OTIS
A more aptly named bull I have never met. Evidently this guy never misses a meal, makes lovely strong babies and is very gentle.
He had a herd of heifers with him. Aunty Del feeling like the mature student in a class of teenagers sauntered over to see what the old girls were up to. The electric fence kept her from joining them. Evidently the old girls don’t like visitors but the younger heifers don’t mind.
Tia immediately made friends with the bull.
They played for a while then wandered off to graze.
This is a lovely little farm, the cows have a creek for water and trees for shade. Really nice place for my girls to meet their new Bull-friend.
What is this bush? (above). I want one – especially if it is native!
Yesterday my Airbnb guest and I went for a walk in Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
We went on a short wander – about three miles, just enjoying the prairie and of course I came back with lots of information for my own wild areas.
The area we were walking in had many many old bunkers.
Such a large and wonderful project.
This morning I started early – collecting all the weeds in the hay field. I wanted to get going before it got too hot and before the planes started spraying.
After breakfast I will hook the rake to the tractor and get to rolling everything over. The oats will take some drying.
Hopefully the spray plane will have moved on to another field by then. The spraying is endless at this time of year.
I hope you have a lovely day.
celi
Monday 0% Precip. / 0 in
Sunny to partly cloudy. High 89F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Monday Night 20% Precip. / 0 in
Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds light and variable
60 Comments on “OTIS”
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He does look the part – I could imagine him chasing people round the streets of Pamplona, though perhaps not with his calm disposition. It does look like a lovely farm.
Those old bunkers would make fantastic caves for making cheese and cured meats.
What a stunning idea. The acoustics were amazing too – you would be able to hear the hams swing !
If only they’d build you one next to the farmy for you.
what are they spraying? I love that bull-he looks likesuch a gentleman!~
Pesticides . Fungicides. The usual stuff
Poison
That plant looks like eucalyptus… Love that bull, hope it alll turns out well.
I thought so too – but do you see the stamens in the centers of the leaves? Plus the location. Not like any eucalyptus j have seen / plus it was s bush – not a tree
Some kind of honeysuckle then.
Otis looks huge next to our little Tia. I have an app called pl@nts that will identify most plants from a photo almost straight away. Laura
Yes, he is really long, isn’t he. But not overly tall. The mature heifers seem to almost tower over him. – Mame. 🙃
Yes- long and short in the leg- broad across the chest / a lovely boy
I really want that app Laura – what is it called?
Pl@ntNet, but there are others for iPhone too. I found this one on Google. Laura
But you like plantnet? J would rather have. Recommendation.
Otis sounds like my kind of man. Strong and gentle. Yes. The idea of the prairie enchants me. Always has. And your pictures of the field flowers only confirms my ideas of it. So beautiful.
They are working slowly to rejuvenate thousands of acres as part of the parks and reserves.
That bush does look like a type of eucalyptus. I’d guess something like the one we call Silver Dollar back home in Australia. It’s also called Argyle Apple (Eucalyptus cinerea). I love that pretty silvery blue foilage.
Did you look closely at the leaves? They are very unusual. And it was a Bush. Will the argyle apple grow in minus 10f? Isn’t it beautiful
Yes, it will grow in cold conditions, in which case it grows as a bush rather than the majestic trees we know. I saw some information about it here that confirms it. I just love that foilage – very beautiful indeed!
It looks like a eucalyptus….I didn’t know they grew there. They ARE in California and some say they are invasive. I don’t know, because they don’t grow here in Colorado.
I not sure it could be a gum. The leaves are round and quite blue. Good guess though
I rather like it!
By the way, eucalyptus makes wonder dried plant arrangements and smells lovely!
Plus put a bouquet by your bed to keep the mosquitoes away!
That’s a LOT of bull. 🙂
I guess you want a nice gentle daddy for your babies.
He is a lovely looking boy.
The Midewin Tallgrass Prairie was once a part of a World War II ammunitions plant which explains the bunkers. Wikipedia has an article on it here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joliet_Army_Ammunition_Plant#Plant_explosion
Yes! They look pretty sci fi- hiding in the long grass like that.
You were a good ways from home—if I’m reading my map correctly. Did you run into any bison?
An hours drive from
Here – but worth it.
Ottis is one handsome bull!!! Straight back too! Aunty Del is has a nice hip line too. I love cattle. I can’t deny it.
You and me both!
I’m wondering if your mystery plant is cerinthe? Have a google, see what you think!
Yes! I looked that up – that is very close indeed. I think you may be right . What amazing flowers- now we need to find out why it was in pride of place at the entrance to a native prairie. It is a beautiful plant.
I don’t know! I’m growing it from seed in Ireland this year… 😳
I can’t believe the size of Otis! Will they fit? Will Aunty Del or Tia be scared? Silly, I suppose, but I’ve never seen nature’s course along these lines.
The other day we were talking about dogs herding ducks on your blog. Our chickens found a hole in the fence of their pen and paraded themselves into the neighbor’s horse paddock. She tried to get them back through, but they ran back and forth in front of the hole, frantically trying to find it. Our cat hopped over the fence and herded ‘her’ girls right back through the hole swift as you please. Neighbor said she’d never seen a cat herding chickens before!
hehehe — talented kitties! I wonder if there are herding competitions for cats, as there are for dogs.
Will what fit?
A cow will only let a bull mount her if she is in standing heat. Then she is quite willing
Ummm – He SO tall, and she’s SO short – how do they know what they’re doing? Man, do I feel naïve!
Mm – it is all quite natural – they know what to do.
Beautiful photos. With all the rain you’ve had, everything is looking so lush… almost like an early spring. Good luck with the hay ‘harvest’. — Mame 🙃
It is! We are cloudy and muggy today – not a good drying day at all.
The shrub that looks like eucalyptus seems to be Lonicera reticulata, and might be a garden variety. I do not know much about it because we do not grow it here. I will be right back. I will see if I can find a cultivar name of something that looks familiar.
Thank you – I was hoping you would drop in today!!
You are welcome, but I can not positively identify it. There is a cultivar known as ‘Kintzley’s Ghost’ that looks something like it with silvery foliage. However, because it is native to the Midwest, it could be a wild specimen. (I had assumed that it was an intentionally planted specimen of a cultivar because that is the only way I would have ever seen one here.) If you know that it was not planted there intentionally, and it is endemic to your region, it is likely the native species.
Oh Tony! You are soooo smart!!! This is indeed Kintzley’s Ghost honeysuckle! https://www.highcountrygardens.com/perennial-plants/flowering-vines/lonicera-reticulata-kintzleys-ghost. I’m not sure if it’s “native” but it grows a lot of places! I’m looking for a source (one that has not sold out already) for my cutting garden for next year. Bravo Tony!
Oh! If it is a native species that is observed growing wild, it is not a cultivar like ‘Kintzley’s Ghost’. That was just a guess. If it is Lonicera reticulata, and was not planted, it is just the straight species. If you want the exact same for your own garden, you would want to find the straight species of Lonicera reticulata. However, if you want the same plant, but would prefer an ‘improved’ cultivar with enhanced foliar color, then there would be no problem with ‘Kintzley’s Ghost’.
I think I will just go back and nick a piece!
I am unfamiliar with this species, but would guess that it might have rooted bits down near the base. If you can find a rooted bit, you only need a bit of stem above ground for it to grow the following spring, after digging and planting it in autumn or winter. (If the weather is bad, autumn might be better.)
What a beautiful place to wander. It pleases me when I hear about places that are being rehabilitated back to native state, and I find the plants fascinating. I’ve been following the comment trail on thr plant in question, very interesting.
Kintzley’s Ghost Honeysuckle. Check out at Garden Answer
Kintzley’s Ghost Honeysuckle. At Garden Answer
Otis is a beauty, and he’s going to make gorgeous calves. He’s just like a gorgeous man: a kind eye, broad shoulders and a narrow waist 😉
What a bull!!! And I love the “bull-friend”!
He is a lovely beastie!
Hey Celi .. now that’s a very handsome bull! Wonderful photos my friend. And that plant is something else, I wouldn’t mind one myself
Yes! I need to go back and ask the guides what it is – then I will swipe a cutting
Not keen on that spray plane! Bet you aren’t either …
No I am not. They are spraying pesticides out here almost constantly – one farm or the other