“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love.”
2 John 1:3 ESV
‘Beware the Ides of March’ may have been a phrase that worked well for Mr. Shakespeare’s soothsayer who warned Julius Caesar in 44BC, but I hope that today will not be a day where such a warning is necessary. A good thing about today (one of many such things) is that Daylight time allows a little more sleep before having to get moving in order to take in a mid-March sunrise!
Last week I mentioned a couple of invasive’s and I learned of some from readers that were very interesting and that I certainly was not aware of…very educational. This is an example of the Bradford Pear cultivar that I mentioned last week. Everything you see with white blooms are rogue plants that do not belong. The drone helps give a true perspective of the problem. I remember when this was all pasture that covered many acres. When left alone, pines should be the primary natural successor. But as you can see, the green pines are almost smothered out. Every open area in our region that is left to fend for itself is in danger of this type invasion!
The Bradford Pear blooms prior to putting on leaves. I was driving home a few days past the time of the drone shot and took notice of the roadside. All the smaller green and white shrubs and trees seen in the foreground are voluntary Bradford Pears. This an example of a place along the highway that has not been mowed for several years. In some articles on landscaping where the ‘experts’ are telling us which trees not to plant, this cultivar is number one!
We had about 3 total inches of rain, some Monday night, some Wednesday night. Pam and I had not had the opportunity to venture to Little River Canyon National Preserve together in a while, and we felt it would be a great time to see the falls in late winter and with plenty of water. It turned out to be a great choice, and it’s only about 35 minutes from home. A front passed quickly and Thursday cleared and turned cooler, but what a nice day for a short, less than 3 hour round trip!
If plants had any feelings or emotions, I can only imagine what this lone pine tree might be going through. Creation is absolutely amazing. How might a seed land at this spot, make contact with at least a bit of soil, and remain long enough to germinate? This pine has resided here several years!
Kayakers take on this river, including going over the falls, but that isn’t a challenge that has remotely drawn my interest, now or at any age! We didn’t witness anyone in the water Thursday, but we have seen videos of kayakers in wet suits going over the falls in the winter.
A stairway and boardwalk provides safe access for viewing the falls and river. Growing from underneath the elevated platform we noticed a woody plant that was beginning to bloom. I’m thinking, “we are on the mountain where elevation makes a little difference, and it is seemingly a little early for wild azalea”. I made a couple of photos, and to me the bloom doesn’t look like the wild azaleas I see blooming in March near our house. I used an app that is supposed to identify plants, and the app says this is a peach blossom? I find that impossible, well, highly improbable. Maybe a plum? A plum makes more sense! I will be tempted to drive back up there in a few weeks and check closer!
Closer to home, it was time to take the grands to the Lantern Festival at Noccalula Falls Park. Noccalula Falls also had plenty of water, but the lights brought the cascading water to another level. We are thankful to have this park only a few minutes from home!
We had an afternoon of fun, which included eating at Chic-fil-A, and then we made our way to the Lantern Festival about sundown. Everything appeared drastically different from my daytime visit.
Dinosaurs are fascinating to every generation. I collected them as a kid. All the neighborhood boys had collections. WL is no exception and we hear a lot about T-Rex and Longnecks. After I told him there were dinosaurs to ride at the festival, he had waited for this moment. Two quarters would get you a nice ride. EM and EK rode too, but PJ could not be persuaded to climb in the saddle!
This big guy was about 10 feet tall and that’s only the head. If a real life reptile of this size existed one can only imagine the enormity of such a creature! The little folks loved this one. Each had to pose individually for a photo between the teeth…Pam included!
It was impossible to capture all the colorful figures and displays across the acreage with a camera. Every trail was lined with a countless number of plants, animals, mythological figures, cartoon characters, and other designs, some that Pam and I had no idea what they might be…but the grands knew what most of them were!
I’ve seen bighorn sheep in Colorado and Montana, but never one quite so bright or so large!
One of our first stops was along a path that was filled with birds. Maybe it is fitting that we stopped here to have a look at “three birds”. And the tropical trio all lit up was nice too!
We didn’t know exactly what these might be, if anything specific at all. EM suggested they looked like blooms that would later turn into pumpkins. I was very impressed with her observation…that blew me away!
A sweet deer next to a sweeter dear!
There were hundreds of bright, illuminating, and enchanting flowers throughout the park, but we ran across two that were by far the fairest and most radiant of all that we encountered the entire evening!
This was identified as the tree of love. I’m glad they gave it a name because I am not sure what I would’ve come up with. Just to give a perspective to everything, the flowers were about as tall as me and the treetop was probably thirty feet! It was a pleasant evening and we had a great time with the grands, very special. Perhaps we can show a few more pics next week.
We had some very nice days last week with all the rain coming at night. But, Friday morning greeted us with a decent frost. Tomorrow night will find us in the low to mid 20’s! Spring is taking a brief pause. March is always a roller coaster ride!
Have a great week. Happy St. Patricks Day!
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Hebrews 13:8 ESV
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
I throw out apple cores and occasionally peach pits into the woods behind my house. The deer and other animals enjoy them. I now have a blooming peach tree.
Last year was its first year. Initially, it had a few golf ball green peaches. But they didn’t mature, something ate them.
Thank you Gail. At one time we had patio peaches which had beautiful blooms but the peaches were small and not edible except deer loved them. They began to die after a number of years so we finally removed them. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
You have had a fantastic week or so. That lantern festival looks absolutely amazing. How I’d love to see that one. Your photos are terrific — they really capture the creativity and beauty of it all. And the falls are splendid, too. Can you eat the pears from a Bradford pear tree? They really are beautiful. I’m sorry they don’t belong there. I think if you could eat the pears, I’d love a garden full of those trees!
Thank you Jeanie. The original Bradford cultivar was supposed to be sterile and a provider of blooms only. But through the years it crossed with other varieties and did start reproducing and quite rapidly. It doesn’t produce an edible fruit, only thorns, and it out competes natural vegetation. They are beautiful but a menacing tree. We wish you a happy and pleasant week!
Butch and Pam
You are always about 5-10 degrees cooler than we are here in South Alabama this time of year. You are so right – roller coaster weather! Weeee! Sweater/shorts/sweater/shorts!
Thank you Leslie Anne. So true, we are shorts today and then sweaters or maybe coats for a couple of days beginning tomorrow. A hard freeze here tomorrow night. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Every Bradford pear in our area has been damaged by the wind at one point or another it seems. The ones that used to line the streets are just mangled stumps. I must say I’ve never seen so many in one area. They are like kudzu, strangling out the natural vegetation. We lost half a huge oak Monday in the storm. We must deal with getting it cut up and moved as well as trying to save the only other huge branch left, if possible. Two of the three big branches have been victims of storms. They were diseased inside. The remaining standing tree with the extremely long branch is too high up to see if it is diseased. It’s at least a hundred years old. We will have powerful winds all day and tonight. For a few minutes, they will come close to small hurricane strength per the meteorologists as the front comes through this evening. If that side is diseased, it will probably come down. If not, it may be healthy. When a huge oak starts popping, it sounds like hail hitting the windows for a few seconds, then boom, it hits the ground taking everything in it’s wake. The lantern festival looks like great fun! The figures are so colorful lit up and there’s such a nice variety of beautiful lights. I would love to have a pair of those flamingos, they are too cute! The children are all growing up! I know they had fun on the dino ride. The falls are beautiful and the light makes them even prettier! The other falls you visited were gorgeous. I’m always amazed to see lone trees hanging on in some pretty precarious areas. Stay safe tonight. The front coming through is powerful and bringing winter back! Our weather apps are covered with color with all the wind and winter warnings. Enjoy your day. Clara❤️
Thank you Clara. Our city had Bradford pears lining a boulevard and in other places but they were so susceptible to limbs breaking that they finally removed all of them some years ago. They were the ornamentals before everyone realized there was a problem with the trees cross breeding and becoming an invasive non-sterile rogue. We’ve only lost a lot of limbs in recent storms but tonight’s weather does look very rough based on predictions. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
The festival looked so fun. My grandson would have loved the dinosaurs . He is a big fan.
Happy New Week. We are having more severe weather here today and then overnight the temps will fall 40 degrees back to winter and snow. So crazy. Hugs. Kris
Thank you Kris. Little boys and dinosaurs just seem to go together. The weather is wild, very warm today, storms tonight and we have snow showers possible here in the morning. Lots of severe weather in the upper Midwest looks like. Hope you stay safe and have a great week!
Butch and Pam
The winds have been awful lately here. EXCEL Energy had turned the power off on thigh wind days to keep fires from starting, I’m grateful that the developer of this group of homes had the foresight to put the power lines under ground and so far I have not been without power. I saw a picture of lots of 18 wheelers overturned in Highway 25 at the
Wyoming border. Later learned 25 was closed due to the winds. It’s the main highway going north and south. The Ides of March is upon us! The Bradford Pear is one of those things that appeal then turns sour. The ride of WL on the dinosaur is one he will never forget. Grandparents special! The park is well put together for this show. Love that the grands know what many of the lighted figures were but grandparents didn’t. Moving own. Our weather pictures yours as I woke to 29 degrees and a scattering of snow on the ground and tonight we are expecting 18 but later in the weeks 80’s. Happy Spring Richardson’s🍀🌷🪻🌸🌼
Thank you Alice. We’ve been seeing the high wind warnings for your area and much of the west and plains. We are having that same up and down weather here but not to the extremes you are having. If the wind predictions for here tonight materialize the displays at the lantern festival may take a beating. The Bradford pear being an appealing thing that turned sour is very accurately stated. We hope you have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
The kids are growing up so quickly! EM’s observation of the flowers was truly brilliant. The park all aglow was really special, very nice. Do show some more photos next week.
I saw a meme yesterday saying it’s time for pruning the Bradford pears: To properly prune a Bradford pear, grab your chainsaw and make a horizontal cut flush with the ground!
Have a great week, Richardsons. We, too, will have two nights of well below freezing. I’m debating covering my forsythia, lilac and peonies. I know I should, but the winds may take my frost cloths away or tear them where I stake them.
Thank you Rita. It is hard to keep frost cloths in place with the kind of winds we seem to have these days. I discovered two Bradford pear trees in the edge of our wooded areas and pruned them last week exactly as that meme suggested. One problem with that is that they will sprout back up from the stump and/or roots. I found one that I cut last year doing that very thing. Maybe this will be the last major winter visit but it’s still early. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam