Pictured: Rock Creek 4/8/26
| So much is blooming in both the woods and in the gardens. Change is in the air! Enjoy! Amy | Table of Contents: Blog Changes Garden Guides! Phenology: The Seasons Through Blooms! Spying on Wildlife: Trail-Cam & Creek Videos! Thank You! |
The blog is a sampling of all the photos I’ve taken this month.
Please head over to our social media to see the photo dumps!
~ Blog Changes ~
I am going to start sharing the section of Woods Walks, Phenology and also Gardening on Mondays from now on. The sheep and chicken updates will continue monthly on the 1st of each month.
Look for the next Homestead Happenings: Flowers & Nature on April 27th!
~ Garden Guides! ~
I am going to change the moon phase planting guides in favor of using phenology more. I will research old folklore and share those pieces of gold once this year is complete!
I’ve compiled a list of planting dates for 2026 based on the moon phases:
2026 Planting Guide – Zones 7/8
Late April – Plant outdoors: Hardy Alyssum, Phlox, Marigolds, Sunflowers
Early May – Plant outdoors: chives, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, chrystanthemums for fall color.
Prune lilacs, rhododendrons and azaleas after bloom.
~ Phenology: The Seasons Through Blooms! ~
April Woods Walks
4/5/26 – Stream Violet, Claytonia, Buttercup, Fawn Lilies, Bartlett Pear, Autumn Olive, White Bluebells!
4/11/26 – Lilac, Camas, Trilliums, Wild Strawberries and Stream Violets!
4/18/26 – False Solomon’s Seal, Blisterwort, Wild Bleeding Heart!
~ Spying on Wildlife: Trail-Cam & Creek Videos! ~
Our Bobcat, Haunter, showed up again on camera. We’ve had most of our trail-cams up at the house to get new batteries and dry out a bit so we got lucky with the one remaining down there! All the cameras are back up down there again so the Creek Log and another forest trail will be spying on wildlife.
As part of our woods walks, I like to occasionally take creek sound videos as you’ve probably seen in the past. And then I think I found a Faery Home!
~ Thank You! ~
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We’ll see you all again May 1st for our April Homestead Happenings: Ranch Edition, where pastures have opened up and cut back our feed bill!
Don’t forget, the next Homestead Happenings: Flowers & Nature will be May 4th, where there will be even more Garden guidance as planting starts to amp up and more will be blooming in the woods!
Hollow Hills Ranch 