Good Morning Forum,
I must be feeling sentimental this morning but I just had to share my summer with you.
Well, it certainly has been lovely here the past few days. I sit in my gazebo in the backyard and just watch and listen. Suddenly, the trees sprout to life. If you just let your eyes sit on one thing, you'll realize there's constant motion in those trees. The evening grosbeaks are calling steadily, feeding their babies and teaching them how to use the seed platform and feeders. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to catch a little showdown on a pine tree trunk between a female downy woodpecker and a brown creeper... they both wanted the same spot on that tree! I only ever see a creeper once a year or so, so that was an extra treat. The chickadees and nuthatches are calling all the time but haven't returned to the feeders just yet. Later in the summer they'll be back. The purple finches and goldfinches add their splash of color to yard every day. Their reds and yellows are stunning together. The pine siskins play amongst the bean plants in the garden along with the two toads and one frog that hide in there. The juncos and chipping sparrows play in the sunflower shoots under the feeders. Sometimes, I'll look out and see a sunflower shoot just swinging away and realize there's a chipping sparrow on it hanging on for dear life! Every once in a while, a chipmunk will coming running full speed to the feeders and scare everyone away with a flourish. The hairy woodpeckers have successfully raised two babies near the yard this year and all seem to be going their separate ways already. A male downy was on the feeder a few minutes ago, his bright red head patch flashing. The female is here everyday... sadly, this pair lost their one baby to a traffic accident this year. A few times a day, a male and female hummer pair will show up at their respective feeders, getting a little excited if I'm too close to the feeders. When this happens, they tend to go bang on the Christmas lights! Yesterday, I even had a pair of pileated woodpeckers hanging around and announcing their presence in the neighborhood!
I must admit, this summer has been wonderful since we had the forest fire scare ended at the end of June. Since we started getting regular rain this month, everything has just blossomed. My lawn is a deep rich green again. The sunflowers are beginning to open so the birds will have natural feeders soon. I must try to get some pictures of that! My lilies, glads and
dahlias are beginning to bloom as well and the marigolds are just phenominal this year. I have a wishing well built by my uncle that is now overflowing with dark pink impatience and other planters he built full of marigolds and geraniums of various colors. Beautiful!
Even my veggies are finally doing really well! The cucumbers are beginning to bloom along with the peas and beans.... ready for picking by the end of August. We've already been using the lettuce and peas... they are wonderful fresh from the garden! My one cherry that I have left after the voles attacked them over the winter is staging a good recovery as is my crabapple tree. It was completely dead but suddenly started sprouting from the root. It's now almost a foot high and thicker than it ever was. My beautiful red pine trees that got hit with winter blight so badly last winter are beginning to recover. Some have 6" bright green shoots coming out of the damaged branches now. To be on the safe side, everything will be protected with steel mesh this winter!!
Well, I just couldn't resist. I had to share my wonderful yard with
everyone this morning. I have the windows open and have just been listening the grosbeaks on the feeders all morning. A little symphony out there! Hope you enjoy my yard as much as I do!
I must be feeling sentimental this morning but I just had to share my summer with you.
Well, it certainly has been lovely here the past few days. I sit in my gazebo in the backyard and just watch and listen. Suddenly, the trees sprout to life. If you just let your eyes sit on one thing, you'll realize there's constant motion in those trees. The evening grosbeaks are calling steadily, feeding their babies and teaching them how to use the seed platform and feeders. Yesterday, I was lucky enough to catch a little showdown on a pine tree trunk between a female downy woodpecker and a brown creeper... they both wanted the same spot on that tree! I only ever see a creeper once a year or so, so that was an extra treat. The chickadees and nuthatches are calling all the time but haven't returned to the feeders just yet. Later in the summer they'll be back. The purple finches and goldfinches add their splash of color to yard every day. Their reds and yellows are stunning together. The pine siskins play amongst the bean plants in the garden along with the two toads and one frog that hide in there. The juncos and chipping sparrows play in the sunflower shoots under the feeders. Sometimes, I'll look out and see a sunflower shoot just swinging away and realize there's a chipping sparrow on it hanging on for dear life! Every once in a while, a chipmunk will coming running full speed to the feeders and scare everyone away with a flourish. The hairy woodpeckers have successfully raised two babies near the yard this year and all seem to be going their separate ways already. A male downy was on the feeder a few minutes ago, his bright red head patch flashing. The female is here everyday... sadly, this pair lost their one baby to a traffic accident this year. A few times a day, a male and female hummer pair will show up at their respective feeders, getting a little excited if I'm too close to the feeders. When this happens, they tend to go bang on the Christmas lights! Yesterday, I even had a pair of pileated woodpeckers hanging around and announcing their presence in the neighborhood!
I must admit, this summer has been wonderful since we had the forest fire scare ended at the end of June. Since we started getting regular rain this month, everything has just blossomed. My lawn is a deep rich green again. The sunflowers are beginning to open so the birds will have natural feeders soon. I must try to get some pictures of that! My lilies, glads and
dahlias are beginning to bloom as well and the marigolds are just phenominal this year. I have a wishing well built by my uncle that is now overflowing with dark pink impatience and other planters he built full of marigolds and geraniums of various colors. Beautiful!
Even my veggies are finally doing really well! The cucumbers are beginning to bloom along with the peas and beans.... ready for picking by the end of August. We've already been using the lettuce and peas... they are wonderful fresh from the garden! My one cherry that I have left after the voles attacked them over the winter is staging a good recovery as is my crabapple tree. It was completely dead but suddenly started sprouting from the root. It's now almost a foot high and thicker than it ever was. My beautiful red pine trees that got hit with winter blight so badly last winter are beginning to recover. Some have 6" bright green shoots coming out of the damaged branches now. To be on the safe side, everything will be protected with steel mesh this winter!!
Well, I just couldn't resist. I had to share my wonderful yard with
everyone this morning. I have the windows open and have just been listening the grosbeaks on the feeders all morning. A little symphony out there! Hope you enjoy my yard as much as I do!
