Summer Siesta

Nothing like a comfy nap in the sun with your sweetie …

Kitty Close-Ups

Sleepy Shanti

Silver in the Sun

Balmy Day

Beebalm is at its peak

Fritillary Butterfly

Bumblebee

Cat Keeps Court Over the Flowers

Between Showers

We're still getting rain here nearly every day, but we've been treated to sunshine between the showers, when everything looks so bright.

Day Lilies and Campanula

Stella Dora Lily

Praying Mantis Nymph

Wild Blackberries Not Quite Ripe

Bee Balm Blooms

After a couple of hot days with intermittent showers and bright sunshine, our bee balm flowers
started to bloom.

This summer, there are two varieties for the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to choose amongst ~ the bright pink I've had growing in the garden for several seasons now and the larger bright red variety on taller stems, newly planted early this spring.

So far, it looks like the bees prefer the old stand-by pink ... but it's really to early to know. 

New Red Bee Balm Bloom

Day Lily Time

It starts on a sunny day with a single bloom ...

... and then a cascade of flowers open!

Back Again

Our guest from last Sunday was back again ... this time in our front yard and looking as if she was ready to lay eggs. She initially chose a really poor spot for digging and finally gave up on her efforts. After I finished taking a few photos of our box turtle friend, Kevin carried her a short distance to a spot in the woods, near where we found the baby box turtle, where she might find a better place to dig a nest and then lay and cover up her eggs. The photo below was taken from inside looking out our living room window. The turtle is about 20 feet or so away from me, but it sure looks like she's looking right into the camera!

SUN Day!!!

Oh, how nice it was to have a sunny day today!!! To quote my beloved late brother, "Everything looks better with the sun on it!" I took a short "photo-shoot" walk outdoors, and here is a sample of what I beheld, with sun shining all over it :)

Hot pink flowers in the sunshine

Plum tomatoes on the vine

Sandy Run running strong

Sparkling water coursing over rocks

Forest ferns lit up by the sun

Sunlight brightening tree leaves

Deer laying in our wild meadow peeking out at me as I walk by

One More

A sweet baby bunny munches on clover between rain showers. This little guy zips around our yard as fast as lightning! So fun to watch. 

Another Rainy Day ...

... Another box turtle!!! This time we discovered a beautiful, large turtle with striking markings walking across our patio. Being good hosts, we offered the turtle a snack of blackberries, which it enjoyed. In the second photo, you can see bits of purple berry on the turtle's mouth and chin :)

Babies!

It's unusual for me to do three blog entries in one day, but this news was too exciting to wait and share later. Today, we discovered a cardinals nest with two eggs and a hatchling that we can see from the window in our living room. The cardinal pair who built this nest were smart birds, putting it up high inside a thorny rose bush. We're hoping to watch the other eggs hatch and see all 3 baby birds grow up right outside our window. Mamma and Papa cardinal are devoted parents. The father brought food for the hatchling, and, after the feeding, the mother came and sat on the other eggs.

On our after-dinner stroll around the yard, Kevin and I came across another exciting discovery. There in the grass was the tiniest box turtle either of us had ever laid eyes on. Talk about cute!!! We took a few photos before putting the tiny turtle back in the grass where we found it so it could continue to explore the great outdoors. What an experience for this baby to see us, too :)

Dull Days Bring Bright Flowers

We're experiencing unusually wet and gray days for this time of year in our area, but it's been wonderful for our flowering plants, which are so prolific and bright.

Coreopsis

Lobelia & Baby's Breath

Geranium with leaves as pretty as the flowers

Sulfur butterfly enjoying a marigold in a patch of sunshine

"Big-eyed" Beetle

My husband and I had company, while sitting on our front porch this morning. A large beetle was also sitting there, one I hadn't seen before and I was curious to learn more. I correctly identified it as a click beetle and immediately located photos and descriptions of it online ~ an easy search!

Eastern-Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus oculatus)

The big "false eyes," the black dots circled with white, are a defense adaptation that helps the Eastern-Eyed Click Beetle frighten predators. This insect is considered to be a beneficial one because it eats wood boring insect larvae. It was fun to make a new discovery and even better to know this beetle is a good one to have around our cabin!

So small

My most recent ACEO painting was inspired by a newborn fawn Kevin and I observed out our front windows. While we watched, the fawn's mother led it across our driveway into the safety of the woods. It was by far the tiniest fawn either of us had ever seen, all ears and wobbly legs. We guess it wasn't more than a day or two old. It was the sweetest thing ever! No painting could capture how precious it was ... but I tried anyhow :)