fair weather and feathers

 We've been hard at work outside!

So many spring things in bloom or on the cusp...

jacob's ladder

peony

anemones

euphorbia

lilacs

ferns, lily of the valley

Lots of creatures out and about, too!

mayfly

tan slug

may beetle

net-winged beetle

eastern tiger swallowtail

teeny tiny feathers!!

And more beauty on our walks...

multiflora rose

purple phacelia

ferns

mayapples

wolf's milk fungus

It's a really nice time of year.

Have a great week!

 

life and death

This past week was our annual spring ephemerals hike...and it might've been our most successful one ever!  So many flowers...

spring beauty

star chickweed

celadine poppy

dwarf larkspur

Virginia bluebells

nodding trillium

jack in the pulpit

rue anemone

But my very favorite...at least on this hike...was the wild blue phlox.  

It grew en masse along the hiking trail...

...and everywhere else!

It was absolutely magical!  Of course, we saw a lot of interesting non-flowers too...a lot of beautiful green grown.  Spring chartreuse is my favorite!

solomon's seal

wild ginger

So many different types of ferns, too!

rattlesnake fern

maidenhair fern

broad beech fern

both are christmas ferns

It was perfect!  However, we had some nature-related sadness this week, too.  Eastern tent caterpillars were spotted along our daily walking path...

...and, at home, I kept seeing a white-tailed deer in our front barn yard.  I was surprised it was alone and that it didn't run away...

...until I saw its front hoof/ankle, swollen to many times its normal size.

A little searching told me that this was likely hoof rot, an infection that can happen when a cut becomes infiltrated by bacteria.  At this late phase, it's probably fatal.  I emailed our local DNR contact, who sent me a list of county resources, cautioning that it was likely that I would need to let nature take its course.  As I suspected, not one local organization handled deer.  

Two days ago, the deer spent most of the day lying in the shade...today, it's gone.  I hate to see any animal suffer...and yesterday, we caught a coyote on our trail cam...missing a back foot!

It's heartbreaking.  There's no way that this guy can probably survive, and we have no way of helping him...or the infected deer, for that matter.  We just have to, as the DNR contact suggested, let nature take its course.   

Try to focus on other things, like new life.

It's not easy, but I'm trying to just look forward.

Have a great week!

turtle power

Last week we had frost.  Today, it was 93 degrees.  In a few days, it will be back in the 30s overnight.  It can be challenging!  But the cats love the sun.

And I love the sun coming over the hill, which I can see every morning from our living room.  It's even more beautiful now that the leaves are coming in!

The rain...

...has brought out the flowers.

grackle in apple tree

prairie trillium

Japanese anemones

peonies, daylilies, euphorbia

hostas, columbine, lily of the valley

I make up small bouquets with the "nibs and bibbets" in the yard...whatever small flowers and greenery that I can find.  I take this conglomeration and break it into small bouquets that I put in various cat-friendly places around the house.

Claudia is by my side when I pick.

Turtles are moving in the front pond...

...and those April showers brought the flowers, which in turn brought the butterflies!!  So many!

both eastern tiger swallowtails

pipevine swallowtail

black eastern tiger swallowtail

Because of our weather and my sore shoulder, I am woefully behind in the garden.  I've tried to put in a couple hours a day, pulling weeds and prepping beds.  With some company...

chestnut slug

The back annual garden is an absolute disgrace.  None of last year's stalks have been pulled out of the ground, and it's not even close to ready for May's flowers.  I just have to work a bit at a time, when I can.

It's slow going, but I guess I don't mind if things are a little bit late this year.  It's nice to just be outside, watching the bluebirds dart in and out of the birdhouses that Todd just installed...

...and the maple leaves unfurling right in front of my eyes.

The trail cams are yielding more in warmer weather, too.  A happy couple!

I love watching the deer come up out of the woods in our back pond, too.

Although we're wilting from the heat in the moment, we're still loving this most active of seasons.  Hooray for spring!!

Trees all greening up behind the white barn!

Have a great week!