Pappus Hill Farm

05/02/2023

Mineral feeder update

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04/10/2023

Mineral buffet is up and running!

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03/28/2023

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03/05/2023

Jack is sick =(

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02/28/2023

Old pond

Long lost pond.

02/27/2023

Dexter is growing!

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02/27/2023

My tulips from Patience are peeking through the ground. Fingers crossed that the rest of winter remains mild!

02/26/2023

Hello Spring!

01/09/2023

Anora and I cut, split, and stacked our first IBC tote of wood. It’s rough, uneven, and poorly stacked… but we did it!

11/05/2022

Just a beautiful autumn sky.

08/26/2022

Canada Thistle
Cirsium arvense

This is a beautiful but prickly invasive species. They produce brilliant purple flowers that the butterflies love. I have some large patches that are the full 4 feet high. I’m finding them primarily along the disturbed area by the drive way and the more exposed sides of the hills. For removal, I’m individually chopping them off at the base close to the ground with the goal of depriving them of food producing light while not disturbing the ground and seed bank. I’ll check the areas in a couple weeks and cut off any new growth. If I end up with some particularly resilient areas, I’ll follow-up with a spot treatment of weed/grass killer.

In clearing them out, I’m making room for natives to take their place. All throughout the area I have purple ironweed and goldenrod. These native flowering plants area just as beautiful. In addition to being a pollinator favorite they also provide food for the caterpillars, unlike the Canada thistle.