Summertime On The Farm

It's midsummer and life on the pasture is relaxed and comfortable:

I saw windfall cherries all over the ground beneath the cherry tree and thought this year's crop was lost:

 But then I looked up and saw lots of baby cherries still on the tree:

 There are many green baby pears on the pear tree:

And a few red baby pears also. I don't know why some are turning red so early, but I'm pretty sure this happens every year:

 The plum tree is loaded with baby plums:

 And the unmowed places near the road are filled with Northern Bedstraw, Mullein and Butter-And-Eggs:

 A close-up of Butter-And-Eggs:

 My favorites were this Deptford Pink, surrounded by Northern Bedstraw:

 The apple trees in the grove are mostly without fruit, but the two trees on the other side of the house have lots of baby apples:

 I saw this patch of Lesser Stitchwort, a kind of Chickweed, in a spot next to the barn door where I couldn't mow:

 Lesser Stitchwort, up close, is really quite attractive:

Roadside Wildflowers

I've had enough free time this summer to get to know more of the wild plants with which I share this part of the planet. Here's some of my more recent photos and what I learned about them. This plant, obviously in the mint family (square stems, opposite leaves, tube shaped flowers with upper and lower lips), but I've never found it in my field manual or online. This year, however, I really, really searched and finally found it in the "Pink or Red Flowers" section. I'd previously only looked in the "Blue and Purple Flowers" section because that's what they look like to me. It is called Motherwort and probably originated in Europe and southern Asia. Now, however, it is considered invasive, though the bees sure like it.

I've previously photographed the minuscule Least Hop Clover, but this one, growing by my barn door, was bigger and I assumed it was (regular) Hop Clover. When I looked it up, though, I learned that it wasn't big enough and was therefore Smaller Hop Clover. It's nice to know there are bright yellow clovers:

A favorite of mine, Ladys-Thumb Smartweed:

Another common mint which I've never been able to identify before. This time, however, I tracked it down and decided it was Hemp-Nettle":

Springing up all around my house and barn are these Smooth Hawksbeard flowers. These only get to about 12" although taller, related species along many roadsides grow to over three feet tall:

Another of my favorites, Jewelweed, has begun blooming in wet places. The sap of Jewelweed plants is soothing for Poison Ivy, Nettles and bee sting irritations. I'm sensitive to Stinging Nettles and luckily, they tend to grow together in wet soil. Jewelweed's leaves shine like silver foil when submerged in water. If you scratch off the seed coat, Jewelweed's seeds are a bright blue color and, I've read, White-Footed Mice feeding on them develop blue bellies. Also called Touch-Me-Not, their ripe seed pods explode when touched, scattering their seeds up to six feet away and leaving tightly curled shreds of pod:

You've no doubt seen this plant all over waste areas where not much else will grow. Its seed pods turn dark brown when ripe and cling to the stalk. We used to think they looked like coffee grounds when we were kids and would strip them off the stalk and pretend we were going to make coffee. Apparently the tender young leaves are edible for humans, but cattle, sheep and chickens find the leaves and seeds toxic:

Queen Anne's Lace, of course, but surrounded by a Wild Cucumber Vine in full bloom:

A wildflower tableau: Northern Bedstraw, Butter-And-Eggs and Orpine:

I've seen Sedum plants growing along a drainage ditch in front of my house for years and assumed they had been planted by someone. This year I looked them up and discovered, to my surprise, that they are an alien wildflower which grows in some rather cold, northern locations:

Orpine looks for all the world like someone planted it here, and it looks even better with a bumblebee atop its bright pink flower head:

Goldenrod began blooming early in August and will continue right through autumn. There are over 60 species and I haven't even tried to learn them. I just enjoy their beauty, at least when they are not in my pastures:

One of the first flowers our mother taught us was Nightshade, a relative of potatoes, peppers and tomatoes. Our mother allowed a wild plant to grow in her flower garden just because we kids liked it so much:

Around The Farm

The two little horses got to spend a week in the north field, where the grass was almost as tall as they were:

 The horses and cows were happy there, with plenty of grass to eat - but no grain. They are all on a diet:

 Remy always came trotting over for attention when I entered the field. Blue would follow him for most of the way, but he's always leery of being taken by the halter:

 The winds were whipping Remy's tail around while he took a drink of water:

 The little garden I planted is pushing up so many plants now that I have to be careful about weeding it. I planted many new, unusual plants which I might think are weeds. I also think I planted too many things - it's getting crowded in there. The Magnolia, which I thought had died over the winter, is now growing so fast that I realize it's going to have to be moved:

 And I have a warty little friend living in the rocks around the garden:

 What's this? These used to be the flowers of the Bridal Veil Spirea. I can't say they are attractive, but they are interesting:

 Wildflowers abound. Here by a fence post were Northern Bedstraw, Buttercups, Red Clover, Bladder Campion, and - what's that new, small, daisy-like flower?

 I got a close-up and searched in my field guide without success. Then I went to the internet and found that it was in the genus Galinsoga. Then I had to figure out which species, which was difficult but I'm quite sure I finally figured it out. It's Galinsoga quadriratiata, commonly known as Shaggy Soldier:

 The cherry tree was so laden with fruit that I couldn't wait any longer to start eating them:

 I picked a rather large bowlful of the lowest, reddest cherries and ate them fresh, then mixed the remainder with my cereal in the morning. Life is good:

Enjoying A Working Summer

We've had beautiful weather, though I am including lots of rain in my definition of beautiful. It's kept the plants growing nicely. The cherry tree is producing fruit that is already edible, at least the darkest red ones, and I grab one whenever I pass beneath the tree on the riding mower:

The Elderberry plants had a tough winter and some died, but those which survived are beginning to bloom. Mostly they just have buds now, but some flower heads are open:

The new Magic Carpet Spirea surprised me by blooming. They are not the big, gaudy sorts of flowers which people will admire from the road, but I like them:

 Lots of wildflowers are blooming also, such as these Maiden Pinks. Those in the lawn are short, but out in the pasture they are about 12" tall:

The two little Ninebarks I planted are changing colors. Their dark burgundy color is turning a brilliant gold. They are also growing well, getting taller each time I check on them:

I moved the herd across the road to the north field so that I could spray the fence line of the south field. This must be done once each year to suppress the weeds from shorting out the fence:


Alas, there is also the problem of trees falling on the fence. I had to cut this one with a chainsaw:

Northern Bedstraw and Cow Vetch make a wonderful combination - and one which is nearly everywhere I look these days:

Red Clover is too big to grow in the lawn, but it sure does well in the pasture. Indeed, it's been a very nice summer so far:

 I have a few Musk Mallows growing in the south field. They come in both pink and white, though all I've seen this year are pink:

 The Musk Mallow is a member of the Hibiscus family, and very showy:

Around The Farm

The pigeons are social animals, and the 21 of them in their room have a busy society with lots of activity and interactions. I guess that's why they aren't interested in going outdoors:

 The chickens would like to go outdoors but I won't let them because we have so many hungry foxes:

 The Rugosa Roses are still blooming:

 And the horses and cows are living a summer of leisure:

 Remember the stray kitten I presented a couple days ago? His brother, looking like an identical twin, showed up at the door two days later. Luckily, the Potsdam Shelter was so pleased with the first one that they were happy to take kitten number two also:

 And wildflowers are blooming everywhere. This is Common Cinquefoil:

 Catnip by the barn door. Last year I harvested most of it for my cats, but this year I'll at least wait until it drops seed. It'd be nice to have more Catnip around:

 Heal-All, a member of the mint family which grows in the lawn:

 And White Clover, also abundant in the lawn:

 Northern Bedstraw, one of our most abundant wildflowers. In this case, it was draped over an old tree stump so artistically that I thought a photo was in order:

 Pineapple-Weed, which grows in the gravel driveway or where concrete is cracked - basically where nothing else wants to grow. It really does smell like pineapple when stepped or driven on:

 The tiniest yellow flowers are Least Hop Clover. You can judge its tiny size by the White Clover and Pineapple-Weed also in the photo: