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Our days have shortened just enough to make it possible for me to almost catch the sunrise.
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This morning there was a sun dog.
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And in the garden, a sun flower.
After failing four years in a row to get some to grow, finally I succeeded, only to have most of them devoured by beetles.
This particular plant had a different challenge. I am guessing that one of our larger wild visitors was grazing in the flowerbed and pushed it over, which I had not noticed since I spend little time in the garden these hot days.
By the time I noticed, the plant had continued to grow despite its bent stalk and produced the first flower.
Plants that flourish in the face of adversity are the ones I have great fondness for.
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Adversity such as being in my garden.
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Returning from the latest expedition to the groundhog burrow, I noticed some sunlit faces standing out against the deep shadow of late afternoon.
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The phlox are in bloom at last.
Every year I forget that they are phlox and call them wallflowers.
The groundhogs simply call them food.
When I notice, I tap on a window and the beasts scurry off but it’s a losing battle.
It’s such a small price to pay for the amusement groundhogs provide.
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The family we were watching seems to have dispersed, though there are just as many takers for carrots.
A shaft of late sun lit up the groundhog’s patio yesterday where a new arrival lay down for her evening nibble.
“Jus’ too hot missus!” she gasped.
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No doubt I should read up about groundhog dynamics.
This is not the female who produced the four kits, yet she has had her own, as is obvious when she stands erect.
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A little later, a kit turned up which was obviously hers.
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They ate together on the deck where I got a not very good picture through the screen.
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A few days ago when I was cutting carrots, I noticed two furry faces staring at me hesitantly from under a bush, but they scurried away quickly.
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Chipmunks often come to eat from the bowl as I stand there, climbing over my foot if it’s in the way.
Groundhogs are far more wary.
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This morning the new mama’s face appeared out of the bush. I expected her to dive back down the hole but she looked at me briefly then trotted out and started grazing from the bowl I had just topped up.
As I resumed cutting carrots, I talked quietly and she did not react, just continued eating even when I picked up my two buckets and moved on.
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Groundhogs often appear to be staring at us and we talk to them as if there’s a connection, but I tend to dismiss that notion as being simply something I wish to believe.
On the other hand, it is likely that these animals connect us with the arrival of snacks.
In any event, it was an unexpected delight.
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Some days, we just sit in our food.
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“It’s appalling what a dove has to put up with!”
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Doves have so much competition
But they seem very stoic.
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They go quietly about their business gently cooing.
Occasionally, mostly in mating season, we hear an indignant squawk, but it’s rare.
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Before I go, let me introduce you to one of our new Little Reds.
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We think he’s rather handsome.
There’s a tiny piece missing from the right ear.
So I’ll call him Nick.
If it turns out to be a she…Nicky.
It works both ways.
Very appropriate name for the new little red!
New groundhogs and a lovely new squirrel too. Always a delight!
Best wishes, Pete.
Doesn’t a groundhog know that you get indigestion when you lie down and eat (or maybe it’s only the case with humans)? Nicky is a cutie – what a lovely tail! You’re right, I think animals start to notice later that when you come out the house it’s to supply them with snacks … especially at specific times during the day. The birds usually wait for me on the wall of our house and no longer fly away as I walk towards the bird feeders. And even before I start walking away, they come closer to eat. Lovely photos.