Hazelnuts

 

Labor Day Holiday!  The hummers usually leave around this time.   The males have already taken off.  I'm down to  three feeders that I rotate cleaning and refilling on a daily basis.  I put an "H" on the calendar every day that I see a hummer.  Two weeks after the last hummer, I'll take the feeders down for the season.  The extra time is to ensure that those late migraters from further north have a place to stop off and reenergize.  Then the plan was to harvest the hazelnuts on my bushes before some denizen of the dark got them.  Instead I picked three and hulled them.  That means taking off the outside green stuff a/k/a bract) and then the outer shell.  They are getting ripe but could use a little more time.  Decided to give them another week and check a couple again.  If something gets them in between times, my bad.  I'll put an 'H' in the other corner on my calendar to remind me that I checked the hazelnuts that day.  Today was an 'H' kinda day.