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More Photos from the Yard

Rae Spencer6 Comments

Squirrel April 24

A few months ago, the yard’s squirrels were pairing off and building nests. Now the male squirrels have returned to their solitary ways, and the females are busy raising their young. Earlier this week, one of the females brought three kittens along when she visited the feeder.

Squirrel April 29

While she ate, her kittens zipped around the yard. They raced up and down the fence, over and under benches and planters, exploring every corner of every flower bed.

Squirrel April 29

After the little family moved on, a larger, solitary squirrel ambled through. It ate until the feeder was empty, paused for a sip of water, then spent several minutes marking the fence. It marked the entire perimeter of the yard, and I wondered if the behavior was territorial or simply a form of communication.

Squirrel April 29

I haven’t seen the kittens again, but I’ve been adding an extra handful of seed to the feeder each morning, hoping they will return. The other squirrels have noticed my generosity.

Squirrel May 1

Squirrel May 1

While the squirrels are getting more numerous, the rabbits seem to be waning in number. So I was happy, this afternoon, when an adult rabbit stopped by for a bath and a nap in one of the corner flower beds.

Rabbit May 1

Rabbit May 1

Rabbit May 1

I can’t help getting excited when I see a rabbit resting in the yard. Maybe there will be another nest soon, and more babies?

Or maybe the rabbit simply needed a quiet place to nap, and the only nests I’ll find in May will belong to the robins…

Robin May 1

Ready for Summer

Rae Spencer3 Comments

Petunia April 27

Despite winter’s lingering chill, the yard is ready for summer.

Iris April 30

Iris April 30

Tulip April 29

I’m looking forward to the warm months ahead, to days filled with honeysuckle blooms, nesting doves, and cardinal fledglings…

Honeysuckle April 30

Dove April 29

Cardinals April 30

Flower Frenzy (arachnophobia alert!)

Rae Spencer2 Comments

Daisy April 23

As winter dragged on and on this year, I developed an irresistible craving for flowers. I fantasized about petunias and daisies, about hanging baskets and terra cotta planters, about a yard filled with butterflies and hummingbirds.

Petunia April 23

Petunia April 23

Now that spring is here, I stop at the garden store every time I leave the house. I stroll through aisle after aisle of perennials and annuals, drooling over vivid shades of purple, red, and pink. And every time I stop at the garden store, I bring home a new flower. (Sometimes a new spider, too.)

Butterfly Flower April 1

Daisy April 23

My carpets are tracked with dirt, half of my fingernails are broken, and I’ve run out of pots and baskets. I might regret my spring flower frenzy when the yard turns hot and humid this summer, when the mosquitoes and black widows arrive and the flowers wilt every afternoon. Or when whatever is eating the pansies starts eating everything else.

Pansy April 23

But for now, I’m happy.

Daisy April 23

White Throated Sparrow April 23

White Throated Sparrow April 23

Robin April 23

Robin April 23

Conflicted

Rae Spencer3 Comments

Cardinal April 19

This week our television flashed image after image of chaos, pain, and loss. I don’t have a personal connection to any of the Boston Marathon bomb victims, nor any of the Texas fertilizer plant explosion victims, and yet my shock and grief feel personal. More and more personal as time passes, as scenes of blood and smoke and flames give way to achingly poignant details about the dead and wounded.

Cardinal April 19

Desperate to escape my growing sense of helplessness, I turn off the television and retreat into the yard, where I find a foraging cardinal, a pollen-dusted bee, and a pair of brave grackles. A hungry tufted titmouse, a half-grown rabbit, and a sleepy squirrel. They remind me that my journey is simultaneously important and insignificant, that I am both connected to and separate from the world. And their company feels like a glimpse of solace, a brief visitation of peace during a week defined by turmoil.

Cardinal April 19

Bee April 18

Birds April 14

Tufted Titmouse April 19

Rabbit April 20

Squirrel April 19

Carpenter Bees

Rae Spencer5 Comments

Bee April 12

Our house and yard are under siege, completely surrounded by carpenter bees.

Bee April 12

These large bees buzz around our eaves and patrol along the fence, staging vicious mid-air duels whenever a challenger enters their territory. Sometimes they crash against each other so heavily that both bees fall to the ground. Then, whichever bee recovers first hovers over the unfortunate loser and bashes it back to the ground every time it tries to take flight. These skirmishes last until the defeated bee manages to escape the disputed territory, or until the victor is distracted by another adversary.

Bee April 12

Yesterday afternoon, I spent nearly an hour trying to take photos as one of the bees worked itself to exhaustion chasing the pear tree’s falling petals.

Bee Motion April 12

I failed miserably, ending up with frame after frame of motion-blurred bee.

Bee Motion April 12

But some of the motion blur was due to laughter. I’ve been feeling sharp stabs of pity, all week, as I watched our swarm of bees harass butterflies and crane flies, even a few hungry warblers. So I couldn’t help but laugh as this little fighter panted along, zipping back and forth in a frenzy of fury, trying to subdue a shower of sparkling petals.

Bee Motion April 12