We've started going down to the pond after supper. Sometimes the geese are out, and even a mysterious creature that might be a beaver or river otter, but most likely a muskrat.
It's funny how things fall into a yearly schedule here. Percival Wemys, the intrepid Carolina wren, has come back and is sleeping on our front porch again.
Once again, I hung up my big ferns, and once again, they were immediately colonized by house finches. Here's the red-capped male...
...and the plainer female.
I pulled down the ferns and saw that a very solid nest was already in one, with no eggs. Of course a nest can't be disturbed if eggs are inside, but it's fine if no eggs have been laid (other than the birds' annoyance at having to build a new nest elsewhere). The fact is, I'm in and out of that door all day, and the birds would constantly be disturbed. I'd also be unable to water my ferns. I read that birds dislike shiny things, so I make aluminum foil 'snakes' and coiled them amid the fronds. Here is the male looking quizzically at the new development:
I felt pangs of guilt all day, but I'm happy to report that I still hear the finches singing every day and they've clearly stayed close, but built a new nest elsewhere. Phew!
Clematis are blooming! I'm not a huge fan of these floppy purple varieties...too tropical-looking...but I still pick them for the house.
Their centers almost seem to glow in the light!
We've still got our late-blooming azaleas:
...but I'm afraid that these are the last of the camellias.
I'll even miss all the insects that get dragged in with them. This is a Zelus luridus, the pale green assassin bug. They set "sticky traps" to catch other insects. I'd love to see one in action!
Well, until I have time to get outside and search for insects, I can still enjoy all the green, and the dogwoods, from the sun porch. The cats have set up in there, where they'll remain for the next 8 months:
They love all the windows. Here's Tabitha, fierce hunter, preparing to attack a hapless butterfly:
All around us, buds on trees are unfurling. Oh, spring is a beautiful thing.
We've even got some morels coming up in the yard, although Todd refuses to believe my mushroom-identifying ability. Hey, I was mushroom hunting by the time I was 5 or 6 years old, but I guess this one will remain uneaten! #trustissues
I just haven't had much time for craft work, but hopefully I'll have something to report soon.
Have a great week!
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