Trees Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Heartland Safari

Pea-size purple berries hang individually from leafless twigs. Hackberry fruits.

Teeming with Life: Hackberry

Updated February 9, 2023

On a frigid evening in late winter, I love to sit in my favorite chair beside a blazing fire in the fireplace. Dave lies on my feet, and I revel in the warmth, and the popping, fizzing, roaring, chuckling, murmuring of the fire. The wood we’re burning is a mix of things gathered from downed […]

Eastern Red Cedar stands at the edge of an open field with a red barn in the background

Music in the Woods: Eastern Red Cedar

Updated December 12, 2022

I fell in love with the sound of the native American flute some years ago, so I bought one carved from a branch of red cedar and learned to play it. It has a lovely voice. The type of wood, I discovered, makes a big difference in the sound of the flute with cedar being […]

Trees

Maple with fire-red leaves stands in a green yard, in front of a red house and against a clear blue sky

Autumn Blaze

Updated October 20, 2022

Red Maple (Acer rubrum) It’s a perfect fall for color this year. The nights have been in the 30s and 40s, the days have been sunny, and it hasn’t rained much. These are ideal conditions for our Autumn Blaze red maple to give us a spectacular show. What makes the leaves turn red, though? Why […]

Trees

Grove of walnut trees; red farm shed; blue sky; green grass

The King of Nuts

Updated October 3, 2022

Black Walnuts Fall has arrived on this early October day. Standing in the yard I hear several walnuts tumbling through the branches and plopping softly in the duff of fallen leaves and grass beneath the tree. As I walk through the yard, they squish and squirm beneath my feet. Owl Acres is studded with black […]