Plants And Animals - Around The Farm

Both cultivated and wild flowers began blooming in June. I found these Bladder Campions just outside the barn door. Their name isn't pretty, but the flowers certainly are. The "bladder" is the calyx (sepals), with purple veins behind the petals, looking a bit like a miniature melon:

 My little rock garden is growing wildly and I planted so many roots and bulbs that new plants are springing up all the time. I perhaps over-planted, but time will tell. The best news is that the hardy Magnolia, which I thought had died over the winter, is springing back to life, growing stronger every day:

 The variegated leaf Weigela I planted has added a lot of red to its leaves, enough so that I began to worry that it might not be healthy. I checked online and learned that many of them have that much red:

 My four Snowball bushes bloomed profusely. They were a gift from a close friend. He died unexpectedly last year, so these plants will always remind me of him:

 My newly expanded Peony garden was delayed, falling behind all the old peony beds in the yard which weren't disturbed, but it's now coming back gangbusters:

 The Magic Carpet Spirea looks happy and healthy, though I think it's too late for it to bloom this year:

 The Rugosa Roses are up to 7' tall already and began blooming early in June. They are now covered in flowers:

 The fantail pigeons are happy in their room in the barn and don't go outside even when I open the window for them:

 They have a water fountain and two hanging feeders. Life is easy if you are a fancy pigeon:

 Many of them are nesting on the floor. I think that's unwise, but they don't care what I think. Nonetheless, so far no eggs have hatched. The birds set for a couple of weeks, then give up and move on:

 The bantams are laying well and I'm giving most of the eggs to the neighbors who help me so often. I do eat some eggs, but limit the amount for the sake of my arteries:

 The Barred Rock bantams had years of outdoor freedom and are not content to now stay indoors. They often stand at the barred gate and look outside, longing to go there. Alas, they would be eaten quickly by our large fox population so I keep them locked up: