Cottonwood Down

This week, we’ve had several perfect summer days, even though it’s still May. Those days where it’s warm in the sun, but there is still a cool breeze. Evenings are comfortable and you can work in the garden until 8pm, but mornings are chilly and you need to wear a light sweater to stay warm. One night it poured and the next morning the trees were splashed with sparkles of rainwater, and the air smelled wonderful. The only downside to all of this is that the deer flies are full grown. I was attacked by a swarm of them the other day and had to run the whole way back–though there is no outrunning a deer fly once they have you pegged. I remind myself to enjoy these special days.

What I saw this week:

1. Oxeye daisy with a fibonacci center.
2. Cottonwood down on a downed branch.
3. Painted turtle laying eggs.
4. Multiflora rose.
5. Garter snake (I’m pretty sure, though it could be a ribbon snake) with yellow oysters and some spiders.
6. Blue spruce tips–the color is so special, hard to capture.
7. Herb Robert, which is fun to say out loud.
8. A very handsome pickerel frog.
9. Tulip tree flower–you don’t often get to see them as they are so tall! Bonus: yellow jacket.
10. Red-spotted purple butterfly, which kindly stayed very still for me.
11. Another stately summer cloud, cumulonimbus.
12. Words.