Well, I apologize for my tardiness, but here is the latest "installment" on the dove field. These pics will show a progression of the sunflowers as they grew and matured, with short explanatory captions above each.
Here is a view of the field in early June. Good stand, and receiving ample rain to progress well.
Next two views are what began to happen next. Deer damage, the worst we have ever experienced at this location. Notice how they ate the tops out of all the plants. The terminal (bud) is there, and once it is gone the plant has no chance of producing a bloom and head of seed.
Sad looking isn't it?
Here is a representative photo of the same field last summer, showing what it looked like in full bloom.
Now we fast forward to the present. What the deer left matured and are drying down. Soon the field will be all brown. I'd say the deer ate half the field, around the edges, and inward for quite aways. Fortunately for us the doves like the middle of the field better, so all is not lost.
You may notice that the heads are smaller than usual, and wonder why that is, given the tremendous amounts of rain we have had here this summer. (Some places near here have already recorded 58" in 2013. The average annual total for the whole year here is only about 46-48 inches.) What happened is too much of a good thing, the excessive rainfall leached out the fertilizers we applied, mostly the nitrogen and potasssium, causing smaller than usual heads.
Here is one average sized head, drying down, as the old bloom sheds away from each kernel.
Doves have already begun hanging around the field in
pretty good numbers, an-ti-ci-pa-a-ting as Carly Simon crooned, being able to pack their crop twice a day. Me, too!
More to come soon.
All my best, Stan
