Not Quite Contrary

Well it's officially summer and the lovely not-so-hot weather is behind us, but it's making things go gangbusters in the garden. Having a garden is such a treat. Everyday there is a surprise waiting for me. Since I don't garden with a great amount of structure or organization, there are many surprises. I have no idea what many of the plants are that are doing so well. I am expecting some butternut squash to be quite productive, if that is indeed what I think it is. Hopefully this year will bring some lovely melons like last year. The tomatoes are pretty happy and I have three pepper plants that love their location away from all the other peppers. My African Blue Basil is huge, a regular bush the size of a hydrangea.
One of my disappointments is my tomatillo plant. It is doing so well and is bushy and full of blooms, but I believe it needs a buddy to help it produce.
I am happy that my giant (volunteer) sunflowers are blooming and beautiful and while they are shading two tomato plants with tons of dying fruit on them, the up side is that they are a cheery focus and are attracting lots of honey bees and birds. The birds like to munch a little but mostly on my flowers and the bees are helping to pollenate everything, so that is a plus. Hoeny bees are a rich commodity and not very abundant. I have heard there is some sort of disease plaguing them and I am checking to see what that is.
My nemesis, the Japanese Beetle is still a destructive force, but I think as soon as they finish reproducing, they will be on the way out, hopefully over to my neighbor's! They truly are the bane of any gardner's existence. I would rather have deer mow everything down than have holy leaves or buds that fall off before they can bloom because a beetle has destroyed it. At least with deer, you can't see what you're missing! You just have a root ball left, or headless stems, like my hollyhocks.

Whistle for Dinner Guests

I wasn't sure what to think when someone recently told me that she had gotten Bluebirds to come when she whistled, (you know who you are), but there seems to be something to it. On a lark, I decided to try it on my visits out to the mealworm feeder. Mimicing the Bluebird call I hear when they are visiting the feeder or calling to one another, I poured out the worms and stepped away each time. The first time Lloyd came when I whistled, I assumed it was a fluke. I figured he was simply nearby watching. Lately, I have stood for a few minutes listening and scanning the yard to make sure they are not around. Sure eneough, I whistle and here comes Lloyd with gusto, headed to the feeder, although he usually does a screching aerial halt and stops short to land on one of the other feeder hooks. As soon as I step away, he flies down to the feedere to honk down. He doesn't even wait for me to go completely away.

I guess even wild birds can be trained to some extent. If they can find the food source, they can remember to come back. Perhaps they can also learn other songs, even those performed by humans. Perhaps I am just nutso and he is waiting somewhere I can't see him and spies the worms from a distance with his awesome eyesight and comes to the feeder because he is desperately hungry. Perhaps I am over-analyzing and should just be glad they are coming at all. And I should be happy that my local service station/world's best fried chicken (I've been told, but I have never tried it, but it smells AMAZING) place stocks mealworms and keeps me supplied. (BTW, the place is called Mitchell's and if you live nearby, you should try it. Free advertising for my friends!)

So, don't forget to whistle while you work, or at least whistle while you fill your feeders!!! "SOUP'S ON!!"

Dude, Where are my Bros? (Panic Time)

A very unconventional group of babies fledged today. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since I named them after musicians, including two of the most notorious punk rockers in the music biz.

Rufous, Syd and Nancy fledged today at some time after 6:30 p.m. Most babies fledge in the morning, but these guys defied conventional wisdom and decided to leave in the pre-dark hours. This fledge was so sad because little Nancy was the last one left in the nest, which surprised me because I thought she would be the first to go. Watching her squawking in the nest all by her lonesome was pitiful. She seemed utterly distraught and unsure about what to do next. Mama and Papa seemed to have left her and were probably busy tending to her siblings. If you ever watched Looney Tunes, then you know the Foghorn Leghorn episode with the Ostrich: "The left me all alone, squawk!"

Unfortunately I don't have any idea what was going on outside the box. I would love to have known, for instance if they flew toward and landed on the back of my house like the first clutch. Maybe I can figure a way to mount a camera outside the nest for the future. I do know that Lloyd and Sylvia did not abandon Nancy. Lloyd burst back on the scene to bring a mealworm and take something away, although I am not sure what. He came, he dropped and he left and Nancy must not have been Jonesing too much for food because she left the mealworm behind. The babies could be heard outside the box and apparently, one of the parents periodically came to the hole with food because little Nancy got a little nutsy a couple of times. Sadly, I was away at dinner when the disc ran out and did not see her departure, but returned home to an empty nest. Well, empty, save for one of the unhatched eggs and a lone mealworm. I assume all is well and hope that my neighbors kept their monster half-ton (bird-killing machine) cat inside during the event.

I guess tomorrow morning I will find out the details and know whether or not they all made it out and stayed out safely. At least they have a safe haven for food and learning the ropes!