Annual Pink Ladyslipper Walk - Part 1

Time seems accelerated this year, and I'm racing to keep up with everything. One day it occurred to me that it was time for my annual Pink Ladyslipper walk along the sort-of trail I discovered in the Brasher State Forest. I parked along the road and let the dogs out. There were no Ladyslippers there, but I knew they'd be found back in the forest, beneath the pines. But there was an abundance of Wild Strawberries by the road:

And one lovely Blue-Eyed-Grass:

The dogs cared for none of that and ran joyfully for the forest. The mosquitoes were out in force and hungry, so I was too busy swatting them to worry much about the dogs. They got to run more freely than I usually allow:

Besides, I knew there would be no other people anywhere near - and the dogs behaved pretty well without me carping at them:

Then I began to find many Starflowers, a lovely spring wildflower with both leaves and flowers in a star pattern:

And Canada Mayflowers, sometimes called Wild Lily-Of-The-Valley:

And then I began to see Pink Ladyslippers, our native wild orchid. They were exceptional this year:

There were so many that I came home with 104 photos. I whittled them down to 31, which I'll present in two blog posts. How could I not take pictures of such wild beauty?:

Clover wasn't concerned with orchids. For her and the for the other dogs, this was just a romp in the forest:

A close-up:

Two Ladyslippers, just a few feet apart:

A tall specimen at the base of a small tree:

We began in a White Pine forest, but it changed to mostly Red Pines as we got deeper into the woods. The dogs seemed to find something putrid, though I didn't notice it at the time. I sure did notice it when Seamus vomited in my car on the way home. They were all fine, though, whatever it was they got into:

A patch of tiny lichens, including British Soldiers (with the red caps) and Pixie Cups (like tiny goblets):

Seamus went ahead into the deep forest, and I followed. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Summer Shifts Into High Gear

The little hens seem happy enough in their room inside the barn. They'd like to go outdoors, but only because they don't realize the danger from foxes:

 The fantail pigeons are doing well but their room developed a mouse problem. I set bait trays underneath little baskets. The mice can get in, but the pigeons can't:

 The Bush Cherries are developing underneath the bird mesh. So far, it seems to be keeping the birds out:

 We had a beautiful, orange full moon but it was setting by the time I got my camera out. I took four photos in rapid succession and the rapidly setting moon was lower in each successive picture:

 Birds-Eye Speedwell is blooming all along the fence line in the south field:

 I had to drive the tractor along the fence line, searching for shorts in the electric fence. The big payoff was the stunning beauty in the far southern field, such as this tableau of Buttercups and Ragged Robin in bloom:

 And this miniature wildflower. It baffled me, but I finally decided that it was probably just a small version of Northern Bedstraw:

 And while I was in the far southern field, I stopped at the stone wall which separates the fields and looked back toward the house and barn:

 Closer to the barn, I found these Blue-Eyed Grass flowers. Most years they are quite common so I suspect I'll soon be seeing lots of them. This was the first wildflower my mother taught us to find in our childhood field guide and I still remember it well:

 The Rugosa Roses began blooming in June:

 Alas, a yearly chore is spraying weed killer along the fence lines to prevent the weeds and grasses from growing up and shorting out the fence. I have a 40 gallon sprayer, powered by the tractor, to perform this job. I also have to bush hog along the outside perimeter of the fence every year, but I haven't done that yet:

 One big problem is the proliferation of Thistle plants. They grow - well, like weeds - and are inedible and nightmarish to get rid of. A dose of weed killer, however, turned them into this within 24 hours:

Pigeons, Chickens And Lots More Flowers!

Things have been happening fast this spring. The Snowball Bushes, sent to me by a friend several years ago, are already blooming:

I caught my fantail pigeons hanging out with a wild Starling atop the barn roof. I'll have to speak to them about the company they keep:

The Lilacs bloomed and then faded, but not before I photographed this black and orange butterfly on one of the flower clusters:

The Bleeding Heart bloomed profusely. I plan to move it when it is finished blooming:

Normally taller, this clump of Blue-Eyed Grass was kept short by the lawn mower:

The Lamium is blooming:

And the chickens finished the spring egg laying rush and then slowed down. Sadly, one hen has disappeared. I never found a pile of feathers, a sign that she'd been killed by some predator, so I just don't know what became of her:

I dug up Iris and Asiatic Lilies when we built the generator shed, planting them in a new location this spring. But one small bulb was trying to grow from under the shed's corner. I dug it up and planted it with its relatives:

I gave the fantail pigeons an all day bath, and they splashed and played like toddlers in a kiddie pool:

Several years ago I cut the ancient Spirea down to the ground. It came back up nicely the following spring, but only this year did it begin blooming again. I see now why it is sometimes called Bridal Veil Spirea:

Our springtime is always late and it was even more so this year. My Iris is one of the first plants to push up through the earth each year, and the chickens eat it back down to the ground until there are many more plants to eat. But the Iris keeps growing and finally began blooming:

Farm Update

The farm is beautiful this time of year, and I sometimes think that my mother would have loved it here, with its old fashioned perennials and friendly animals. The Siberian Iris began blooming in June:

And the Lamium produced pink blossoms:

Though sparse in my fields, the Ragged Robin flowers turned some neighboring fields an amazing shade of purple:

A neighboring dairy farmer gave me some sunflower seedlings which have reseeding themselves outside his barn for years. I transplanted them and have been keeping them watered:

The Mock Orange bloomed in June:

And the old fashioned rose was suddenly covered with buds. This is the plant from which I started a cutting in front of the house. The new plant is only about 6" high now, but it survived that awful winter we just had:

And the white Peonies bloomed in June. This one patch of them had a yellow Day Lily in it:

And looking out my bathroom window, this is the view to the northeast:

And the view to the southeast:

The Blue-Eyed Grass began blooming everywhere, growing about 8" tall where it's not mowed, but happy to grow and bloom in the lawn also:

I let the chickens out every morning so they can scratch and peck. This morning, they clustered near the barn, where the sleeping cattle could be seen in the background:

The Mock Orange and the old fashioned rose, side by side: