Milkweed Debut.

7-9-17 VERMONT: After a few pretty days, we are back in a showery cycle with rain every day or so. I finished building up the wall of the culvert in hopes of preventing it from filling with sand and gravel with each rainstorm. I used cinder blocks on the side that abuts the road to make the barrier

Blue berries are starting to ripen, and apples are noticeably bigger. We had tomato salad tonight from our tomatoes.

I have seen rose-breasted and evening grosbeaks at the feeder, but the indigo bunting hasn’t been here, that I’ve noticed, since the big storm. The milkweed is blooming, and our big stand has attracted many butterflies, including some orange ones. They have not posed for a portrait, so I don’t know which of many orange butterflies they are. We’re hoping that they’re monarchs that will lay eggs on the milkweed for a bunch of caterpillars.

New blooms: mallow, milkweed, bindweed, ‘purple rain’ salvia, another hollyhock, filipendula, astilbe, red yarrow.


A second hollyhock opened.

Milkweed is all over the pasture, awaiting the monarchs. I did see two orange butterflies in and around the milkweed today, but neither sat still long enough for a pic. There are many orange butterflies and the milkweed is critical for the monarch caterpillars, but not the adults.

Song sparrow.

Astilbe has feathery flowers that last a long time. Many of the ones I had planted on the edge of the pond are gone.