Busy days on the Hill....

July 2, 2025 

'Tis a busy time up here on the hill. The garden is starting to really take off with the heat and humidity of late. Every day, the garden walk-about shows more growth than the previous one. Some broccoli heads have been harvested and processed, with more to come. A second planting of beans has gone in, as well as more rutabaga, and we'll soon be harvesting peas. We've also been working on getting last winter's tree harvest split and piled in the woodshed to cure. 

Hubby built an hardware cloth covered protection box for the turtle nest, and nailed it down in place with long spikes.

It will be a slight obstruction in the driveway for a while, and in August we'll start checking it regularly for hatchlings. 

The Barn Swallows completed their nest, were there last Friday evening, then never re-appeared. We've waited and watched, but there is no sign of them. I am very, very disappointed and can't help wondering what happened to them. It seems strange to abandon the nest after spending all the time and energy to build it.  

Last week's Trail Camera chips yielded this picture of a Whip-poor-will sitting up on the oak tree branch. He's showing his marvelous camo feathers.

On another trail camera, a couple of doe and fawn captures.

How fast the little ones grow! (clicking on the pics make them bigger)

In the woods, Partridgeberry is blooming,

They have pretty little fragrant, furry blossoms. 

Later in the year, one bright red berry grows where the twin blooms were. 

Another, almost in bloom woodland plant, is this Shinleaf, a variety of Pyrola.

It's little, waxy, bell-like blooms are also aromatic.
 

Both plant's leaves remain green under the snow throughout the winter.

Along the highway, I spotted orange....

The Wood lilies are blooming!

Some things are harder to spot, like this American Toad, blending in so well with the leaf litter.

As far as the garden goes, that will be another post!

 

Road Trip!!

 June 26, 2025

 

One can't get enough of these beauties! This is our third year visiting,

It is a Mississippi Valley Conservation Area in Lanark County, which butts up against the south side of Renfrew County. 
A nice new, wider, boardwalk is being built going into the fen where the orchids grow. 

Back on the home front, the Barn Swallows have been working away on their nest, and over the course of four days it has gone from this...

to this.

Here is a grainy picture of the pair of them working on it.

We are trying very hard to disturb them as little as possible.

The storm and heavy rain (a good 3 inches) we experienced overnight on Saturday, absolutely soaked the gardens, and left puddles where snow melt puddles usually accumulate. They didn't soak away for a few days, partially because of the extreme heat and humidity that came next. That storm was very severe north of us, where there were down bursts of wind that toppled trees, and torrential rain that washed out roads. Our road is also a little "worse for the wear". Monday and Tuesday were brutally hot and humid days, when we were able to do a few outside chores very early in the morning, and basically just endured being indoors until the heat broke on Wednesday evening. The "feel-like" temperatures were well into the low 40's C. (104 - 113F) At those temperatures, one does not even feel like eating! One does adjust to the heat and humidity, but would prefer it to happen more gradually! After our coolish spring, it was a sudden jolt.

Everything in the gardens has put on a growth spurt. Peas are blooming and forming pods,

peppers are forming,

and the tomatoes are blooming and there are even a few little green guys growing.

I found this guy in the corner of my net-covered brassica bed one morning.

 A closer look at a Gray Treefrog.

Throughout the few days of extreme heat, the Treefrogs were calling continually. They have the ability to camouflage themselves somewhat, depending on the environment around them.

 And just take a sniff of these!  

 

Thunderin' moose, and aerial acrobats....

 June 22, 2025

On Wednesday evening, I was sitting out on the verandah, enjoying the evening bird chorus, when a strange hollow thundering sound assailed my ears. Before I could figure out what it was, a pair of moose materialized on the east side of the verandah, and stopped. My efforts to get Hubby's attention caused them to walk further toward the two apple trees in the corner of the front yard, where he managed to get a pic of them. We figure they were spooked out of the bush behind the barn, and came at a run right up the yard, between the end of the garden beds and the field garden. It is not unusual at all to see moose here, but thrilling when they are so close and let us get a good look. Hubby figures they are siblings, a yearling cow and bull from last year. If you look close, you can see growing antlers on the head of the moose in the foreground. 

Could it get any better??? YES, yes it could!

On Thursday evening, I was preparing dinner, and at a lull in the action, was looking out the west window. Just across the driveway, there were two little birds perched up on the decorative edging under the eaves on the Battery House. Odd. Was it baby Tree Swallows, back to visit?? Seems odd they would do that and perch there as Tree Swallows prefer poles. It just isn't in character, and they'd fledged and gone, a week or so ago. Then I noticed a bit of buffish colour on their throats, then I noticed longish forked tails..... Out came the binos, a pair of which are at almost every window in the house. Did you hear the WHOOP when I identified Barn Swallows!!!! Now that may not seem like much to most folk, but, long ago child hood and young adult memories hold pictures in my mind of country telephone wires laden with rows and rows of Barn Swallows. You'd be hard pressed to find that nowadays, and the Barn Swallow is on the list of Special Concern on the Species At Risk Act in Canada. I am absolutely ecstatic that a pair has chosen us. I lamented the fact when we moved here, that we had a barn, but no Barn Swallows. I contented myself, that we had Tree Swallows, such chittering, happy sounding aeralists. But now...just watching these guys, who swoop and fly much lower, and zip across the pond....Joy incarnate!  

Under the eaves, along that board on which they were perching....Look...a line of mud on the board. A nest in the making???

 Yesterday, we headed south to join a friend for a little bass fishing. We were up and away before dawn, driving along back roads, the dips shrouded in fog, and watched the skies lighten and the sun rise as we journeyed, an amazing feast for the eyes in itself. When we returned late in the afternoon, along the driveway on the way in, just barely off to the side of the wheel rut.....

A Blandings turtle was laying eggs. I temporarily marked the spot and will take serious protection measures today, and good thing I did, as it poured torrential buckets of rain last night, and the spot would now be indeterminable.  Blandings turtles were added to the Ontario Species At Risk Act in 2008.

Its been an exciting week here. Lots of needed rain, the sun is shining and every growing thing, will be surging. 

                                My Home and Native Land.

Bird Magic, and its almost Strawberry season!

June 17, 2025 

Apparently the Blue bird nest box was not empty! The Bluebird parents were still going into the box with food for a few days after the male had called the young ones out. We watched the adults exiting with what we call 'poop packets', flying away and dropping them away from the nest. The 'poop packets' are white fecal sacs that the young deposit for the parents to dispose of. We figure there was a least one late hatchling.

One morning, earlier in the week, on heading out the back door, Hubby called me to say the Tree Swallows were fledging. There were more than two swallows swooping and chittering around the yard, and not fighting. The sounds are different if it is a territory dispute, as are the airborne acrobatics they employ to shoo away interlopers. One of the little guys lit on the top of the clothesline pole, a perfect small edition of it's parents. The nest remained somewhat active for a few days, but now is quiet....until I heard a Bluebird calling from up there...our bird or another?? A female joined him sitting up on the box. Tree Swallows are usually 'one and done' when it comes to nesting, but Bluebirds will have more than one clutch in a season. Perhaps they are thinking of taking over that nest box? The hole is slightly smaller than that on the Bluebird box. Sure hope no one gets stuck!

Last night at dusk, the Whip-poor-wills were very vocal. One flew in and landed right on the top rock of the front step.

Hubby walked slowly and quietly out through the screen door onto the verandah and over to stand looking down on the bird through the screen door above the step. The birds are very, very loud at close proximity, and one wonders how they notice predators, as they do maintain their song for several moments in one position before moving on.

Things are really drying out now, as we haven't had any rain since June 4. There is some in the forecast for the near future, and I sure hope it materializes, as I've begun to water the gardens. Everything I've planted so far, has shown itself, and we have gone from the 'not enough' greens stage, to the 'too much' greens stage.

Broccoli are starting to head up, safely under their net cover,

and yesterday the cucumbers were up enough that I got their leaf mulch down.

The bottomless plastic tubs keeps the mulch at bay until the plants are larger. The idea was to have the peas (up the middle) produce and be done before the cucumbers get into serious production. We'll see how that works. The next bed over has tomatoes and a couple of eggplants, and you can see the healthy garlic plants in the next one over from that. The far end of the foreground bed has peppers under shade cloth. They have not enjoyed this stretch of cool weather, and are somewhat pale and stagnant in their growth. 

The red poppies are starting to open by the flagpole,

as are the iris, this one a wild Blue Flag, 

and peony buds are getting fat.

The perennial bed is mulched.

There has been some repositioning, addition and removal of plants, and it is still very much a work in progress. 

It is almost strawberry season, and I spent a fun morning in my sewing/craft room making a couple of these strawberry-shaped, re-usable bags.

And this is the real thing, almost there!

Some kitchen time resulted in a couple of batches of cookie pucks in the freezer for later fresh-baked treats. Someone in this household appreciates cookies, and this way we can bake off a half dozen at a time in the toaster oven, out on the verandah, and have fresh cookies, when the days get hot. 

We had to make a journey south last week, and stopped at Furnace Falls on the Burnt River for a break. 

 This Northern Water snake was on the rocks below the falls.

It was a cool breezy day, but the rocks would have absorbed some warmth for it to enjoy. 

Just a random bush shot of a cinnamon fern with its fertile frond. 

An auspicious day for the Bluebird family

June 8, 2025 

This morning, I was out and about, checking the gardens for any overnight incursions, and newly sprouted things, when I heard Papa Bluebird start calling from a perch up in the crab apple tree. The Bluebird pair have been quietly busy, feeding the brood in the nest box, going in and out regularly, from early morning to evening. We watch them using all the T post perches around the yard, as bug ambush spots. As soon as I heard him calling, I knew that he was calling the nestlings out. Sure enough, between the telescope aimed at the nest box and binoculars, we managed to catch sight of at least three fledglings taking their maiden flight from the box, bulletting out in a straight trajectory. Suddenly, the nest box on the pole has taken on a lonesome, look, sitting over there on the side of the yard, empty again. 

An Eastern Phoebe is calling and fluttering up under the eaves of the verandah, trying to entice a female to join him as he has found an ideal nest site. A pyramidal cedar out front, has a Chipping sparrow nest in it. The Chippers have hatched and daily the ruckus they raise every time a parent arrives with food, gets louder. 

Having rain in the forecast a few days ago, gave me incentive to get the seeds for beans, squash and cucumbers in the ground. That worked perfectly, as an half inch of rain did materialize as promised. The weather has not been the best for warm weather crops. A cool spell earlier in the week had me covering the tomato and pepper plants for a couple of nights. There may have been just a hint of frost on low laying areas one morning, but so far, so good. Pretty much everything is in the ground now, with spaces left for later plantings of beans, carrots and rutabagas. The broccoli and cabbage are growing gangbusters under their protective netting.

The year marches inexorably on, trees are mostly fully leafed out, and from them, the wind is launching millions of little tree seed keys. They spiral down, whirligiging through the air, glistening in the sunlight.  

Spring blooms are moving from bloom to seed, and early summer plants are starting to bloom. One favourite old timey plant I love, is Lemon lily, the aroma so reminiscent of times past. (Do you see the little spider in there?)

Peony and poppy buds are swelling, and their blooms will soon be dancing in the summer breezes. 

Its Time to cut some Thyme for drying. 

Around the pond, wild lupines are blooming.

In the grass, here and there, little pricks of blue...one of my favourites...Blue-eyed grass.

When I dug out the strawberry bed, I stuck plants randomly here and there. The Here and There plants are doing much better than the runners rooted in the Strawberry tower!!

Perhaps we'll get a taste if the chipmunks don't find them.

We've been expecting to see new deer fawns on the trail camera pictures, and sure enough, sometime over the past week, this one came by, following her mom.

On Bird Cam, an American Goldfinch possibly pulling tufts of wool roving out of the ball?

A Chipping sparrow..

And maybe....a Chestnut-sided warbler???

There seems to be dozens of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies around this spring. They love the lilac and chive blooms.

Lots of Bumblers are loving the chives as well.

Finally, a trail camera shot of our morning serenader...

the glowing eye on the bird perched on that rock, belongs to a Whip-poor-will.