April 2008 Archives

I spotted an unusual and beautiful bird in the yard the other day and watched while it explored the fountain rim, the flowerbed, the patio, the wheelbarrow, and another flowerbed, then flew up into a big shrub. When I found it in the bird book, it turned out I'd seen it before. I'd made notations in the book of seeing it six and seven years ago almost to the day. It's a mid-to-late-April yardbird. The yellow-rumped (Audubon's) warbler. (Cornell Ornithology Lab photo) Today I was weeding and heard a woodpecker's drilling sound. I often see flickers but they seem to go tap-tap-tap instead of really drilling like other woodpeckers. I followed the sound and saw a downy woodpecker going at the top of the utility pole next door. I think it was a female because I didn't see the red patch on the head. (Wikipedia photo)

Two of my favorite spring blooms are here. If only they lasted all summer!

I've read that after a grove of bamboo flowers, it dies. I discovered today that our "grove" (small clump) of Blue Fountain bamboo is flowering. And it does look like it's dying. The green leaves in the picture are on a different bamboo right next to it, arrow bamboo.


The Indianapolis Zoo has a short article about their blue fountain bamboo:

"In the space of just a few years, every specimen of blue fountain bamboo will flower and most likely die. This is the first time this species has flowered since seed was brought from China to Europe in about 1886.

"Bamboo is known to exhibit gregarious flowering. All individuals of a species flower at about the same time. Reports of flowering of blue fountain bamboo began several years ago and are likely to continue for several more years. Individual plants flower for several months, perhaps even for a second year.

"Based on the history of this plant - seed was sent to Europe about 1886, flowering began in the 1990s - we can expect blue fountain bamboo to flower next in about 2100."