After The Rains

Our long heat wave and drought finally came to an end - not with a deluge but with gradual, gentle rains which slowly brought the land back to life. The east side of the barn, however, was faster to recover as mushrooms sprang up overnight:

Curiously attractive little fungi of several kinds, I found them kind of charming. That they signaled the end of the drought certainly added to their attractiveness:

The new row of Day lilies bloomed:

Including a third variety which I hadn't seen before. This one was called a Pink Paradise, which a friend said would make a good name for a gay bar:

And speaking of flowers, I put more in a vase to brink to church, but this time it was all wildflowers - Purple Loosestrife and Joe-Pye-Weed:

  And the gentle rains brought forth these miniature plants, Dwarf Cinquefoil:

They are so tiny that it's hard to believe they're related to their more common, bigger cousins. A close-up view, however, reveals the similarities:


The fantail pigeons continued to hatch babies and a number of them survived and are doing well. This one, up on a shelf in a cake tin, always seems to be deep in thought when it looks at me:

A parent on a cake tin nest:


This baby was newly hatched on the floor when I first saw it, still almost the size of the egg from which it emerged. Babies raised on the floor initially face more danger but escape the wrath of older birds which babies from high shelf nests endure when they first land on the ground:

The parents of the newly hatched baby (above) rushed over to cover it when they saw me taking photos:

Alas, it's not all good news. My one and only Globe Thistle turned brown and died for unknown reasons. I sprayed it with fungicide, thinking that might help, but it did not. It may be back next spring but if not, I've already got my eye on some new hardy roses:

The Southville State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were walking the trail in the Southville State Forest and were making our way back from the St. Regis River (see Part 1, posted yesterday):


I was stopped in my tracks by a large patch of tiny pink flowers. It was Pipsissewa, a member of the Wintergreen family:

They are odd and fascinating flowers, so I tried to get a closeup. Alas, they were shiny and aimed downward, making it difficult. This was the best I could do:

The dogs were not impressed with wildflowers, and were impatient to get moving again. So that's what we did:

We walked right over some tiny Dwarf Cinquefoil, which are much like their more common relative except for size. Notice how this little plant fits in with the grass:

We took a few side trips to explore the forest, and this emerald carpet of moss was one of the rewards. Notice how Jack is enjoying rubbing in its softness:

We left the area of hardwoods and passed back into the stand of Red Pines:

We were getting close to our car:

But I saw a mossy lane and we detoured onto it for a short while:

Common St. Johnswort was in bloom. This plant is rich in legend and history. It was believed that evil spirits would flee from it. Because of its red sap, it was associated with the blood of St. John the Baptist. St. Johnswort leaves, believed to bring good luck, were used as bookmarks in bibles. It also had medicinal uses, and even today is sometimes used to counteract depression:

And a Common Mullein, standing tall against the trunk of a Red Pine. Mullein is believed by some to fight infection and inflammation. I have also heard that it was sacred to many Native Americans, which is easy to believe if you've ever come across one at night, in the glow of a full moon:

But our parked car was just up ahead and our short hike was over. We don't come often to this state forest, but it is a beauty:

Around The Farm

I thought the fox problem was solved until one day I lost yet another hen, leaving me with only eight. I began keeping them locked up both day and night. Three days later, I found a chicken wing (again!) on the concrete floor of my barn. This could only mean that the fox had come back inside the barn and finished off the chicken it had killed earlier. I knew I had a problem then, but a day or two later I actually saw the fox in the barn. Neighbors are also having problems, so I'm hoping that someone will find a solution:

I was just about to mow along the edge of the gravel road when I saw these tiny flowers. I stopped and photographed them so I could look them up when I got back inside the house. It turned out to be Centaury, a naturally miniature plant and not just a product of being mowed over:

The weasels have mostly taken care of any small rodents on my property but I did find this friendly chipmunk eating crab apples on the apartment stairs. I hope he or she can avoid the weasels:

Another miniature plant turned out to be Dwarf Cinquefoil:

The fantail pigeons got their windows opened all through our hot spell even though I worried about the foxes. The baby chicks in the brooder are in with the pigeons and I didn't want them to get overheated, so I kept the window opened whenever I could during the day:

White Clover bloomed first, but the Red Clover, which began a few weeks later, was bigger and more colorful:

And Queen Anne's Lace began appearing all along the roadsides:

The baby chicks at 15 days old. They've easily doubled in size and and still growing rapidly:

The local teen came back to finish painting the barn trim:

The fantail pigeons continued to make nests and lay eggs but there has not yet been even a single baby:

But they seem happy as childless couples. Maybe it's a blessing for them and it's certainly less work for them:

One of my clearance sale roses began blooming. It's doing well although the other one is still struggling. The big question is - will they live over the winter? I'll just have to wait and see: