Roadblock

There was a fairly severe storm last night with some high winds.  At the Schommer crossing, when taking the sheep out to the lone pine field, we came across a rotted tree blown down across the path.  Impassable to wheeled vehicles, the sheep navigated the obstacle like pros and headed on out to the lone pine field on their own. 

Unusual Flowering Plant

While working on the fence the other day out in the Coast Electric field, I came across this unusual plant.   Since then, I've seen it in a couple of other places.  I'm not sure yet what it is.  There was a buckeye butterfly on the flowers. 

Indian Pink

The Indian Pink is a native flower around here that blooms in the spring.  We have a small patch in the Pinelands area that we recently burned, reinvigorating many of the perennial native fire tolerant plants in the area.  Our Indian Pink in the Pinelands is coming along, but not yet blooming. 

Joy has a nice collection of Indian Pink in her garden,, which are putting on a beautiful display now.

Bird House

A while ago, actually a long while ago,  Jeffrey gave me this birdhouse.  It languished on my desk for a while and eventually I mounted it in the pole barn where some house wrens were hanging out. 

The wrens thought it was a great idea and took up residence in the house. 

Geese

Especially this time of year we see quite a few Canada geese.  Frocks of a dozen or so are seen and heard (they honk while flying) flying among the various ponds and fields.  They will often overnight and graze in our bahiagrass fields that are low to the ground with bahiagrass stumble and low spring weeds.

In this case they are in the field protected by Zeus.  He doesn't bother them and I think they feel safer in this area. 

Winter Peas

The Austrian winter peas have been growing all winter, although kind of slowly in the bahiagrass sod.  They are finally blooming and starting to decline with the warm weather.  I  planted them sparsely, as an experiment.   I think they did well enough that they should become a part of the winter seed mix put in each fall, in non-bahiagrass areas.  It is time for the sheep to eat them down.  This field will be sprayed with herbicide to kill the bahiagrass and many other weeds to facilitate growth of the spring planting. 

The sheep are getting to work...

Rams

Do these guys look eager? They are on their way to meet up with the ewe flock and start the breeding season. 

Here they all are...

Spring Flowers

I am seeing quite a few flowers of various sorts coming up in all sorts of places around the farm.  A nice example is the woods sorrel, found of course in the woodland areas.