The Glories Of Summer

The fantail pigeons never go outdoors anymore. I've opened the window for them but they ignore it. They are happy inside:

 The pigeons have paired off, built nests and laid eggs, but so far none have hatched:

 The old fashioned rose and the Mock Orange bloomed about the same time and put on an amazing show:


 And the white Peonies got started shortly thereafter:


 The Mock Orange bush drew Swallowtails in great numbers. That included one Giant Swallowtail, but it kept away from me and I never got a photo. I did, however, think I saw it fighting with the smaller Swallowtails:

 The Mock Orange blossoms are all gone now, but that makes these photos mean all the more to me. I won't see such a sight again until next summer:

 In the upper branches, the Swallowtails were set against the blue sky and white clouds. Oh, the glories of summer!:

The white Peonies opened spectacularly, at least the old established plantings. The new bed, the ones I split up and replanted (mixed with new, colored Peonies) was struggling to get started:

 A pair of swallows built a mud nest under the eave of the milk room. I knew they weren't Barn Swallows, so I looked them up in my field guide. The nest was the identifier. They were Cliff Swallows. They seemed to disappear shortly after building the nest, though, so I'm not sure if there will be babies this year or not:

 The hens seem content in their room. They like to go outdoors, but only because they don't understand the horrible death the local foxes intend for them:

 The Rugosa Roses put on a spectacular display this year, the best I've ever seen. They're still blooming, though not as prolifically as they were earlier:

 I belatedly decided I wanted to raise a couple of tomato plants. I planned to put them in the bare ground where the hay bales had been. Then I remembered that new hay bales were due any day, so I planted my new tomatoes in the lawn, just outside the south field gate and stock tank. In case you are wondering, that stripe of dead grass is from when I filled the sprayer with weed killer and drove away, not noticing that the drain valve was open. I quickly corrected my error, but not before I left that awful stripe: