I'll Miss the Iris

With all work on the back yard, projects, and, well, work, I almost missed the blooming of our irises this year. 

I always forget about our late-spring flowers.  We've got our 'fireworks' bushes all putting out spiky pink blooms...

...and our 'white cascades' bushes all have beautiful flowers now.

We've even got flowers that I don't remember planting, like coneflowers and amaryllis.

The magnolias are opening up...

...and our gardenia bushes are putting out their waxy green buds. 

Two clematis vines are done blooming, but this big one on our sun room is going to be bursting with flowers very soon!

Most of the ferns and hostas in the side garden have come up.

When I look out my office window, all I see is green, green, green!  It's very restful.

I managed to catch two of my favorite birds in the yard recently, albeit through a screen, which affects photo clarity.  Here is a female towhee.  She has red eyes and an orange/white abdomen like the male, but has a light brown back instead of a black one.

And the bossy blue jay, gathering debris for a nest.  What beautiful color!

Of course, we have our goslings.

I've been very alert to mosquito activity around here because of the dangers of the Zika virus.  Here is a male resting on a leaf (females don't have the fuzzy antennae):

Males eat nectar and are not blood drinkers, but females need the nutrition from blood to produce eggs.  I've got a few bites so far, so it's time to pull out the DEET spray!  I hate using chemicals but it's the only thing that works for me.

Bees are busy in the flowers now.  Check out the pollen packets on this one!

Tabitha and Bosewichte are anxiously awaiting the completion of the fence, so they'll be able to go outside into an enclosed space.  Right now they have to content themselves with getting a little sun wherever they can.

Have a great week!