The Jim Shug trail in Dryden is magnificent at this time of year, especially in the early morning. Going on for miles, it used to be a rail track, but is now a perfect path.
Early signs of autumn abound... especially with the sumac and vines turning bright red.
Our garden is stunning, with rudbeckia, russian sage and lavender lasting for weeks.
Purple loosestrife is abundant around and about the house and the fields across the way. Considered a pest by experts it adds a glorious splash of purple in all sorts of places.
Yesterday walking the field, Judy and I spotted a swarm of hundreds of dragonflies, darting around above the goldenrod. Overhead three or four fly catchers were busy, trying to eat their fill.
Nicholas
The tree swallows have gone already! One day there were a clutch of the young things flying about the garden and the next they were gone... lets hope they make it back next year.
Meanwhile, our local itinerants continue their lives: the woodchuck stood like this for fully five minutes before bumbling away...
And the chipmunks battle it out to see who is first onto the food bench: often throwing each other off in their efforts to do so!
We think we may have suffered the last mouse inside the house: fully fifteen have been trapped and caught so far, but lets hope its the last, now that the hole in the fire housing has been sealed.
Nicholas
The baby tree swallows have emerged at last from their nesting box... and somehow, the sculpture is an irresistible vantage point!
Thunderstorms have arrived today once again on the back of hot and humid air from the South.... great spats of rain coming down and occasional claps of thunder.
Its fabulous though to see such natural phenomena...
At the front of the house, the driveway has now been finalised and its a welcome addition to the property.
Later this year, we hope to add some big mature river birches... so lets hope we can find them!
Nicholas
The other day I spotted three baby woodchucks in the garden next door... delightful little creatures just emerged from the ground.
Spring has well and truly taken hold now, with glorious greens everywhere.
Our iris plants are looking astounding... and the peonies have dozens of buds.
The tree swallows are raising small chicks... but I've seen no sight of them yet.
Nicholas
The tree swallows have arrived! We have about ten or more of these beautiful birds swooping and flying about our garden: but they have found the nesting boxes we had placed on the fence and have made them their homes.
It has been a long time coming this spring... only today have the buds really begun to open and, last night, we had our first thunderstorm of the season. Brilliant white flashes of light across the hills and rain, pouring down.
But the wait is well worth it...
Nicholas
Last night I was able to photograph the full moon in all its glory and again this morning. Surrounded by a sheen of cloud it was a beautiful sight.
Last week a gorgeous rainbow grew above the skies to the South...
We have had huge swings of temperatures in the last ten days or so, ranging from a balmy 78 to a freezing 21 degrees.... snow covered the field behind us yesterday, but now it is melted.
The first of the many bulbs Judy planted last year are showing!
Nicholas
Along with the bulbs and the warmer, longer, daylight hours, has come the return of the redwing blackbirds. With the great expanse of open field behind our home, a natural nesting site, dozens return each spring...their song fills the early morning and early evening air with excitement and chatter.
Other birds, having found all of our feeders, are also joining us this spring...there are a robins, cardinals, a number of thrushes, juncoes, sparrows, goldfinches...
I am busily planning how to attract more hummingbirds, butterflies and songbirds with beds of wildflowers. While I will create a few structured beds...it is exciting to imagine great expanses of a clover lawn, interspersed with beds of brilliantly coloured native wildflowers stretching seamlessly to the stream, the field and the hills beyond.
This new landscape, this horizon we have gazed upon for nearly a year, is holding our hearts, our minds, our spirits with reverence and filling our lives with awe.
Judy
Meltwaters have gathered pace in the rivers and streams around here. Yesterday I walked with Misty around Beebe Lake in Ithaca, and the waterfall at the outlet was magnificent.
There are cautious signs of spring everywhere. Male red winged blackbirds sit on branches or other vantage points and sing with their wings outstretched to attract a mate; robins flirt and fly around each other; soft tips of spring bulbs push through the softening ground.
Nicholas
