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.