Deer, lots of birds at the bird feeder, and the remains of the Rhododendron. There was a heavy thunderstorm last night that blew down the remaining section of the rhododendron bush. Last winter I lost the first half of the bush during a heavy snowstorm.
Chipping Sparrow at the Bird Feeder. Image taken with a Nikon D4 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens (David J Mathre)
I am back from Japan, and don’t know what time zone I am in. I’ve been wandering around the yard to see what is new. There were a few, but not many wildflowers (and weeds). The remaining Rhododendron was fully in bloom. Much of the rhododendron shrub fell down last winter, so I glad to see these blooms. If I am lucky, I will see some clearwing butterfly moths like last year. I was glad to see significant growth of plants on the Garden Towers. It looks like the electric fence charger kept the raccoon away while I was away.
Moths Mating. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 60 mm f/2.8 lens (David J Mathre)
Brick Sidewalk Progress. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 60 mm f/2.8 lens (David J Mathre)
Tree Fungus, Azalea Flowers, and a Ground Hog. The tree fungus and red azalea flowers were in a neighbor’s yard. They have a high fence to keep the deer away. I lost my azalea shrubs years ago to the ever hungry deer. The groundhog was in my backyard, just at the dividing line between what is supposed to be the wildflower meadow and grass. You can see that the main thing growing in the wildflower meadow is the invasive “mile-a-minute” vine.
Tree Fungus. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. (David J Mathre)