Around The Farm, A June Wrap-Up

June was a busy month, and one in which I never got completely caught up with all that I'd hoped to do. But on the plus side, we got enough rain to end the drought which the month of May had brought. My Rugosa Roses blossomed profusely, sending their aroma all around the yard and attracting bees:

The gravel driveway burst into bloom of another kind - with these aromatic plants, which I last year called Chamomile. A closer search of my field guide this year told me that they are really Pineapple Weed because their crushed leaves smell like pineapple. They are indeed a Chamomile, but rayless (without the white rays, often incorrectly called "petals"):

My happy hens pecked and scratched all over the yard, but were especially fond of the area near the Mock Orange and old fashioned rose bushes:

I let the dogs out one morning, only to run back into the house for my camera, so I could snap a photo of the rosy dawn in the eastern sky, with the Rugosa roses blooming at the bottom of the picture:

I spent several days mowing with the Bush Hog:

I mowed a swath around the outside of the north field's fence line and then, happy with the results, mowed a swath around the inside. This was to keep weeds from growing up and shorting out the electric fence:

Then I began mowing the entire area of the most southern field, thinking it would discourage the broadleaf weeds which the cows won't eat and encourage the grasses which they do eat:


It seemed to be a good system but I worried about ground nesting birds. I'd almost convinced myself that because the Bush Hog cuts so high, it wouldn't hurt the birds. But then I saw this baby, still unable to fly, hopping and running away from the big, loud tractor. I stopped, put the baby back where it seemed to have begun, then put away the tractor and Brush Hog until at least July 4th, by which time all the nestlings should be flying. I think the baby was a Savannah Sparrow:


I backed the Brush Hog into the barn and unhooked it, this time with a reinforced furniture dolly beneath its front end so hooking it back up in the future will be easier:


I caught this little hen (lower left) eating rose petals and wondered if that would ensure the highest quality, gourmet eggs:

With the lovely June weather, I opened up the windows for the fantail pigeons almost every day:

And I spotted this butterfly while cutting brush with a chainsaw alongside the fence. I sent the photo and other information to Butterflies And Moths Of North America and they identified it as Polygonia interrogationis, which has the odd common name of "Question Mark." The species ID page is at http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Polygonia-interrogationis if you'd like to read more: