Greening Up - With Rhododendron

Spring continues a fitful progression here in northern Illinois this year. Sure, it's supposed to snow tonight (a bit) but things continue greening and blooming.

I spent part of the weekend out at the Fen. Partly I was scattering the majority of this year's remaining seeds. Nearly everything is now out, and we can go on to the next task- the beginning of the year's weed control. I also transplanted a few plugs of wetland sedge into a degraded seep. We tried a bit of this last year. It worked so well, that I'm expanding efforts this year. Speaking of which, the sedges in the wetland areas that were burned a few weeks back are charging out of the ground with amazing speed. This photo is a real testament to how quickly the vegetation springs back in areas that have been burned.



My yard is beginning to signs of spring, too. The first of my lettuce has germinated. My rhododendron is in full bloom right now. Rhodies are one of the things that I miss the most about Massachusetts. Where I grew up, we grew lots of them and azaleas in a wide range of colors. Blooming times extended from earliest spring into mid-summer. They just don't do well here in Illinois. There are a few varieties, like the one in my yard, that thrive. The rest just putter along, don't bloom well, and seem very short lived.