Friday morning, late May

Fleabane

At Roundtop, all the summer residents are now in place—the eastern kingbirds have returned to their favorite wires that extend over the grassy ski slopes, the eastern pewee calls from the tree tops.  A willow flycatcher calls, too, though no willows are in sight.  The warblers have mostly moved on, leaving the ovenbirds and wood thrush to carry their lovely summer songs through the forest.

Rainbow after rain

The spring wildflowers are gone, and the summer flowers are just getting started.  It looks as though I can expect a bumper crop of ironweed, also known as wild butterfly weed, this year.  Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the wild black raspberries.  That plant seems in short supply here this year.  I will have to look elsewhere other than Roundtop for some of those delectables.

My chickens have taken to going on expeditions during the days when they are out in the forest.  One day I came home to find no sign of them.  They wouldn’t come when I called them either, which really set me to worrying. But an hour or so later, they all came marching down the mountain together from someplace.  Yesterday they wandered down to my neighbor’s, as he has a tiny patch of grass they  apparently found irresistible.

I have yet to see any spring fawns, though the deer have largely disappeared, a sure sign the doe have fawns and are keeping them in hiding.  Summer is sneaking in at little at a time, day by day.