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Author: theMan
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What Flower Is That?
One of the trees is blooming, putting out tiny, spidery flowers with a hauntingly sweet fragrance. So many trees have such delicate flowers. Bashful beauties of the woods, their beauty is for the few who go looking.
Niji-hime 虹姫 (Rainbow Princess) is one of the first hens out of the chicken yard this morning. I’ve always admired her multi-colored neck.
The Stewartia is blooming for a second time this year. The bees are happy. They need to bury their heads deep into the blooms to get its nectar. Do the bees get more pleasure the deeper they have to dive into a flower?
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Colors of Summer
Yesterday was market day at Bow Little Market. Many of these colorful onions ended up going to people’s homes. Thank you for all who came to the market and stopped by. Our congressman, Rick Larsen, even stopped by for a chat. It’s not every week that your congressman drops by.
We haven’t named this colorful young rooster. He’s as colorful as any of the flowers blooming. I’m curious what he will look like when he’s grown.
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What Carrots Are to Bees
For bees, carrots are vast expanses of white flowers. Entire fields of flowers thrust high into the sky just for them. Bees must dream of when carrots bloom. One carrot flower stalk can feed a bee for days. How many trips would it take for a bee to gather all the pollen from one carrot flower stalk?
When I was taking the photo, I didn’t see the spider waiting in the carrot flowers. It wasn’t until I was making this post that I noticed it. For a spider, a carrot flower stalk must be a perfect lure. All day long, insects come flying in for the spider to snare.
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Summer Eventide
Summer eventide mellows the hues and softens the edges. The last of the summer sun’s rays filter through the trees, scattering the light. The chickens have all gone to roost. It’s a peaceful time to stroll around the pond … peaceful except for the red-winged black bird which sound their loud, buzzy alarms. They nest in the cattails at the edge of the pond. Year after year they come back to raise their young. In some places they form flocks of a million birds or more. Thankfully, not here. They may be the most abundant bird in North America with 250 million birds in peak years.
Red-winged blackbirds live up to 15 years, so many of them nesting at the pond see us walk by every day, year after year. Never once have they ever seen us attack them or go after their nests, and yet, each time we walk by they sound the alert, buzzing about and letting all the birds know danger is at hand.
Perhaps I should be offended, but I’m not. Their buzzing alarm cries are like music, and their songs throughout the day are so enjoyable. There’s no need to wear headphones to listen to music when you’re surrounded by nature. Nature is constantly singing.
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Another Good Day
A day that starts with dogs sleeping is a good day. Takuma 拓真 and Ena 枝那 are napping after hunting rabbits for several hours at the crack of dawn. While we snoozed, they were on the prowl.
A day with tomatillo flowers is a good day. Tomatillos are worth growing for their unusual blooms.
A day when a mother hen and her chick check to see what you are doing in the hoop house is a good day. They are hoping I’ll do something that will stir up some worms.
Pulling weeds out by their roots and turning them over makes a good day for Molly and her chicks.
A day with daisies is a good day. The first of the daisies are opening, which means July is around the corner. If you have enough flowers, you can get rid of your calendars. The flowers will tell you what month it is.