight.  The T40 and T50 drones can spray 50-52 acres in less than an hour of flight time without breaking a sweat.  Power is supplied by a 26 pound battery than can be charged from empty to 100% in 9-12 minutes allowing a two-battery rotation to run continuously all day long.

As a consequence of being well over the weight threshold for a hobbyist like me, operation requires a specialized FAA Part 137 agricultural pilot certificate and a Class 2 medical certificate.  Just like barnstorming an old school crop duster; only the pilot never leaves the ground.

Unfolded, and configured for flight, the aircraft measures roughly 9 by 10 feet from blade tip to blade tip; or about the size of a compact car.  Watching one of these in flight, up close and personal, is indeed impressive.

Starting price for a T50 heavy-lift, LIDAR-equipped quadcopter is $29,646.  

Think of the possibilities....  

Central Planning Meets The Law Of Unintended Consequences

Central planning is frequently (and erroneously) considered synonymous with socialism or communism.  Central planning is a legitimate economic model.  Socialism and communism use central planning as a way of achieving other social and political goals, but generally operate within the construct of a mixed economy.

Does that sound familiar?  It should, because that is a Trumpian economic model.  However, President Trump puts his own nuance on the concept; he, alone, is the decider. 

The president has downplayed the economic stresses arising as a consequence of his tariff policy and unilateral decision to go to war with Iran.  Asked earlier this month whether the financial situation of average Americans was a motive to end the Iran war, he said not even a little bit.  And you know what?  I believe him.  The president is adept at saying the quiet part out loud.  After-all, just like going to war, he alone is the decider.

There is a weak link in the chain of a centrally-planned economy orchestrated by a single individual.  Particularly if that individual is surrounded by sycophants.  In the absence  of hybrid vigor,  economics becomes inbred and less resistant to disruption by outside forces.  Add a war to the mix and things get more complicated.

Consider this; the percentage of credit card balances at least 90 days delinquent rose to 13.2% in the first quarter, the highest level in 15 years.  America's total credit card balance reached $1.25 trillion in the first quarter, the highest first quarter balance since the Fed began tracking it in 1999.

The average interest rate on these cards rose to 21% in February from 14.6% in February 2022 putting an additional strain on consumers.  Why is this important?  Our economy is not driven by manufacturing; it is a service-based economy driven by consumers.

Soaring interest rates and rising inflation have led to the highest delinquencies since the financial crisis; a pattern economists refer-to as survival debt. 

And, of course, the Strait remains effectively closed leaving global supply chains seriously messed-up with all sorta unintended consequences.  So I'm still waiting on President Trump to improve everyone's (not just the investor class) prosperity and general lot in life.  Along with making the world a safer place.

I sure hope he gets this right.  After-all, he's the decider....