Frau Katse part 2

With Kitsy

Yawning with Kitsy

Coming home from hiking with me in April

Taking a nap with Kitsy

The last photo I took of her, taken a week before she died

My Dad and I buried her in the woods where she hunted and explored every day.

Frau Katse

Sometime during the night of Wednesday May 28, Frau Katse died. I found her body in  the lawn the next day. She was the most unique cat I have ever known. She came to us in 2002, just showing up at our door for attention and then she made herself at home with my family. She followed me around everywhere I went. We went on countless hikes through the woods together, I would even carry her across the river so she could follow me. She was able to learn a trick where she would sit up on her back legs to beg. She would then do this trick whenever I was carrying food.

She was the most friendly, tolerant and cheerful cat I have ever known.

I am not certain how old she was when she died, possibly between eight to ten years old.

Here are some pictures of her over the years, starting with the earliest photos.

Taken shortly after she decided to stay with us

With her kittens Hobbes (orange) and Kitsy (grey)

With Kitsy

Hiking with me

Nearly summer

Summer is almost here, all of the trees are leaved out and the gnats and mosquitos are out.

There are many late spring flowers blooming in the woods now.

Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata)

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Starry False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum stellatum)

Canada Violet (Viola canadensis)

Downy Yellow Violet (Viola pubescens)

Orioles

Many Orioles have been visiting my back yard, more than I have ever seen before.

A small flock of Orioles decided to eat Habenero peppers that I had brought outside.

It will be summer very soon, the late-leafing trees are budding out now.

The Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) are in full bloom.

The Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) plants are finished blooming, but their unique leaves will remain until late summer.

More spring photos

Many shrubs and trees are beginning to leaf out.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is blooming.

The "Leonard Messel" Magnolia is blooming.

A pheasant made a nest in the woods and layed lots of eggs.

A Woodchuck (also known as a Groundhog) has made a home out of a hole in an oak tree in the woods.

Winter still not over yet

On April 25-26 we had another winter storm.

About 3 inches of snow and a a little freezing rain fell.

Flowers and leaves

My Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) is blooming. It is one of my favorite spring flowers.

Sharp-lobed hepatica is a wildflower that is not found in the Redwood River valley, but grows not far to the south and east of here.

The flowers are only about 3/4 of an inch across.

The Elm trees are now blooming

Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum) has some of my favorite leaves of any wildflower. When they first emerge the leaves are bluish purple, then they develop silvery markings and finally they turn solid green.

snow melt and trees

About 4 inches of heavy wet snow fell on April 10th

It quickly melted and the river rose 2 feet.

Pussy willows look furry up close

Elm trees are about to bloom

Aspen trees are blooming

signs of spring

Yellow crocuses are blooming in my yard.

Pussy willows (Salix discolor) starting to bloom

Missouri gooseberry (Ribes missouriense) beginning to leaf out

Sprengel's sedge (Carex sprengelii) starting to grow

Mourning cloak butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa).

This kind of butterfly hibernates for the winter, and emerges as soon as it warms up in spring.  This one was sunning itself and getting a drink by the river.

wildlife

My two cats, Frau Katse on the right and her daughter Kitsy on the left. They follow me everywhere when I go outside. They may be hiding in some of my photos. If you have a good eye you might see them, they blend in very well..

There is a Great Blue Heron that lives along the river behind my home, if I am lucky I can get a glimpse of it. It is very wary, it knows when someone is approaching and I usually see it after it starts flying away. Someday I will get a good close up photo of it.

My backyard

This is my first post! Lots of photos to start out with. Spring is just starting here, and there are signs of life peeking out if you look closely. Most of my photos will be taken in or near the Redwood River valley. I'll start out with some photos of my back yard.

Just entering the woods. The large trees are Bur Oaks (Quercus macrocarpa)
The stream that drains the drain tile from under the surrounding agricultural fields. It comes out of a pipe and runs most of the year, unless there is a drought. I have been lining it with rocks to slow the erosion it causes. There is still a little ice on it, that should disappear in a few more days.

The Redwood River. Every year it moves around in the flood plain, building new sandbars and cutting away the shoreline. Unfortunately it is eating away at the back of my lot! I have been trying to slow the erosion by planting willows and grasses on the shore, and placing brush and trees in the water to slow the current. I don't know if it's doing much to prevent erosion, but it has attracted a lot of wildlife.