there was a kingfisher at the pond yesterday, helping the big snapping turtle and the great blue heron reduce the goldfish population. There's been a lot of rain lately and the water is quite high. I saw a painted turtle crossing six mile road nearby and there have been more baby rabbits than we've seen in a few years. maybe the neighbors have been shooting the coyotes or maybe the rough-neck ex-neighbors were shooting the rabbits.
all up and down the road wild parsnip is growing, a recently arrived alien invasive whose sap creates a bad burn on skin when it is exposed to sunlight. it has a large, pretty yellow umbellifera type flower which really shouldn't be picked. and few people know this. in the on-going battle against garlic mustard and autumn olive, some progress.
the wild roses are blooming on the fenceline with a lovely scent; a dead raccoon in the side yard has been picked at by turkey vultures (as many as six at a time) to the point that it only has a slightly repulsive smell. we've been away so often in june that it's a treat to be here and especially because the peonies are spectacular this year. some of them have a wonderful scent that is somewhere between vanilla and peppermint and a spice i can't identify. my mother loved peonies and gave me some of the ones blooming now.
wrens are nesting in two of the bird boxes; tree swallows in another and bluebirds somewhere nearby, as the sparrows have successfully
captured the others.
i've planted a mix of lettuces, some basil and parsley, and five tomatoes, three of a new variety called mountain spring (evocative name) said to be very resistant to wilt, which was a problem last summer. jm has tended and replanted a long border of flowers along the west side of the house; many perennials came back and it looks very fine. what to do with the weedy patch opposite that was at one point intended to be a prairie is under discussion. raised beds with vegetables? a shade tree with grass and flowers? how much longer will we be staying here? can we wait for a tree to grow?
