splashin' passion

 The rains have receded and the heat is increasing.  The same can be said for the activity level around here!

MORE butterflies, including this rare-to-me Zebra Swallowtail:

MORE birds, like hummingbirds...

...and this house finch trio, seen here from a distance during feeding time:

Oh, and daily turkeys, walking the fence line.  Not easily seen in the photo are the poults, or baby turkeys, blending seamlessly into the weeds.

From babies to makin' babies!  I heard a disturbance in the pond last week when I went out for Claudia's early morning feeding.  At first it was hard to make out what I was seeing...

...but soon I realized that it was two massive snapping turtles, engaging in a very rough courtship!

Whichever of these is the female will dig into the shallow bank of our pond to deposit her eggs.  She can delay laying for months, and the eggs won't hatch for up to 125 days, but I'll still be watching for any activity!  Snapping turtles are good to have around when they're eating aquatic vegetation, of which we have an abundance.  But they also eat fish, beneficial snakes, birds, and small mammals...like muskrats.  Gulp!  

Wild blackberries are ripening...

...and summer wildflowers, like this woodland delphinium, are in full bloom.

It's so warm and sunny, it's hard to believe that September is only 6 weeks away.

Have a great week!