http://fernwoodsy.com News and ramblings from the forest of Indianola WA Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:20:04 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I love these pure white berries hanging from spindly bare branches. This photo was taken Dec. 4. but even now the bushes are still filled with the puffy berries. The birds will get around to eating them soon I'm sure. These are tough shrubs, Symphoricarpos albus, are native to the Pacific ... http://fernwoodsy.com/2011/12/lovely-bounty-of-snowberries/ 75 degrees and Sunshine! Sunshine has been rare this summer, but finally we've had a good stretch of warmth. Pitifully, this year we consider 72 degrees warm. The bees are not slacking off. We're hoping for a bountiful honeyola harvest this year. http://fernwoodsy.com/2011/08/honeybees-bringing-home-the-groceries/ It's high season in Indianola, you wouldn't know it by the weather. But hey we can't sit around waiting for good weather, it's summertime now, gray, rain or shine. Indianola Days is this weekend. There’s lots happening Saturday and Sunday. Sadly no Stunt Night was scheduled, maybe next year. It's ... http://fernwoodsy.com/2011/07/indianola-days-this-weekend/ The honeybee hives are close by and when it's warm enough for them to leave the hive I can usually find a few feeding on the pretty pink blossoms of red-flowering currant, Ribes sanguineum. I dug out our old Nikon Coolpix 4500 and captured this macro shot. I love that ... http://fernwoodsy.com/2011/05/hungry-honeybees-discover-red-flowering-currant/ The Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island is a Northwest treasure — 150 acres of paths through varied landscapes, from wild & native to formal & exotic. Their free open house and plant sale was last weekend. It was another cool one in what is our coldest Spring on record (according to weather guru ... http://fernwoodsy.com/2011/04/the-bloedel-reserve-a%c2%a0northwest-treasure/ [caption id="attachment_129" align="alignright" width="475" caption="Beach at La Push, Washington"][/caption] We spent three awesome days on the Washington coast. Winter sunshine is a rare commodity on the coast, but we lucked out. Temperatures were below freezing. Each morning the beach rocks and driftwood had a frosty coating. We just bundled up and ... http://fernwoodsy.com/2011/01/washington-coast-winter-sunshine/ I love licorice ferns. They wither in our dry Summers, but a bit of rain comes and they emerge fresh and stay lush all winter. The snow and a serious cold spell we had in November, made no difference to them. Licorice fern, Polypodium glycyrrhiza, grow in shady forests on the ... http://fernwoodsy.com/2010/12/winter-woods-staring-lush-licorice-fern-and-moss/ I look through my studio window and it's a joy to see so many happy bees buzzing about. Last year they didn't do so good. But it seems this year they're thriving. Because of the cold, damp spring they got a late start, but the blackberry blossoms seem to be ... http://fernwoodsy.com/2010/07/honeyola-the-bees-are-working-it/ What wonderful weather we've enjoyed this Holiday season. I've been venturing out of the woods to see the sun. It's so low in the sky it slices through the trees, but we don't get too much of the direct stuff where we live. It's an invigorating walk down to water, ... http://fernwoodsy.com/2009/12/christmas-sunshine-at-the-indianola-dock/ The cat we thought was so wild, so feral, wasn't after all. Turns out, he's a lover cat, a drooler who will hop up on your lap at the slightest invitation. These woods are dangerous for cats. Coyotes, raccoons and plenty of free range dogs are threats. We know he had ... http://fernwoodsy.com/2009/11/the-amazing-blackberry-stray%c2%a0cat%c2%a0no%c2%a0more/