Hidden Oaks Point – 2016

[To see photos and stories of this prairie in other years, go to the links on the main Hidden Oaks Point page.]

This year I did a little clearing around the edges of the bluff prairie, and cut brush and pulled weeds in the meadow.

The biggest change we made was to move the bench from out in the open on top of the point, to a place under the trees. Here, at the beginning of the year, it’s still on the point. It was a great spot for a view, but very hot in the summer with no protection from the sun.

1/3/2016

2/27/2016

4/4/2016 A small clearing project at the top edge of the woods.

4/18/2016

4/21/2016 Photo from the drone looking north at our cleared woods, with the bluff prairie on top

4/21/2016 Another drone photo of the bluff prairie, looking north through the cleared savanna, to Armund’s Gap, the Narrows Prairie, and the Cat’s Paw Prairie

4/22/2016 Valeriana – a rare plant seedling that was given to me by a friend. This is its second year.

4/22/2016 Sand Cress – one of the earliest spring prairie flowers

4/22/2016 Blue-eyed Grass

4/23/2016 Hill’s Thistle – another rare plant seedling – also in its second year. I’m anxious for it to bloom – but that didn’t happen this year.

4/23/2016 We mowed most of the cleared savanna areas.

4/25/2016 Armund’s Gap

4/25/2016 Path out to the point

4/25/2016 Birds-foot Violet

4/25/2016 Hoary Puccoon

4/25/2016

5/4/2016

5/7/2016 Hoary Puccoon and Blue-eyed Grass on the point

5/8/2016 There are still a few apple trees along the path between the point and Armund’s Gap.

5/18/2016 Hoary Puccoon and some of the bonsai Burr Oaks on the point.

5/19/2016

5/19/2016 Tricolored Bumblebee

7/11/2016 Here we’d moved the bench back out of the sun. We use it much more now – it’s a good half-way point in the walk – a place to sit and enjoy the day.

8/18/2016 This was a big year for Queen Anne’s Lace – it was a problem in most of our prairies. I can’t do much about it – there’s too much of it in too many places. But this is one of the spots I try to protect, so I pulled it before it could go to seed. This is before pulling.

8/18/2016 And this is afterwards. I also spent a few days cutting and treating raspberries and Canada Goldenrod in this area.

9/4/2016 View from the bench

9/19/2016 We’re going to have some clearing work done here this winter, so I wanted to be sure to get ‘before’ photos. This is looking down from the point at the south-east facing slope.