Update- They weren’t cherry trees they were some sort of pussy willow.
Item #2- PeshFest is this weekend at Kosir’s.
Augie’s Blues Experiment- Live music
Commercial raft trips at 10:00am and 1:00pm
Kayak race registration ends at 10:00am
Kayak race starts at noon in flat water above first drop (at Red Bull buoy).
Raft race shuttles start at 3:00pm
Awards at 7:00pm Music to followGreetings and welcome!
Last week was one of big changes.
First up we went from very high fire danger to pretty much daily rain. I think that three or four nights last week had thunderstorms, and we are not talking about a quick line of storms. These put on a good show for a long time and left a lot of rain. It rained more yesterday and we have more light rain today.
Now all of the lakes, rivers, and streams are quite swollen. The small streams are running fast and are full to their banks. The Peshtigo River where they do the whitewater rafting is at a +24″ a very rockin’ level. If one were to raft today you would be anything but bored.
The changes in the past week to the plant kingdom was amazing. The grass is starting to green up pretty noticeably, and many trees have their first leaf buds. I’d swear that I saw the first white cherry blooms a few days ago, but I was driving by and I want to go back and take another look at that. It sure seems like the great greening of the land is coming early this year. I fully expect to be cutting grass before Memorial Day this year.
Talking to a friend this morning he brought up the danger that goes along with the early greening. If trees and plants start blooming early the blooms are in danger of getting bitten by some late spring frost or even freezes. If I were a cherry or apple orchard owner I’d be a little nervous right now.
Likewise, once the rain stops it will be tempting to go out and start working on planting gardens and flowers. I learned that lesson the hard way repeatedly. I don’t plant anything that I can’t move indoors before June 10th. Even using the June 10th rule I have been bitten by frost and freezes a few times.
Also early this year is the emergence of the insect kingdom. I have seen my first moths and spiders, and many people have reported the first wood and deer ticks. I haven’t seen the ticks yet myself, but enough people are reporting them on FaceBook that it won’t be a surprise. It wouldn’t bother me if the ticks got frozen out. I have not seen my first gator (mosquito) yet.
There are a lot of critters taking advantage of the early spring. The bears have been out of their dens for a couple of weeks. I have heard geese flying north and have heard sand hill cranes. There are a variety of returning songbirds. The deer are up by the roads getting the first green shoots of grass. The squirrels must be in their mating season because I have seen a lot of them very active, and quite a few that became road pizza as they ran out in front of cars. I am not sure why the squirrels and chippies do that but my theory is that it is a show of bravery for potential mates. I have been seeing a lot of turkeys up by the road, and quite a few toms fanning out and displaying for the ladies.
I heard that Forest Co has opened ATV trails but I have not verified it myself. Oconto and Marinette Counties remain closed. All of the rain will help to take the frost out of the ground faster, but as long as it is soft and muddy the trails can’t open. I would not be surprised to see trails open early this year, but we have to wait until we get the official OK before riding. Some people did violate, and the clubs and the DNR would like to catch them and give them a memorable ticket.
The ATV trails on the Marinette County roads are not open until May 1st. Some towns allow ATVs on town roads before the trails open. The Town of Silver Cliff DOES NOT allow road use before the trails open. (PDF Link) The Town of Stephenson does allow road travel. (Link) You can look up other town ordinances the same way to see if your town roads are open.
Well work is calling so it is time for me to call it a day here. Have a good week and thank you for visiting!
RJB