April 2020 observations and field notes

Prescribed burns, biomass collection, geese, ground squirrels, transplants

Aprril showers came in all forms this year. The ground squirrels didn’t seem to mind.

We took advantage of the warmer, dry days and conducted several prescribed burns.

We burned over a few ground squirrel colonies.

The discrete pockets of woodland stars are some of my favorites.

! noticed this cotton-like growth on many sagebrush plants this spring

I found this leafy spurge hawk moth in its pupal stage on the soil surface

Many cottonwood snags in the floodplain host Canada geese and their nests.

Most of the time, a small black head is all that can be seen atop the splintered cottonwood hollow.

The tree planting crew was back in action

The field crew revisited most of the orchards and added more woodchips and compost to the base of the trees.

The crew continued to cut and transplant willows into the matted reed canary grass in the North Floodplain.

The planted trees and shrubs have done well at the head of the south fork of Partridge Alley.

The first wild asparagus candles get my heart racing every year