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:

More Farm Photos

Well, it took many months to happen, but one of the fantail pigeons finally got brave enough to venture out for a look at the big world:

He flew to the roof of the milk house:

I think he was the father of the current baby, and his toenails clicked and slipped on the metal roof:

He flew down to the unsure footing of the window trim, then down onto the lawn where he pecked like a chicken. He was only out a few minutes and then went back inside the barn. He's been out several times since:

The Purple Loosestrife in the drainage ditches along the road began to bloom:

And this new (to me) flower. It was a good six feet tall and also growing in the drainage ditches. A little research in my field guide revealed it to be Hairy Willow-Herb, an introduced species, similar to the the native Fireweed:

The cattails in the drainage ditches were spectacular against the summer sky. By the way, those purple flowers in the background were Hairy Willow-Herb buds, just about to open:

The yellow Asiatic Lilies were all gone, but the orange ones were happy and healthy:

The Tall Garden Phlox also burst into bloom:

Last year they attracted Giant Swallowtail Butterflies, the first sightings in St. Lawrence County. I'm hoping for a repeat this year. Just yesterday, however, a small, young hummingbird was feeding in these flowers. I tried to get a photo but the little bird was too wary:

I've been noticing a pleasant, green apple smell when I walk across the grass and especially when I mow the lawn. But I knew what it was: Wild Chamomile, and we have a bumper crop this year. It is growing everywhere:

The baby fantail pigeon continued to grow. Here it is at 23 days:

Giant Butterflies On The Farm

I was working around the farm when I saw two extra large butterflies flitting about my Tall Garden Phlox. I walked over to take a look:

They were indeed very big, the biggest butterflies I've ever seen. They were black and yellow and resembled Swallowtails, but not quite. They had oddly green legs:

The two of them didn't seem afraid of me and appeared to be traveling as a pair. I kept snapping photos, hoping that some would turn out well enough to be used to identify them:

Their wings were black with yellow spots on the top and mostly yellow on the bottom, with stained glass spots of brighter colors:

I searched the internet and got a suspected ID on their species, but there were no recorded sightings of that species in St. Lawrence County. So I submitted my guess and some photos to Butterflies Of North America. Within an hour, I had the species confirmed and they had been added to the resident species of St. Lawrence County. They were the Giant Swallowtail, Papilio Cresphontes:

I watched the pair for quite awhile and at one point they began interacting in midair. Whether that was a mating ritual or a fight, I will probably never know:

These last several photos show both the tops and bottoms of their wings as they fed on the phlox:

Their "tails" were not at all pronounced, but that, apparently is normal for the species:

They certainly were big and beautiful:

You can see some of the stained glass color patches in this photo:

A good look at both the top and bottom of the wings:

And one last photo. It always pays to stay alert and pay attention to one's natural surroundings. The natural world is one of great beauty and wonder. All we have to do is be mindful. I have to tell myself that frequently during the day as my attention tends to wander: