Mourning dove nest

I mentioned in Saturday's post that mourning doves tend to make really flimsy nests. Here's a classic example, although the photos don't really do it justice. I discovered this nest yesterday morning as I happened to walk under it and the mother flew off. This morning I went back out with the camera and from quite a distance caught her still on the nest.

I'm sorry, Mama Dove, but your nest is a total mess. I'm amazed that it even hangs together enough to hold your eggs. But it must be sturdier than it looks, because we had some rain and strong winds on Saturday, and it still hangs there in the tree without even that much shelter from the leaves!

Amazing, isn't it?

I also checked on the other nest yesterday to see if those babies survived the weather. As you can see, they remain nice and cozy. And they're growing fast!

Begonias

Here's a full shot of the barrel of flowers that Courtney was reaching for in the previous post. In the center are dragon wing begonias. Around the outside are alyssum plants that come up on their own every year, and they always make a nice fill-in around the edges.

A closer look:

Most begonias don't like full sun, which is where my barrel is located, but this particular type happens to love it! Here's a photo from a few years ago, and I hope the ones I planted this year will look like this before long, too.

On the other side of the house, in the shade, I have these:

Nope, that's not a yellow rose. It's a non-stop begonia.

Here's a red one:

I love the non-stops. As the name implies, they just bloom and bloom!

So tempting...

"Gee, those are pretty flowers."

"I wonder if I could reach them."

"I bet if I shut my eyes, Grandma won't see me."

"If I just stretch way over like this..... "

"Should I pick one or not???"

"Nope! Just can't do it. I'm a good girl!"

More babies

Last Monday, as I was mowing, I discovered another nest. This one's a mourning dove nest. On Monday, it looked like this:

This is one of the better-built mourning dove nests I've seen. They tend to make really flimsy nests.

Here's how it looked on Thursday (kinda hard to see, but there are 2 babies in there):

We had some wind and rain overnight that night, but I checked yesterday, and the babies had survived nicely.

Unfortunately, the wren abandoned her nest after I took the photo of it. I guess she didn't like my photo session. I feel bad about that. I don't know if the babies would've survived though, anyway. The nest was in what I thought was a kind of poor spot. It was right at the very top of the butterfly bush, with hardly any leaves covering it. I hope mama wren found a better spot and is happily setting on some new eggs. And I'll be a little more careful if I ever find a wren nest again (not saying I won't take pics, though!).

Poll Results

The results of the poll "Have you ever bought or sold anything on eBay?" are as follows:

• Yes, I've bought (2 votes)
• Yes, I've sold (0 votes)
• Both (2 votes)
• Neither (0 votes)

I thought there'd be more votes on that one, considering how popular eBay is. I, myself, have gotten a few good deals there, with some exciting last-second auction bids. Hey, it's fun! :-)

Snow in June?!!!

Okay, so it's only Snow on the Mountain.

The flower clusters are kinda shaped like snowflakes.

These look more like snowballs!

Ya-ya

I'll admit it... we had kind of a crazy day on Tuesday! ;-)

(Don'tcha love those eyes?!)

Dianthus

I planted these last year, and they came back beautifully!

Rock-a-bye baby!!!

Million bells

Remember the million bells that the skunk dug into? They're doing beautifully! I absolutely love 'em!

After the rain

Friday evening we had a brief rain shower, and then the sun came back out. The double rainbow was beautiful. I stayed on the deck under the overhang of the house, because I didn't want to get the camera wet, so I didn't get the entire rainbow. You'll have to use your imagination for the other half. :-)

If you click on the images, you can see them larger. Look carefully and you can even see the individual raindrops still coming down on this next photo.

"I can put on my own shoes!"

"And even get 'em on the right fee.... er.... hands!"

Lonely bachelor

Bachelor button amidst all the baby's breath.

Another view of same.

Mighty good-looking bachelor, I'd say! :-)

Poll Results

The results of the poll "What is your favorite thing about summer?" are as follows:

• Warmer temps (3 votes)
• Longer days (3 votes)
• Green & blooming plants (2 votes)
• Vacation (0 votes)
• Spending time at the lake (0 votes)
• Grilling/picnics (0 votes)
• Gardening (0 votes)
• Outdoor activities/sports (0 votes)
• Other (0 votes)

It's gotta be the longer days for me! And unfortunately, this being the first full day of summer, the days now start getting shorter. Phooey.

Thanks for voting! Enjoy the warmth, daylight, and green while it lasts!

Busy as a bee

A bumblebee, that is.

Look a little closer... if you dare. ;-)

Pretty wicked-looking, huh?!

(You can see it slightly larger if you click on the image.)

Pink!

My wildflower garden looks like this so far. All of this has reseeded itself from last year and come up on its own (except for a couple of perennials in there). So far it's mostly pink baby's breath, with a few white ones scattered here and there. And you can see the yellow phlox near the center. There are a few other flowers in there, too... bachelor buttons to bloom next. The rest will be a while yet.

What a difference a day makes! Especially a warm day with sunshine! The above photo was taken on Tuesday... the one below on Wednesday.

So pretty, aren't they?

Sunshine also makes a difference in photos.

New footwear

About 3 weeks ago, Jess talked me into (in a manner of speaking) buying a pair of Crocs. I thought they'd make great gardening shoes, and they do! Here they are.

Courtney liked 'em a lot, too (although it might have been just because the heel strap made such a neat carrying handle). And now she has a pair of her own!

I think hers are much cuter than mine. :-)

"Yay for Crocs!"

Butterfly bush

Well, actually it's a lilac bush... a miniature one that's kinda gotten beyond the miniature size, even after having been cut back a few times. It blooms later than the regular lilacs, and it's been in full bloom for about a week now. It's very fragrant, and being right under a window, its fragrance fills the house if the wind is right.

Apparently the butterflies enjoy its fragrance, too. Last Saturday the bush was full of butterflies! (And a bumblebee or two.)

Some of the butterflies looked pretty battered. It must've been a rough trip flying all those miles back from down south. Those delicate wings are getting worn out.

(Maybe these last 2 are moths, and not butterflies?)

Added note: Someone kindly informed me that the last 2 are Painted Lady butterflies (as is the first one hanging upside down). The others, of course, are Monarch butterflies.