a little night magic

This is a tough time of year for blogging, because not only is it incredibly busy in general, but it's so beautiful outside that I've taken a ton of photos...this week alone, I've edited and saved 132.  It's hard to narrow it down and choose favorites!

Some things aren't pretty, but they're interesting, like this centipede in the process of molting.

Some things aren't exciting or rare, but I find myself admiring them every single day...like our red maple.  In different light, the leaves range from pale yellow to bright red and I love them so much!

And some things ARE fleeting and worthy of mention.  It's PEONY SEASON (said in Oprah's deep announcement voice)!!!  I have big drippy bouquets all over the house.  PEONIES!!

Peony time means poppy time.  I got these seeds from the famous Sissinghurst Garden in England.

The perennial garden has positively sprung to life this week and I can't help posting more pictures!  

Everything you see here will be in bloom by July...lemon balm, coneflowers, obedient plant...but until then, I'm just enjoying the different leaf textures.  

Todd has been working in the yard...

...and I've been working too, lots of weeding...

...and working on my annual cutting garden.  It's been so cold this spring (down in the 40s this week!) that my seedlings just haven't done well.  I'd hoped for a better yield, but I'm getting maybe 40% germination.  I'm going to keep putting out greenhouses and hoping for the best!  

Claudia had to go to the vet this week for a sore paw, but she's feeling better now and is back on duty.

Not fast enough, though.  When I was weeding in the tomato garden, I kept finding these big grass balls buried a few inches below the soil surface.

Vole nests.  Their little holes are everywhere!  I found other little secret nests, too, like this sac spider nest.  Just a bit of mud, suspended from wire, completely hidden until I weeded.

And from another nest...I think this is a song thrush egg.  I found it in the driveway.  Isn't it pretty?

A little night magic...someone's been visiting our front porch under the cover of darkness.

A big raccoon is leaving tracks in the pollen (thankfully pollen season is over, so I can clean up this mess at last!).  I see possums, raccoons, and skunks on the trail cam, right in front of our porch, almost every night!

Of course, I'm still checking the ones that are down by the pond.  Look at the tiny buds on this sweet little buck!  Pretty cute!

(Date is wrong...this is from a couple of weeks ago)

So many other things, but I'll have to save it for next time!

Have a great week!  

ABBA-cadabra

 The last of my poppies are blooming.

For weeks, their crinkled, lettuce-like leaves have elongated and unfurled.  Really, the leaves are so pretty that the flowers are completely extraneous.  The buds are heavy and gorgeous, too.  

Then overnight, the frizzy flowers flame and then wilt quickly.  They frizz, and then frowse, in a day or two.  Poppies don't like the heat much.  But that red is gorgeous against the blue of the forget-me-nots!

The chartreuse of bupleurum is a nice backdrop.  It's a lovely plant, with its tiny yellow-cupped flowers on top...

...and its lily pad-like leaves at regular intervals along the stem.

They're putting on a good show, but as the heat continues and intensifies without even a hint of rain, I know that they won't be around for long.  Todd has continued to plow up land for me...

...and last week, I direct-seeded hundreds of celosia, cosmos, and zinnias.  Sometimes I was a bit heavy-handed with my seeding...

...but it will be easy to spread them around.  I also seeded hundreds of sunflowers, and the first few have unfurled already.  I'll have to be diligent, because I've seen the warning signs in the garden...

Deer.  As soon as the sunflowers are a few inches tall, I'll have to continually lay down Liquid Fence...and cross my fingers.

Despite the heat and the ticks, it's been nice to work outside, especially since we had a few days of unseasonably cool weather.  So many butterflies...

...and bees.

Random single poppies...

...and other interesting plant bunches, like this nigella, are easier to enjoy at ground level.

One of my favorite things about working in the garden early in the day is the gnat swarms.  They are positively poetic as they shape-shift a few feet above the ground, like bird swarms in miniature.

Gnats sleep in the meadow grasses until they're warmed by the sun.  Then they rise and congregate.  

They are a real pleasure to watch!

Claudia watches me work from some cool perch.

Inside, the kittens are growing and continuing to charm us with their antics.  They love being in the bathtub...

...and are quite a pair of scamps!  They fit right in with our random naps.

Calliope has found a new sleeping spot to avoid their bothersome attention.  It's...on top of my newly-cut fabric.

Oh, well!  We've enjoyed gorgeous cloud formations this week...

...and even managed a quick concert.  ABBA, of course, or the closest thing to them...a cover band.

All in all, June is shaping up nicely.

Have a great week!