Summer Mystery

My honey bee colony that managed to survive last winter's brutal cold has now expanded to three. The hive that attempted to swarm earlier had made two queens.

This year's bee yard has three honey bee colonies.

Honey bees harvesting algae from the sides of a stock tank.

I have several watering stations and in this hot weather the honey bees frequent them all. There are two bird baths, a water lily pond and a stock tank. (I no longer keep livestock but the tank is kept filled with water for the vegetable garden.) The worker bees are especially fond of the algae which forms on the insides of the tank. Researchers claim that the freshwater green micro alga chlorella is an important source of protein and nutrients for them. My honey bees love it! Strangely, the native bees don't seem interested at all.

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Now to the subject of this post: A couple of weeks ago I proudly showed off my vegetable garden to a neighour friend. I had worked extra hard with weeding and watering. My two 18 foot rows of beets and swiss chard looked lush and promised many tasty harvests. Then, a few days of showers saved me from having to water the garden and I focused my attention elsewhere. When the weather cleared I took a stroll out to the garden with my weeding kit. Surprise!! My lovely beets and swiss chard were no more! My precious three to four inch seedlings were simply gone! They were all nibbled completely down to the ground. Since I had been running my rotor tiller between the rows, the ground was soft and weedless, so deer tracks should have shown up. There were no visible tracks of any kind. So I don't think the deer were to blame.

In previous years, Boat-Tailed Grackles were my main garden pests. In fact, I no longer plant sunflowers because Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds devour too many seedlings. Grackles also pulled up and ate all of the leaves and stems of some pond lillies I once tried to grow. Anyway, grackles are at the top of my suspect list. But also, there are wild turkeys, rabbits, groundhogs and deer.

I may just plant tomatoes and flower seeds next year. Fussing with garden fencing or nets just doesn't appeal to me any more.

A father Boat-Tailed Grackle with his youngster.

This rabbit has lost the sight in it's left eye.

My dear, did you dine on my garden greens?

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Here are a few snaps of my perennial border at the moment. Some plants have already had their day and others are yet to blossom. (A bit like people, really.)

The stand of bee balm (Monarda) spreads a little more each year.

Creeping Bellflowers make elegant and long-lasting cut flowers.

Phlox blooms wait until the evening to release their lovely scent.

A very tiny native bee (at top of flower) took a long drink of lily nectar.

Summer Harvest

For the most part, it's been a hot and dry summer, providing my honey bees with more foraging days than was the case last year. And they certainly have been making hay, I mean honey, while the sun shone. I'm now in the process of harvesting these burgeoning hives. Yes, it's hot, sticky and heavy work but the rewards are sweet!

Freshly bottled July honey. Pretty and delicious!

This year a handcart helped me transport the heavy honey supers.

As I get older and less robust, all conveniences are appreciated.

These colonies are remarkably docile and forgiving -- even as I steal their treasure.

Thank you girls! I do appreciate all your labours! Buttered toast awaits!

My old kitchen floor tiles were installed two decades ago. I had picked out white ones so that any mishaps by dog, cat or myself would be easy to see and deal with. Over the years, some of them had cracked and were turning up at the edges, especially in the winter. A potential tripping hazard, I thought. So I hired a local flooring company to install a new floor. In the show room, the faux wood sample appeared much lighter in colour while held in my hands than when finally installed on my kitchen floor. Light can be tricky that way and hind-sight is twenty-twenty. Disappointing, but I'm sure that in time I'll get used to my now much darker floor. It took cat house-mate, Ellie Mae, a couple of days before she considered it safe to walk on but then she is a tad paranoid. The 7 inch wide by 4 foot long vinyl planks have a cork backing which should make them more comfortable. Also, maybe the next time I drop a dish, it won't shatter to smithereens.

My old kitchen floor tiles were installed two decades ago.

The new LVP floor is darker than I'd expected. The pattern is called 'Chai Latte'.

Every couple of days I need to replenish my grape jam feeder. It's a big hit not only with Baltimore Orioles but also Red Breasted Grossbeaks, Northern Cardinals, Gray Catbirds, occasional honey bees and even a Ruby-throated hummingbird. I've gotten very partial to a pat of the grape jam and a slice of cheese on a cracker, myself.

Of a morning or evening I often see this doe strolling through my yards.

To encourage clover blossoms, I use my lawn mower sparingly. A wild turkey approves.