Monarch Butterfly on young White Pine.


Wild Bergamot are now in full bloom, attracting a small blouds of native and European bees, and a few Monarchs and unidentified skippers. They've really exploded over the last year, driving runners through the Showy Goldenrod, all but wiping out the Tall Boneset, and spreading into the gardening platforms behind the pond.

Plenty of Green Frogs and a Leapord Frog spotted in the pond; its real estate value seems to have gone up since we added the bog basin.

Monarch Caterpillar on Swamp Milkweed

First Monarch Caterpillars of the year spotted in the pond garden. Two of them spotted on Swamp Milkweed. Decided to leave them for the time being on their plants; will not move them to the enclosures unless they're being harrassed by wasps or other predators.

A pair of Green Frogs we rescued from the yard before a mowing.

Rescued a grand total of ten young toads and frogs (one American Frog, five Green Frogs, a Leapord Frog, and three Spring Peepers) from the lawn today, transplanting them to the pond before mowing. Went to Kinninatives yesterday, and was inspired by Wayne to turn one of our pond's feeder basins into a bog with some sedge and Skullcap. Also purchased some Glade Mallow and Purple Coneflower to feed the rabbit hordes that we've fenced out of the vegetable garden. Weather's been in the mid 80's with humidity pushing the heat index into the mid 90's. Torrential rain yesterday followed by periods of sun.



Butterfly weed in pond garden.

Summer flowers are really coming into bloom; Swamp Milkweed and Butterfly weed have been joined in the past week by Brown-eyed Susan and Purple Coneflower, and Wild Bergamot is spreading its first petals. Was surprised to hear the Loon's call several times this weekend. Thought they migrated further north by this point in the Summer.

Garden Report:

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Chorus Frog
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Crow, Common
• Goldfinch
• Gray Catbird
• Gray Squirrel
• Green Frog
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Loon, Common
• Mallard Duck
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red Squirrel
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Robin, American
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Sandhill Crane
• Tree Swallow
• Virginia Opossum
• Wood Frog

Wildflowers in Bloom:

• Brown-eyed Susan
• Butterfly weed
• Early Meadowrue
• Glade Mallow
• Harebell
• Leadplant
• Purple Coneflower
• Spiderwort
• Swamp Milkweed
• Wild Bergamot
• Woodland Sunflower

Both Swamp Milkweed and Butterfly Weed in full bloom. Found a Spotted Knapweed (non-native) growing in the garden. Planning to let it go until the flowers peter out as the bees and butterflies seem to love it. More monarchs recently, and more Green Frogs migrating to the pond.

Interestingly enough, saw a Red-bellied woodpecker on the silo feeder last night, hanging on to the cage and using his beak to bridge tha 4" gap like a long tweezers in an Operation game.

Weather's run the gammot lately; from lower seventies last week to nineties today.

Cooled off over the past few days, highs in the 70's yesterday with overnight lows pitching down into the 50's. Tomatoes are begining to grow, and the watermelon vine has just flowered.

Garden Report

Wildlife Spotted:

• American Toad
• Baltimore Oriole
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Blue Jay
• Canadian Goose
• Chorus Frog
• Cottontail Rabbit
• Crow, Common
• Goldfinch
• Gray Catbird
• Gray Squirrel
• Green Frog
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Loon, Common
• Mallard Duck
• Mourning Dove
• Northern Cardinal
• Nuthatch
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Red Squirrel
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Robin, American
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• Sandhill Crane
• Tree Swallow
• Virginia Opossum
• Wood Frog

Wildflowers In Bloom:

• Butterfly weed
• Early Meadowrue
• Harebell
• Marsh Mallow
• Spiderwort
• Swamp Milkweed
• Woodland Sunflower

First frogs of the year take up residence in the pond. A pair of juvenile green frogs migrated from one of the local ponds or seasonal wetlands to bask in the shade of a potted cypress in the feeder pool.


Swamp Milkweed is just about ready to pop. I can't say enough about this native perrenial. The colorful flowers draw butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, the large leaves give shelter to tree frogs, the sap is the requisite of the monarch caterpillar, which is rapidly losing ground due to habitat loss and the destruction of what most people see as a simple weed. While its deep tap roots make it difficult to transplant and nearly impossible to divide, it's easilly propagated from seed and needs very little care besides the occasional watering during the dry season.

Just behind the Swamp Milkweed are its asclepias cousins Common Milkweed and Butterfly weed. Both are very beneficial to both the butterfly population, and in specific to the monarch population. Marsh mallow is coming up like mad, only to be eaten by deer and a seemingly exploding cottontail population. Have had to put a mesh fence around the vegetable garden just to keep them out (they have the wooded lot and the 30'X12' native garden all to themselves).

Has been in the 80's this past week, with only a few very light spots of drizzle. Hopefully we don't have a draught this summer as we did last year.