Backyard and Beyond

It was warm and gray in the Brooklyn Botanical Garden this morning. I saw my first chipmunk of the year, woken from its dozing, its racing stripes flashing. The Pond is still frozen over, so the turtles yet dream their turtle dreams in the mud.Catkins of the Caucasian alder, Alnus subcordata, native to Iran. Is this the first tree to flower out in the garden?
Plucked fur evidence: squirrel, hawk?
English oak, Quercus robur.
Little Ms. Riding Hood explores Patrick Dougherty’s stickwork. The BBG website tells us this is “woven from nonnative woody material that was collected from Ocean Breeze Park on Staten Island. The harvesting site was chosen by BBG’s director of Science because of its proximity to the Garden and its large population of nonnative willow (Salix atrocinerea), which is designated an invasive species in New York State. Removal of saplings of this species helped protect the site’s excellent assemblage of herbaceous plants.”