Spring Has Sprung!

Well, spring has arrived in Northwest Montana.  Plants have been springing to life, and trees budding new leaves and needles.  The sun comes out of it's long vacation to more southern landscapes, and us northerners scramble to spend as much time as humanly possible, soaking up all of the vitamin D we've been missing for the past six months.  We have been lucky to have some warm, sunny days, in between lots of rainfall.

 

 

Buddy, Chilko, and Moose, resting in the shade on a sunny hike.

All of our grass and clover came through the soil from last years demolition of electric and phone lines quite nicely. 

In looking at this years disaster area from the septic drain field, we were initially tempted to see what might come up, naturally, on its own.

Some life popping through the ground in our drain field

While watching nature come to life this spring, I was armed to the teeth with an organic weed killing recipe and a new commercial sprayer.  I planned to attack all of the thistles that I battled last year, that were sure to come up with a vengeance this spring.

That being said, I feared that our new drain field would look much like the sides of our road, if left untreated.  I could just see this great expanse of dirt, filled with thistles and dandelions.  Since all of our work from last year is lush with clover, grass, and no weeds, I decided to seed the drain field.

a big ol' Canadian Thistle

Lush Clover, planted last summer

Dead Canadian Thistle, Success!

Organic Weed Killer:

1 Gallon Vinegar
1/2 Cup salt
1/2 Cup Dawn dish soap

Combine in a sprayer, and douse weeds generously on a warm sunny day.  Allow the sun to help the concoction work its magic.  Best results on thistles just emerging from soil.

Smaller recipe:  2 c. Vinegar, 1 T Salt, 1 T Dish soap

 While I was busy exterminating weeds, the Beargrass was planning it's grand entrance.   Found on mountain slopes between 3000 to 8000 feet in elevation, primarily west of the continental divide, in Central and Western Montana, it is a magical little plant.  The tufts of grass remain each year, ( if you dig into the snow, it'll still be green in the middle of winter) and erect stems in the spring standing 3 to 5 feet tall.  The blooms arrive in a white or cream colored explosion of tiny flower petals.  When walking through the woods while they are in bloom is like marching through a grand parade; Mother Nature awaiting your arrival.

It's a hearty little plant, with complex root systems, and has survived most of our construction.

A cluster of stems, about to bloom

In true Montana fashion, we were (blessed?) with a snowfall of about 4-6 wet inches of snow on May 23.  As a Montana Native, I've experienced a handful of snow storms in June, so this didn't come as a huge surprise to me, although I was a little bit nervous about all of the spring growth, and seeds waiting to sprout on our property.  Oh, the joys of landownership!

May 23 Snow Day Morning

All snuggled in front of the fire, once again.

Brought in all of the new plantings

"In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours"  -Mark Twain

May 24, 2013; Out comes the sun

 With that little practical joke out of the way, the sunshine decided to show its face the next day.  Just another spring in the mountains.
 

Clover seed sprouting in the drain field.

The green resumes, as does the rain, and I am so thankful to see the woods come to life once more.

"Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we will soon see the results of their love!"  -Sitting Bull