Days are hot and things are dry but food seems abundant for most critters, and us. Unless we get some (wildly unlikely, it seems) rain, the summer will be hard on the trees. It will also test our well a bit since we haven't had a garden this big here before. So far so good, and hopefully that continues.
Hello goldfinch:
I'm pretty sure this extra fat and fluffy hummingbird is another juvenile:
An adult:
Mantis growing bigger:
The bees love these huge thistles:
Craig caught this very big frog down at the stream:
He was very big. He hopped into the water:
Cooling off:
Ripe plums!
And our harvests are becoming more plentiful:
Craig built upgraded housing for the mantis:
Craig also upgraded the fence around the garden because one of our resident deer was casually hopping the lower fence to munch everything:
These pale wasps were extra plentiful this year:
Craig caught (and released) the biggest crayfish we've ever found in our creek:
Another mantis caught, fed, then released:
Honeybee:
We're growing a melon!
Lizard sunbathing:
So many skippers this year, especially loving the mint:
Young squirrel:
We are so thrilled with how well the garden is producing!
There were more katydids this year than we have seen previously:
Grapes and Asian pears!
We call this peep "Underfoot." He has a pretty neurotic mama but is unexpectedly and quite unusually friendly, having earned his name well:
Pressing cider:
Delicious!
We grew a couple weird specimens too:
