Anyway, I did snap some photos of a couple of the girls the other day when I was snoggling sheep. Blaise was suspicious of my motives and kept her distance, but that made it easier to "capture" her.
Bree, on the other hand, didn't care what I did as long as I kept stroking her. She and her baby sister are such love bugs!
Today the sheep and I had guests. A couple with one of the first Shetland flocks west of the Mississippi blessed us with a visit. We talked sheep, bloodlines, fleece types, micron test results, colors, and got our hands on every fleece on the place – on and off the sheep. They are getting some new fine-fleeced stock from the Midwest and East, and the possibility of sharing genetics is exciting to both of us. Can't count our lambs before they're born, much less before they're conceived, but making the connection with these nice people was worth it in and of itself. :-D
Freshly inspired at . . .
4 comments:
Jean, I think I can answer this for you. Cheat grass or downy brome is an invasive grass, low in nutrients and terribly aggressive, "cheating" native species out of water and nutrients with it's early growth. It also supports the spread of wildfires, which is how I come to be versed in it. Cheat grass provides a perfect hot tinder to spread fire since it dries off before peak fire season and then reseeds itself heavily in burned areas, making the cycle all that more potent. Studies have been ongoing on how to eradicate it, but as far as I know there is no answer for the 154,000+square miles that are affected by cheat grass. A bacteria strain show promise though ACK55.
Michelle, Always nice to see the sheep. Such sweet faces
Jean, Theresa gave you a much better answer to your first question than I could have! My answer would have simply said it is a nasty, invasive weed that replaces desirable forage. The answer to the second question would best be answered by a photo, so I'll try to get one for you. The seed heads are wicked big and sharp, not only getting in the sheep's fleeces, but easily penetrating skin.
Blaise is an absolutely gorgeous color. She looks totally black/white/grey with no brown in her fleece. I love that! :-)
The heat and humidity is wearing us all down :-o. Good to see some sheeps!
Post a Comment