hare today...

 Rabbits, rabbits, rabbits!

Every day...they are everywhere.

Standing still...and then streaking away.

We've got quite a few turkey vultures hanging around, looking for one of these tasty morsels.

The rabbits (and the deer) have done quite a bit of damage in the garden, but there's still enough flowers remaining to attract pollinators!

megachile bee

cabbage white butterfly

alfalfa bug

black firefly

cluster fly

eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly

spicebush swallowtail butterfly

Most are attracted to the milkweed, which is in full bloom - and fragrance - right now.

Insects have to watch out for the sticky sap.  This honey bee got caught in it!

I've found some pests, too...

tent caterpillars

Japanese beetles

false potato beetles

...but it's overwhelmingly positive.

great spangled fritillaries

It's hot now, so I'm not outside nearly as much.  Hanging out inside with the usual crew!

Hopefully next week will be a little cooler!

Getting things done when weather allows!

lazy days

Beautiful cool, wet days...

some dramatic skies

...and the turtles are out!  So many eastern box turtles!

Rabbits every single day...out every morning and early evening to "silflay" for those of you who've read Watership Down.

Starting to see more insects too, especially with the milkweed beginning to open.

red milkweed beetle

spotted pink lady beetle

small milkweed beetle

Following the "red" theme is this red-spotted orb weaver, even though the red spots are too small to see...this guy was only about an eighth of an inch long!

Beautiful moths...

eight-spotted forester

genus halysidota

...and a few other interesting things.

oscillate midge gall

coral mushroom

eastern tent caterpillars

I'm finally getting some blooms on my Molyneux roses.  I'm really pleased with the color.  I only like apricot and pink roses, so this was a good choice.  

Bumper crop of apples this year!

The garden is (sigh) coming along.  These rows will have flowers!

These are still full of weeds.

I've had an unusual number of headaches lately (still), which makes me even less inclined to crawl around in the bright sun and clear weeds.  Maybe this week.

I have plenty of company in the bed!

Pepita is still, shall we say, motivationally challenged?

Getting an assist when she refuses to walk any further...

sigh.

She is undeniably lazy, but at least she is also sassy and funny!

she likes to hide her head under the couch like an ostrich.

Looking forward to more pleasant summer days!

Hopefully cool and wet, just like the first part of June.  I love it!  

apple scab and color fab

Mid-May is a wonderful time of year.  It seems like everything is bursting into flower or buzzing around said flowers.  

altica beetle

golden northern honey bee

yellowjacket

white-tailed deer

eastern tent caterpillar

woolly bear caterpillar (in pupa stage)

We've had our mason bee house out for a couple of years but this is the first time it's been occupied!

Mason bees are solitary bees and fantastic pollinators, much more so than honey bees!

Claudia has been a little more active then she was during the colder weather...

A LITTLE more active.

She caught a vole this week!! 

The perennial garden is filling in nicely right now.  I have to keep reminding myself that this was just dirt or grass when we moved in!

Most of the flowers won't pop for a few more weeks but I love the greens!  

And we have SOME flowers.

peonies...so close!

Lots of columbines!  This is Nellie Barlow...

purple and red columbines

sweet william

Unfortunately, one flower that we missed this year was the apple blossom.  Normally our tree blossoms in mid-April.  

This year, not one...single...blossom.  Instead, unsightly spots and curled leaves.

We've got apple scab, a fungal disease.  We need to treat the tree before it's fully leafed out, so it's too late this year to do anything.  A shame, because I'm STILL pulling frozen apples out of the freezer every week for oatmeal or apple cake from last year's crop.  I'll be missing those apples this winter!

Back to work.  Have a great week!