Family Life

A doe and her fawn...

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Twins

Not the best photo composition in the world but evidence enough of twin fawns returning to the same location.

I'll move the camera in the direction of where the deer are to the birch tree so as to capture some closer photos.

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Lighthouse Living

I was checking-out the lighthouse at Point Beach State Park last weekend and was amazed to see people living there.  I got to thinking - I thought the Coast Guard didn't use lighthouse keepers anymore.  They automated all of the navigation lights didn't they?

But sure enough - there was a real family here at the lighthouse - with kids and everything.  I would have walked over and asked them what their story was but there were scary, official USCG signs warning me to Keep Out!  I was stumped.

Here's the real story and this is totally cool.

You can rent the dang place.  Yes, the Rawley Point Cottage (lighthouse keepers quarters) is available to rent.   Minimum stay is 2 nights; maximum stay is 7 nights. Advance payment is required 7 working days prior to the reservation.  There are two units and each can accomodate up to eight individuals.  You need to bring your own bed linens, towels, wash cloths, all paper products, toiletries, dish towels, and food.  You can even bring your dog.  Everything else is provided.

You can learn more about this here.

The County Line

Here is the county line.

You can actually see the demarcation point where Kewaunee County meets Door County.

The road in the foreground is Door County road.  It is smooth and well-maintained.  The road in the distance belongs to Kewaunee County.  It is crumbling, and has big, gaping holes and dangerous cracks that if you get your bike tires stuck-in can grab your wheels and pitch you over your handlebars and into the traffic where you could possibly be seriously injured or die.

If you are touring on your bicycle - stay in the nice Door County roads.

 

Comes From Trees

On the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom at the day job.

Duh!

Of course these come from trees.  However, I find it exceedingly hard to believe that this sticker is going to reduce paper towel use by the claimed amount of 100 hundred pounds.


Besides, paper is a biodegradable, renewable, sustainable product made from trees.  Growing and harvesting trees provides direct employment for millions of men and women, and millions more in secondary, related employment.  Working forests are good for the environment, providing a renewable resource, clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities and carbon storage.

And it still takes three sheets from the dispenser to get your hands dry.



 

Road Warrior

Last Sunday - 7.21.13

Sure.  That's a smug title.  but I deserve to be smug having participated in my 21st Scenic Shore 150 mile bike ride.

If you include the four or so century loops I completed back in the early years that amounts to 3250 miles.  In practical terms that is roughly the equivalent of a bike ride from Green Bay to Los Angeles - and back again.

!000+ riders and a fundraising goal of $1 million for the Wisconsin Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Cancer sucks.

Wildflowers

Compass plant - Silphium laciniatum.

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One long, tall drink of plant.  One of the tallest found in the prairie.  Related to sunflowers its leaves align themselves north to south to maximize exposure to sunlight.  Hence its name.

Mr. Buck

Does and fawns have been cheap lately.  Showing up at all hours on the trail cameras.

Finally a buck...

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Wildflowers

Joe-Pye Weed - Eupatorium maculatum.

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A member of the aster family it is named after a folk-healer named Joe Pye.
Butterflies are attracted to its nectar.

Family Life

I told you I've been seeing more does and their fawns.

Here we go again.

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What I haven't seen are any twins.

Wildflowers

Smooth penstemon - Penstemon digitalis.

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A native to the prairie it is commonly called beardtongue.  Native Americans and folk-healers have made us of this plant for medicinal purposes for both people and animals.

Family Life

All of a sudden I'm getting pictures of does with their fawns.  In multiple locations.  So I know they're not the same ones.  I think.

Seems to me the little ones are now more capable of fleeing from danger so they're out an about generally moving in daylight.

This is absolutely a classic picture.

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Nice Doe

Inexpensive trail camera that spends its life outdoors year-round in a good location is capable of taking some rather decent pictures.

No attractant at this location.

Just a good spot courtesy of some basic scouting.

This is a dang nice looking doe...

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Ghost Deer

This trail camera picture was captured not quite a week ago in darkness with the infrared flash.

These look like ghosts.

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It's also the smallest fawn I've seen yet.

Wildflowers

Purple prairie clover - Dalea purpurea.

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A member of the pea family this showy plant does double duty.  Not only are butterflies attracted to its nectar it also fixes nitrogen in the soil thereby enhancing fertility where it grows.

Darth Vader's Handiwork

A week ago I took to task the willow, cottonwood, ash, dogwood and olive that had been invading my grassland.  Armed with fifteen gallons of brush herbicide on the ATV I gowned-up with eye protection, long sleeves, pants, rubber boots and a gas mask.

I felt and sounded like Darth Vader.

The foliar application appears to have taken effect...

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Better living though chemicals.   I'll return to finish the job before too long.

Belgian Days

This weekend featured Belgian Days.  An annual celebration of Wisconsin's Belgian-American heritage.  This part of Wisconsin hosts the largest collection of Walloon Belgians outside of Belgium.

Some pictures from this morning's parade...

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Learn more about the Belgian influence on the peninsula here:  http://www.belgianamerican.org/default.aspx

Wildflowers

Common Milkweed - Asclepias Syriaca.

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With more than several thousand species found throughout the world Wisconsin has thirteen of them.  No healing qualities to be ascribed to this plan - if you taste it your heart will do flip-flops and you'll get hot-flashes. 

In a symbiotic twist the Monarch butterfly lays its eggs on this plant and the caterpillar dines-upon it.  As a result the caterpillar becomes toxic and the birds leave it alone.

Wildflowers

Heal-All - Prunella vulgaris.

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A member of the mint family this plant is also called All-heal or Self-heal.  Folk-medicine aficionados ascribes healing qualities to the use of this native plant.

Wildflowers

Bonset - Eupatorium perfoliatum.

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A member of the aster family and is also related to Joe-pye weed.  Butterflies are attracted to its nectar.  It is also said that a tea made from its leaves has healing qualities.  For aficionados of the healing arts the plant is said to be useful for setting bones. 

Hence the name.

Home Invasion

While out fetching the SD cards from the trail cameras I spied this.

A nest box tipped on its axis.  Sure sign of an attack by a hungry predator.

Righting the box I opened the lid fearing the worst.  As it turns-out the hatchlings were just fine.

House wren.  Troglodytes aedon.

Deer With A Complexion Problem - Solved

A couple of times I've blogged about the doe I've captured images of that appears to have a complexion problem.

I have a diagnosis.

Last weekend I sent an email to the DNR's Wildlife Health Lab in Madison, WI along with some photos.  Yesterday morning I received a reply:

Hi Swamp,

Thanks for sharing the photos.  It is a little difficult to see clearly from the photos but this is probably what are called fibromas.  You can find more information on this on our website page here:  Deer health- Wisconsin DNR.  The section on fibromas is toward the bottom of the page.  

I will add your report to our database on deer health for future reference.

Thanks again,

Nancy


Looks like it's not some sort of dread disease - just a complexion problem.

Deer With a Complexion Problem

Still getting pictures of the doe with the complexion problem...

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Finally got around to email pictures to a deer disease person at WDNR.

Wildflowers

There are all sorts of wild flowers blooming now.  Like this...

Purple Coneflower - Echinacea Purpurea.

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Butterflies are attracted to its nectar and goldfinches are attracted to its seeds.  One of the first to bloom in a prairie.

Mud Season Ends

Mud season has officially come to a close.  Sure, there are still a few soft spots but not much standing water left.  The trails are still too soft for the New Holland or the pick-up truck - but I can run the 4-wheeler and return to the Platz without being caked in mud spatters.

I washed the ATV yesterday.

 
No soap and water - just a hose and nozzle and scrub brush to blast the mud from it.

Darth Vader

Kinda how I felt yesterday wearing this respirator.

I put the tank sprayer on the Polaris ATV and mixed-up a 15 gallon batch of Brushmaster (2%) along with blue turf dye and struck out to do battle with the invading woody vegetation in my tall grassland.  Mostly cottonwood, ash, willow, red osier dogwood and some olive.

I performed a foliar treatment and some spot spraying.

Why the OSHA-approved Darth Vader contraption?  VOCs.  This stuff is nasty.  Rubber boots, long pants and sleeves, nitrile gloves, eye protection and the gas mask.

I only put a dent in the total invasion but I want to see about results before I adjust my attack.  I'll report back in a couple of weeks.

The Ladies

Some trail camera photos of some nice-looking ladies...

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If you look carefully at the picture immediately above - mama is stamping her right foot.  That is deer behavior when they are alarmed about something.  Like the camera.

Someone should tell her she has her baby out after curfew.

Garden Fireworks

The Frau has her own fireworks show going on in her vast flower beds.

There has been an explosion of blooming...

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Happy Independence Day!

Velvet Buck

Been seeing this fella rather regularly.

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Going to keep track of his growing antlers...

Herrlichen Garten

Jardin magnifique!

No matter what language the 2013 garden is the best, damn garden ever.

What could possibly go wrong.....

Everything's Coming-up Roses

Check this out...

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The Frau's climbing rose bush has climbed almost to the height of the soffit and gutter.

It is the Mother of All Rose Bushes - a chapter ripped from the pages of Little Shop of Horrors...