01/29/2021 – Around Colehaus

The end of January at Colehaus sees not much happening outside. Few neighboring cats visit and the raccoons keep mostly to themselves, like good raccoons should. We’ve had two nights of overnight frost and one afternoon of a couple of snowflakes mixed with mostly rain. We know really cold weather coming and most of the plants know it, too. We suspect these daffodils are happy for the extra mulch around their feet.

Over on the other side of the yard, in a better protected area (a slightly warmer micro-climate area), these daffodils are saying, “Bring it!” They aren’t afraid of the cold.

This is the time of year the heather blooms, bringing color to our usual gray and mossy green season. A nearby neighbor has a lot of pink heather in their front yard and it really brightens up January. Last year, Mom became a copycat and bought one little one to brighten up our yard.

The holly bushes show off their berries in January and attract little bird gangs (bushtits) of a dozen or more at a time.

In another protected, micro-climate area, Mom’s Cyclamen is blooming! Dad bought her this a few years ago as an indoor plant to counter a bad day she was having. Ha! Mom had no idea what a bad day could be back then. In the almost two years this Cyclamen has been outside permanently, she gives it extra mulch in the fall and slug bait in the spring, and so far, so good!

This Black-eyed Susan popped out one last flower last fall and it’s still hanging in there in January!

While out photographing plants, Mom found a visiting Oregon native Bumblebee resting nearby, sitting in a shady spot, probably really tired and really cold. Mom knows that sometime, bees can be revived with a little sugar water and warmth. Native Oregon Bumblebees have an orange backside and are somewhat smaller than your usual big yellow and black Bumblebee.

So Mom mixed up some plain white sugar (no sugar substitute, absolutely no honey) in some water in a jar lid and dribbled some on the surface and moved the Bumblebee to a sunny location. Even though it was just forty-three degrees out there in the sun, she hoped both the winter sun and sugar water would help. She also knows Bumblebees only live about 28 days and this is most definitely NOT the time of year for Bumblebee survival.

Mom, did you actually bring that bug inside overnight? In your bathroom? Geesh, I’m not sure we’d get that kind of VIP treatment!

Yes, Mom did bring it inside for the night, but just that one night. And if you recall, and since you are choosing not to, Tessa, we’ll remind you that you got quite the VIP treatment when you were first found, so be careful what you’re spouting off about, Tuxie girl.

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A Colehaus Cats flashback:

2020 – Wordless Wednesday. Almost.
2019 – No post
2018 – Around Colehaus
2017 – No post
2016 – Olivia’s Weekend Plans
2015 – No post
2014 – For The Record . . .
2013 – Ruby Tuesdays
2012 – No post