23.4 Tai Chi Area 1

This section of the front yard will become a level grassy or other ground cover that can be played upon. I'm setting it up to be a rectangle oriented so the long side is on the north south line. Initially thought of putting a sundial here, but the pines will continue to grow and I doubt we'll have full sun anywhere in this section except in the mornings and middle of the day.

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lined up, facing north
Later on after dark, i went and stood at the same spot and it certainly looked like I was directly facing at the north star.

establishing north azimuth
Next to OP 50 marker, laid out posts with compass to work out the direction.
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Looking North along what will be the east side
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Planted a spice bush where the deer barrier hedge will be between the tai chi area 1 and the rest of the front yard.

This spice bush put amongst some persimmon just west of where the path starts in the tai chi area and heads north into the north field.
This spicebush is more or less where the NW corner of the tai chi area will be.

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Butterfly and red clover and sun
For many years, the scientific way to collect butterflies was to catch them with a net, kill them and carefully mount them in climate controlled viewing boxes. I have seen some truly amazing collections of the incredibly varied insect population around the world. However, I have no desire to kill and pin butterflies into a specimen display case. I'd rather try to get a decent photograph. Although my father and his twin brother were consummate butterfly collectors in their day, I'm sure both would welcome the ease with with a decent photograph can be taken with a cell phone.

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Butterfly
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Looking north east from west side of Tai Chi area, between front yard, upper pond and the gully. Pine in the lower right, planted bush upper right and behind it another pine.

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I saw two or three different kinds of butterflies around these flowers on the south side of the tai chi area.

Couple of warm days and most of the snow is gone, but for a few places like the south side of this open area. I wonder if the fact that it is recently distrubed ( 2 years ago) by deep ditching for the geothermal install is why the ground is colder here. More water frozen deeper maybe?
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