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:

Notes From All Over

The fantail pigeons and chickens have been enjoying our beautiful weather. One hen disappeared, however, and I never found out what happened to her:

 The other chickens continued to spend all day, every day, picking and scratching, searching for edibles:

 I have three bait stations for mice in the barn, but I keep them under plastic "cages" so the livestock can't get at the pellets. I even added a rock atop each one for added safety. Any mouse has to be small enough to get through those small openings to eat the pellets. It's a good thing I don't have big rats (I hope):

 I returned to a local roadside which has an explosion of white Trilliums every year and it didn't disappoint me this year. It was quite a display:

 

 They are a beautiful wildflower, often living for 50 years or more. I puzzled over the pink ones but finally decided that they turned pink as they aged, just before the petals fell to the ground:

 These are Large-Flowered Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum:

Even a bit of roadside trash couldn't diminish their beauty. In fact, I thought it made for an artistic arrangement:

 Like so many flowers this year, the "Prairie Rose" Flowering Crab bloomed late and sparsely. Furthermore, its bud stage, usually the best part, was almost nonexistent, the flowers opening quickly:

 I photographed them while I had the chance. I knew they wouldn't last for long:

 But the old fashioned Lilacs did not disappoint:

 As beautiful as ever, and their fragrance filled the air:

 Every old farm should have an abundance of Lilacs. They are super hardy, able to withstand the harshest winters, and require no care whatsoever: