Spring II Addition

Here is a Sunday morning photo of the western part of the backyard showing how much the moss advanced this past winter. It thrives in this climate and I have to admit, the grass would actually be an intruder to this environment.

Here is the "Wedding Tree", a Weeping Cherry tree with the buds just starting to open a wee bit. Quite a change from last week where one could barely seen them.

Here is a revisit to the Blue Bells with many more of them open. The mint behind it is starting to make the scene as well.

I thought I would throw in the mysterious plants growing in the urn again showing the beautiful colours it turns over the winter when it is intermittently covered with snow. It it an hardy plant and does well in this climate.

These beauties opened this week and since we had so much rain, I was afraid the stems would stay bent over but this morning, I brought them back where they are standing again. Yesterday whilst it was raining, all of a sudden, it started snowing!! This rain/snow mixture continued for about an hour. The temperature was about 40 degrees F. when this happened. I always thought it would only be rain after 32 degrees or so. ( Learn something new every day. )

From a different angle.

And again, with the sun's help making a shadow of them on the wall.

The was the picture of them last week. I meant to put this with the previous post and thought it hadn't taken.

Yes, I would say, Spring is definitely making an entrance.

The first blooms in the yard.

I was out throwing grass seed around the front and back yards and noticed the buds on the Lilac bush in the first picture.

When I looked a little a bit farther, I noticed the Blue Bells were in bloom. They always arrive sooner than the other plants. Behind them the Mint is starting to arrive as well.

Here's a little different angle of the Blue Bells. My Daffodils are up and getting ready to bloom but, not quite ready yet, So, I'll take them when they have their best faces on.

Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

The Tasmanian Tiger aka Thylacine

Here is a picture of a male Thylacine.

Here is a litter of Thylacines.

The amazing angle of the open mouth is much greater than that of dogs, cats or other marsupials. It is thought that this posture was to scare off a potential fight or battle with other males.

Here is a picture of one sleeping.

This picture is of a male and a female.

I have always been interested in the Thylacine which became extinct in the 1930s. At one time in history they were in Australia but died out many years ago. They were also, located in New Zealand and finally Tasmania. They were wiped out because they found feeding on sheep easier than some of their local prey. This marsupial used to keep the kangaroo populations in check until man brought sheep and other animals to the continent which threw off the balance in nature. The rabbits introduced competed with some of the other plant eating animals and the fox introduced to keep the rabbits in check also attacked the slower moving marsupials who have very few predators keeping them in balance. One of these was the Thylacine.

Though this animal is considered extinct, there have been sightings in Tasmania along with foot prints that appear similar to the Thylacine. Their howl has also been noted. What is fascinating to me is that this predator, like other marsupials carried their young in pouches. It was also difficult to tell the female from the male, save their size differences, due to this pouch covering their genitalia. It was thought it might have been protection for the male running through the thorny brush whilst running down prey.

I am one of those dreamers who hope this beautiful animal is still with us but smart enough to stay away from us.