I love those purple dwarf irises, woodyoak! I finally ordered some (to be delivered this fall) as I've admired them for some time. I hope they, and your other flowers, weather the ice storm. I have daffodils sprouting and budding, but nothing else. I can't remember such relentless cold weather ever before.

I have a German Shedder, er Shepherd. This spring I removed probably 25 daily clutches of undercoat when I brushed her each day. And everyday I'd take those handfuls of hair out to my yard and leave them. Fast forward to now and every single little pile of soft undercoat is gone. They found them. And hopefully are lining the many bird nests popping up in my trees. Maybe the squirrels took some also. It's amazing to see what squirrels will use to line their nests. Like the chair seat pad they pulled off, removed the fabric and used the foam like material for their nest. So put that dog hair out in your yard and help out the birds and squirrels.

Thanks Sherry! I really appreciate that. We've been working so hard, but between the craziness of last summer working 60+ hours a week at a bad job, having my mother in law move in unexpectedly, getting married, and then just the sheer cost, we had a pretty rough landscape/garden last summer lol. I'll definitely keep everyone updated. I'm so glad the weather has warmed up a bit, despite the constant rain. I swear gardening keeps me sane.

On a more subtle note :-) Encountered a Jack Pine plantation today (Pinus banksiana). The trees were planted a year ago this spring, after forest fires and logging a couple years ago. They bud capped last fall to prevent deer from destroying the winter buds. They've already out grown their need for the caps. Male strobili on a more mature tree along the trail.