Late-blooming azalea

Usually the weather is not favorable for my late-blooming azalea, but this year has been great.  After having lost last year's blooms to the hailstorm, I think the azalea made up with an extra profusion of blooms this year.

 

 

The peony is in bloom as well.

 

The green and gold that I took a few divisions from seems to be thriving in the extra space (and the extra rain we've been having).  The plant almost looks heart shaped.

 

May flowers!

 

 

 

Gold-backed snipe fly

This morning when I stepped out to pick the asparagus, I saw a couple of insects on the broad leaf of a burdock weed.  (I have more burdock than asparagus.)  I wondered if the insects were detrimental or beneficial, so I hurried back inside to find their identification.  I love how quickly the internet helps me find information, and in fairly short order, I determined they were gold-backed snipe flies.  (Their death sentence was commuted.)  But even the internet doesn't know much about them, and I quote from insectidentification.org, "Not much is known about the Gold-Backed Snipe Fly."  I venture to say from the looks of things, there will soon be more to observe.
The female, on the left, has a stouter body with eyes farther apart.  The male, on the right, has a slimmer body and larger eyes that are closer together.
 

I did find a half dozen spears of asparagus.  I typically cut it into small lengths and microwave it for a couple of minutes in a little water with butter, salt, and pepper.

 

Well, that's what's happening in Bonnie's garden today.  Hope things are growing in yours.

The catbird

We have gray catbirds here in the summer.  They do sound like a meowing cat (or perhaps a creaking swing).  I remember the first ones we saw here.  My son was fairly young and had never seen a real-life catbird, though he must have seen them in books.  One day he said, "I saw a catbird."  I could hardly believe it.  He didn't ask what kind of bird he had seen; he just knew what it was the first time he saw it.  I questioned him, of course, as to the description.  (I think he had seen it light on the back of a deck chair, if memory serves me correctly.)  Not long after that, I either heard the bird or saw it myself. 
I suppose I will always remember that incident whenever I see a catbird.  Here are some shots I got this week of the catbirds.

On another note, I did see a couple of the bluebird fledglings in the tree outside my window.  I hastily tried to snap a photo.  It was too blurry, but at least it can serve as evidence that the birds are out of the box and flying about.  The male parent had just fed one of them.  They were only there for a few seconds before they followed Papa Bluebird out of my sight.

 

It won't be long before the bluebirds start a second brood.

 

Another hailstorm

We had another hailstorm last night.  I had just yesterday been admiring how lush everything was compared to last year after the major hailstorm we had.  I watched helplessly as the newly emerged sugar maple leaves and sycamore leaves were blown onto the house and sidewalk.  The hail blew in violently onto the covered porch.  You can see the pellets here against the house and front doormat.  A twig of sugar maple leaves lies beside them.

 
I noticed that a small dead branch from the sugar maple with pock marks from last year's storm was blown onto the porch.  It landed on and broke one of the two tomato plants we bought yesterday.  It almost felt like a divine judgment.

Bluebirds

Yesterday, I watched the bluebirds feeding their nestlings.  What a noisy, hungry bunch!  I figured they would soon be leaving the nest.
Here is the female feeding the baby birds.

 

If you look carefully, you can see a nestling looking through the opening in the bird box.

 

This morning I watched the male bird seemingly try to coax the fledglings from the box.  He called, flew to the box, flew back to the tree, called again.  A couple of times he went inside the box.  I had other things to do and couldn't just watch all morning, so I went on about my chores.  This evening, I could hear the bluebird calling in the edge of the wooded area nearby.  Maybe the birds finally left the nest today.  I will look tomorrow to see if there is any activity at the box.

I've enjoyed watching them raising their brood.

 

A plant called green and gold

Since childhood, I've enjoyed seeing the little flower called green and gold blooming on a road bank.  I transplanted a little from the road bank at Mom's to my property here.  I planted some under a pine in the back yard and another little dab in front of the porch.  At some point I gave a little division to my neighbor.  Hers thrived while mine all died out.  So I begged a division back from my neighbor.  I tried to baby mine just a little with extra compost and waterings.  It has lived, so I'm transplanting a little to the corner of the sidewalk by the front porch again.  It makes me happy to see the yellow next to the red verbena in the pot my menfolk gave me last year. 
When I was a little girl, I had a tiny doll with a red and yellow calico dress.  I thought that was the most cheery color combo imaginable.  I still like red and yellow together.

 

 

Mr. Tree Frog is back

A few nights ago I saw the green tree frog on the window.  I wondered if the gray tree frog was around as well.  Yep.  Today when I went to the utility room to put back a wrench I had used, there he was on top of the open door.  Now he should be glad I saw him and closed the door very slowly.  He might have been smashed otherwise.  He sure seemed reluctant to leave his post, and I had to be a bit forceful with him.  I will warn dh and ds to be careful when they open and close that door.