Summer In Full Swing

The Snowball bushes were at their peak, blooming extravagantly and, I suspected, nearing the end of their season. So I collected some branches and put them in a vase. I'd intended to bring them to church, but they were so top heavy that I gave up and left them at home. At least I got to enjoy them:

And speaking of flowers, this early morning shot was taken looking over the tops of the Rugosa Roses, out into the pasture. You can barely see some cattle out in the field. They were coming in for some morning grain:

It hasn't all been good news. My Bush Cherry died over the winter. I gave it plenty of time to revive, but it was dead, dead, dead:

I'd sunk cedar fence posts in the ground to use as a framework from which to hang bird netting last year, so I hooked a chain to each one, and tried lifting them out of the ground with the tractor bucket:

To my surprise, they slipped right out of the earth:

Then I used a weed-whacker to clear the long grass so I could see, and a chainsaw to cut off the bush at ground level. I tried to cut it low enough so I could mow there, but not so low I'd ruin the chainsaw blade:

When I was done, I had a neat patch of lawn:

And right next to the Bush Cherry was the plum tree which bears fruit every year. It's doing well again this year, though the other plum tree had no fruit which I could find:

The fantail pigeons seem happy and healthy:

And have an elaborate social structure:

When I top off their food and water each night, they congregate at the feeders and waterer with great excitement:

The old-fashioned rose which I rescued is doing well in spite of the fungal damage from last summer:

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:

In The Good Old Summertime

The Bush Cherry produced a nice crop of cherries, which I was able to eat this year, thanks to the bird netting:

 They were smaller than the tree cherries but still pretty darn tasty:

 My little garden produced a bumper crop of yellow Asiatic Lilies:

 And the Cliff Swallow parents have been tending to their nest although I still don't see or hear any babies in there:

 The Elderberries inside the old silo base had a rough winter and I hoped they'd survive. But they did more than survive - they flourished, producing a bumper crop of blossoms:

 Intricate, lacy Elderberry flowers:

 And Black-Eyed Susans burst into bloom all along the local roadsides:

 This weed has been growing around the barn for years, places where not much else would grow. It flowered this summer, allowing me to search for its identity. I finally found it, and learned that it is Common Mallow, a member of the Hibiscus or Mallow family:

 Sadly, the apple trees and flowering crab trees are sick, and dropping their leaves and fruit. The pear tree too is suffering, though not as badly:

 The cherry tree, however, did just fine:

 And the bantam hens are healthy and living a life of ease inside the barn where, I hope, they are safe from predators:

 I finally got two fantails pigeons to go outdoors but it was a hot day and I began to wonder if they were smart enough to get off the hot metal roof and back inside where they could cool off their feet. Happily, they were smart enough (after awhile):

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:

Moving From Spring Into Summer

The apple blossoms lasted only five days but the Lilacs went for weeks. They began winding down about Memorial Day:

 They were both beautiful and fragrant, so I wanted a few more photos of them before they were gone for another year:

 I covered the Bush Cherry with bird netting. By the way, that's an Apricot tree just to the left of it, which has not yet produced a flower. The Bush Cherry and two plums, planted at the same time, are producing nicely:

 Here's a closeup of the tiny cherries getting started under the netting. I don't yet know if it will prevent the birds from eating them all, but I'm hopeful. What I can say for sure is that the netting is difficult to mow around:

The Prairie Rose flowering crab didn't bloom much this year and the other flowering crab barely bloomed at all:

 Only one side of the tree blossomed, but that side was nice:

 There were so many gaps in my new perennial garden that I bought more Iris and Asiatic Lilies to fill in the gaps. While planting them, I was shocked to discover that I had lots of roots and bulbs underground which were starting, but not up yet. I planted around them as best I could, and smoothed out the soil. I'll leave it alone now:

 Since I was on a planting binge this year, I went down to a local nursery and purchased a Variegated leaf Weigela. It had survived a rough winter, unprotected in that pot at the nursery, so I figured it would be hardy. It will have bright pink flowers soon (I hope):

 I liked the Weigela so much that I also bought a Magic Carpet Spirea. It has golden leaves with bright pink tips where the new leaves are forming. It too will have bright reddish pink flowers when it blooms - and it too is hardy:

 And speaking of Spirea, the old fashioned Bridal Veil Spirea began blooming just as the Lilacs began fading. This bush was just getting started when I snapped the photo:

 Here's a closeup. These bushes are very old and very hardy, blooming faithfully every spring. They are the old fashioned type, not the type with double flowers, but I can't see how there would be much room for improvement on these beauties:

 The yellow Dandelions faded and turned to magical seed heads. Spring is turning into summer at a rapid pace. I keep thinking that my farm, with its plants and animals, is a place which my mother would have loved if she were still alive. In fact, I think I am subconsciously aiming to please her. Maybe she's looking down and smiling her approval: