The Last Day of May

First, some swan news! It looks as if there will only be two cygnets. The nest is empy and the family is moving around the pond. I hadn't had a good photo opp for quite a while because they are staying away from the nest side of the pond, so I've had to resort to telephoto shots blown up. The quality isn't good, but at least we know everyone is OK.




I think part of the reason that everyone is OK is that Dad does a pretty good "I'll scare away the bad guys" posture before they go ashore!

Vacation Suggestions for Flower Lovers



In April I visited Washington DC and had a wonderful trip. It was so nice to see the gardens around the city. This little garden is at Cathedral College, next to the National Cathedral. Very relaxing little spot. The most amazing part was the tremendous wisteria climbing the tower!



This is a tulip from above - changes your whole perspective.



Hmmm....no idea what this little one is, but I loved the light shining through its petals!

And last but not least, a pretty little columbine hanging behind a bench. These dainty little flowers are some of my favorites, but I had never seen this color combination before.

Another Sunday

Some years we get a clematis bloom in the front yard, and sometimes we don't. It is a mystery to me, so we can just enjoy it when it happens. (This is also the case with the hydrangea, but it looks like we've got good potential there, so we'll soon see....). Anyway, the first clematis flower started to open on May 16th, with a little spidery bug visiting as one petal started to release.

By the next day, the flower had really opened up completely. So beautiful!

This morning, the center of the flower had spread out. There are now four blossoms at various stages, and two more buds ready to open. LOVELY!

A few days ago, my dad and I walked to one of our favorite spots and got to see the Lady Slippers all around the woodland floor.

This morning, with a light overcast, the dandelions on my neighbor's lawn looked like they were glowing. Even though they'll haunt us later, right now all of those irritating little seeds look beautiful.

Also this morning, a dragonfly had settled on one of the Siberian Iris buds. Wonder if he's related to the fellow who appeared on the side of the house last week? I love the Siberian Iris, which is almost invasive in some people's yards, but seems to struggle in the little patch of garden it has next to our patio. This simply makes me appreciate each bud more, I guess! Happy Spring Sunday to everyone!!

Swan Family Adventures and a Dragonfly

The whole family went out today, over toward the side of the pond near the gazebo. The babies are moving pretty well, and seem to be trying to put their faces in the water to look for food.

Meanwhile, when I went to check the nest, everyone said that the mother had deliberately pulled some of the reeds on top of the rest of the eggs to hide them. It looks as though she did a good job!

When I got home and started to play ball with the dogs, I spotted a dragonfly hanging calmly on the side of the house. Not a big one, but interesting.

The wings are so delicate! They're also sort of flourescent, but the picture doesn't really show it.

Swans on a Sunny Saturday

Saturday, May 15

The crowd watching the swans is getting larger by the day. As everyone stood there watching the two ducklings swimming around, one of them disappeared. The commotion in the group as we all said "where's the other one?" was frightening. (There are snapping turtles in the pond - did one come up from underneath and grab the baby?) The father was confused, too. Where's the baby? He started swimming around, turning in the water, poking his head into the reeds. Then someone called out, "it's on his back" and what a relief, there was the little head poking out above the adult's wing!



Back at the nest, the family is settling down - parents, two babies and five unhatched eggs. It's hard to tell if another egg may be getting close to hatching. One is definitely darker than the other four.



It's been an exhausting day - time to close my eyes and take a nap!! We'll see what tomorrow brings......

Just Pictures, Mostly

Rather than post my pictures on FB, I'm trying a blog. I'll start with my current project - watching the swans, eggs and new babies! Here's a sweet one from May 14. At this point, two of the seven eggs have hatched. After looking it up, I have discovered baby swans are called cygnets. In my mind, though, they will always be "ugly ducklings"!