Up top along the driveway where pines, ash and persimmon trees are growing.
As we pulled into the driveway at SAFF, we smelled the hot dry pine needles through our open car windows. The ground was dry and crunchy and despite the recent rain, most of Virginia is in a severe drought with portions of Buckingham County in an extreme drought. Central Virginia needs about 11 inches of rainfall over the next month to bust the current drought. With this drought as well as the multi year rainfall deficit, Buckingham County needs prolonged, soaking rains to restore moisture and groundwater levels. We have record heat this week with temperatures soaring into the high 90s during the day through Wednesday. Then it looks like we could get some rain and cooler temperatures. Normal temperatures for May.
We are hoping for a prolonged slow and steady rain, that’s for sure.
Genus Desmodium, ticktrefoil, growing at SAFF. We will catch this with flowers and then we can narrow it down further. Packera anonyma, Small’s ragwort, in the Aster family. We saw it in sunny spots at SAFF a few weeks ago and now we see it in the forest. The top of Mary Banning Way looking down to Three Pine Gulch. The old farm road at SAFF that we are so excited to be able to mow! ☺️ We walked it the whole way yesterday and found some more stumps to cut back before we take the tractor all the way up the furthest side old farm road.Apis mellifera, Western honey bee, on the holly tree (Ilex) at the house. The whole tree has been covered in them for days. You can hear the buzzing and feel their wings vibrating standing under the tree. Video below.
The honeybees swarming the flowers from the female holly tree.
Saint Andrews Forest Farm 
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