Spring Has Become Summer

The cattle seem peaceful and happy. Both Rocket and Lucky are growing like wildfire. Rocket is sold and I have a deposit on him, but he hasn't yet been picked up:

The apple trees produced hardly any flowers this spring, but they are alive. Alas, the Bush Cherry which had done so well the last few years is completely dead. I now need to remove the frame around it and cut the dead bush down:

I was out in the south field, searching for the horses' muzzles one afternoon, when I saw this patch of Ragged Robin growing around a fence post. I thought it was a photo-worthy scene:

The cherry tree has produced some baby cherries:

And baby plums on the usually productive tree. I saw none on the second plum tree which bloomed for the first time this year:

Baby pears. The pear tree seems to be doing well:


One Sunday morning I collected some yellow and purple Iris, mixed them with Spirea branches and put them in a vase. I took them to church, then back home to sit on my kitchen counter:

Remy had shucked his muzzle and was running away from me when I took this photo. He had no intention of holding still while I put it back on. It was otherwise a pleasant scene:

The south field, filled with Buttercups and Ragged Robin:

And as I searched the fence line for the muzzles the horses had jettisoned, I snapped a picture of these Fleabane and Ragged Robin flowers:

The fence line runs behind an old stone wall, which presented me with a miniature woodland scene:

And Cow Vetch seems to be growing everywhere right now. June is a pleasant month except that there is so much work to do:

Glorious June!

When our daytime temperatures slipped into the 80s, it was time to put the air conditioner into my bedroom window:

 But first I had to move the house plants to the guest bedroom. They live there every summer and seem to like it just fine:

 Apparently all the yellow Iris died over the winter, but the purple Iris outdid themselves. This was the last rush of flowers, as seen from my kitchen window:

 Just about the time the Iris stopped blooming, the Rugosa Roses started:

 Two days later, the Mock Orange flowers began opening:

 And that same day, Swallowtail Butterflies were drawn to the Mock Orange. Oddly, I can't smell any fragrance from them, but apparently the butterflies can:

 The bush was alive with Swallowtails:

 And with gorgeous flowers:

 They are so spectacular that I felt I had to take another photo. Several years ago, when I was renting the house, the tenants chopped this bush to the ground (they just thought it was a weed). I told them to let it grow back and it sure did. As with the Spirea, I think the severe pruning helped instead of hindered:


 More Rugosa Rose photos. I may not be able to smell the Mock Orange, but these roses perfumed the whole area around the house:

 Even when I stood on the porch, my view was bordered by Rugosa Roses:

And just so this post isn't entirely about plants, I also nailed up two bird houses which someone at church was selling as part of a fund raiser. I'm not sure the birds will be interested because they have so many other nesting sites, but the birdhouses look good there anyway:

A Fine Day In June

One recent afternoon I let the dogs out into the back yard and it was so pleasant out there that I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pictures. In the first, Fergus and Clover were sniffing around the Silver Mint and severely pruned Rose of Sharon. That variegated vine behind them is a Kiwi:

Fergus and Clover again. This time they were running and playing. Daphne would normally be joining in, but she was busy at the fence endeavoring to annoy the neighbors' dogs:

My two little Teacup Roses were growing at breakneck speed. I'd snipped off all the spent flowers, but one perfect, tiny red rose remained. There was plenty of buds and there is likely to be a steady supply of blossoms all summer long:

All three of my Clematis vines were doing well:

Seamus, Fergus and Daphne posed next to my tomato plants for a photo:

Wally hung around the back door, happy to be outside but no longer into the play which so excites the younger dogs:

I also checked out the front of the house, where a pink rose bush was just beginning to bloom:

And just below the pink rose bush, this striped beauty was lighting up the sidewalk:

Passersby on the sidewalk often stop to admire the bright colors. Indeed, it was a fine day in June: