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The Daily Bucket - Groundhog and flowers, a sequence. [1]

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Date: 2023-04-14

Rhododendron austrinum "Tallulah Sunrise"

Good Friday was exactly what the words professed during my visit to the Strawberry Plains Audubon Center last week.

I have provided the link to their website. strawberry.audubon.org

But, I will focus on just the main building because that is where I found the following flowers.

The aerial view and the numbered locations of the plants shown below.

Each of the plants are native species. The care to maintain a quality standard shows in the vitality of the blooms.

# 1 — Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia)

#2 — Mayapple (Podophyllum peltam)

#3 — Closer look at the “Sunrise”

#4 — Iris Christata alba (White Crested Dwarf Iris)

#5 — Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)

#6 — Hickory sapling (Carya species), not sure which nearby tree provided the nut.

I made the hour drive (from my home) to see if Hummingbirds had arrived. Strawberry Plains hosts a fall festival that revolves around the tiny fliers. I figured there may be early birds getting the freshest flowers in bloom. Sadly, I didn’t see a single Hummer even though the plants were prepped for their arrival.

Before I move on to the mammal of the day, here is our group statement.

The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns. We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.

I was on my way home when a big, brown blob attracted my attention. A four foot wide bridge crossed a creek about a 100 feet from the road. On the other end I saw this.

Looked to be about shin high and thicker than a full grown Beagle.







Cute baby ears and a Teddy bear nose.









Ignoring my stare (or big eye of the camera) it listened intently.











Deliberate motion of taught muscles hidden by a thick coat of fur.







Marmota monax (aka. Groundhog, Woodchuck or Whistle Pig)

How can something that big be a member of the Squirrel family? Those rodents will climb a tree to evade predators and will hibernate during the winter (and so will a groundhog).

The end of this short video will define their namesake.

It feels proper to include my Bug of the Day. This big thing flew up from the grass before my foot fell upon it. The flutter lasted a short while until it lit upon the tree (where it intended to hide). This is the largest grasshopper in Mississippi measuring up to 3 inches (44 to 70 mm). They eat most any plant and can scare the Beejesus out of you when they fly abruptly.

Schistocerca americana aka. American Bird Grasshopper

This will be an open thread. Please contribute and comment all you’d like.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/14/2162557/-The-Daily-Bucket-Groundhog-and-flowers-a-sequence

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