Wild Bergamot

The Wild Bergamot is blooming and its an indication that the days of summer will soon become fall. When I was young it was a sign that summer vacation would soon be over and school would be starting.



Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), also known as Horsemint, Bee Balm, Mint-leaf Bea-balm, is a round cluster of individual tubular flowers.



Bees, butterflies and other insects work quickly to gather nectar from the short lived individual flowers that soon drop off the flower head.



Most of the individual flowers have dropped off this head which will turn brown as the seed develop.



Developing seed head.

Chanterelle Mushrooms

A few years ago I started looking for Morel mushrooms but didn't find too many in this area so I started looking for other edible mushrooms and soon found a couple of patches of Chanterelle mushrooms growing near our house. For many years I just mowed over these mushrooms and then found out Chanterelle mushrooms taste great. Two years ago we had a bumper crop but last year was dry and we didn't get any Chanterelle mushrooms. We've had some heavy rain in the past weeks and I've only found a couple of these mushrooms so far...



After a close inspection of our Chanterelle "hot spots" we may be in luck this year. I have found lots of very small Chanterelles just breaking through the ground.

Blue Mushrooms

We are now into the middle of Summer and some of the recent heavy rains have brought some early Indigo Milk Cap (Lactarius indigo) mushrooms. The Indigo Milk Cap gets its name from the deep blue "milk", or latex, that oozes when the mushroom tissue is cut or broken. This is one of a very few blue mushrooms and is delicious when sliced and cooked in butter.



I know of 4 locations on our property where I find these blue mushrooms and all of them are at the edge fields next to white pine trees. This "button" of a mushroom will be ready to pick in a few days.



This large blue mushroom wasn't here a couple of days ago when I mowed this field. I might let it spread its spores for the next crop.

Supper Time

I was returning home from our cabin in the early evening when I saw some deer grazing next to the cabin driveway. As I watched the deer, a fawn suddenly came out of the woods, ran up to a doe and started feeding.

Great Blue Heron

As I've been driving by our pond, I've been playing a game of "peek-a-boo" with a juvenile great blue heron. Most of the time the blue heron wins because it takes off as soon as I see it. I know it will return as soon as I leave because it will fly to a tree a couple of hundred yards away and watch me.



Occasionally, later in the day, when the blue heron is hungry, it has to choose between staying and looking for its next meal or move on to the trees or next pond.

Cooling Off

The temperature pushed into the upper 80's(F) today and I observed several of the neighborhood deer in our pond at the cabin getting a drink and cooling off.

Sweet Peas

Ever since we have owned our barn property there has been a small patch of flowering Sweet Peas growing along the driveway. I have avoided mowing this area and each year during the mid-summer the Sweet Peas start blooming.



This variety of Sweet Pea (Lathyrus latifolius), also known as Everlasting Pea, is a perennial that is native to Europe. I'm not sure if this patch of Sweet Peas were started by the prior owners, but this species is often considered to be a weed despite its attractive appearance. I'll just keep mowing around it.

Bullfrogs

I was checking the small stream behind our house for damage from this week's heavy rains and I found this bullfrog enjoying this newly formed waterhole.

Don't fence me in

I was driving along Joyce Road when I noticed this fawn in the neighbor's pasture. The fawn had got inside the pasture and was looking for a way to get through the electric fence.



After a while the fawn was able to escape and return to the nearby woods.

Something is eating my Raspberries

I've noticed a lone turkey in the field below our barn several times in the past weeks and now I know why, its been eating my raspberries. I've seen the turkey near the barn and garden several times before and thought the bird was just passing through the area to get to the corn field behind the barn. As I waited at the barn with my camera ready to get a photo as the bird passed I noticed the bird head directly to the raspberry patch in my garden. I have an electric fence around the garden to keep the deer out, but it doesn't keep turkeys out.

Fawns in the Grass

This year's fawns are showing up all over the neighborhood. I caught some movement along the side of the road and found these two camouflaged in the tall grass.



As I waited along the edge of the road their curiosity got the best of them and they moved closer to me.





I found another fawn along the edge of the road having lunch with its mother. The flies are very bad this time of year as can be seen by the dark areas on the mother.



A doe and two fawns looking for a late evening meal.

Local Flooding

It was sunny this morning, but it started raining around 10:00PM last night and by daybreak we had recorded 2.66 inches of rain with our weather station. This was a large amount of rain but north of us a few miles they received over 5 inches of rain which caused Wysox Creek to flood the town of Rome. At 2:30PM we receive an additional 0.56 inches of rain to bring the total to 3.22 inches of rain, with more rain showing up on radar.

From WNEP.com - Flash Flooding in Northeastern Bradford County

Some of my photos:

Storage sheds along Wysox Creek were relocated





Wysox Creek at Bliss Road



Flooded lawns in Rome



Major damage at McGuire's



Seven Hills Trailer Court was flooded. The high water mark is located by the garbage can.



Outside of Rome many corn field were flattened.

Fawns and other Deer

This year's new fawns are now 4 to 6 weeks old and starting to be more socially visible with the other deer in the neighborhood.



One of these fawns is nursing as the second fawn watches me.



Still nursing as a second doe watches.



In another area of the neighborhood I found these two fawns watching the traffic on the township road.



This pair of fawns brought a buck for backup support.



Not sure if the buck is their dad, big brother or just a friend.

Lightning

A thunder storm passed through the neighborhood today around 4:00PM while I was mowing the lawn at our barn and I was forced to seek shelter in the barn until the storm pasted. During the storm I heard the loud thunder of several close lightning strikes but didn't know the exact location of the strikes. About an hour after the storm passed I was driving along the township road and noticed damaged bark on a hickory tree next to the road. I thought something had run into the tree but found a band of the bark had been removed from the base of the tree to the very top. The tree had been struck by lightning.



Not all of the bark had been removed from the tree but it formed stripe that twisted around the tree.



Some of the missing bark over 20 feet above the ground.

Reed's Check-up

Another big day for Mr. Reed, our grandson, as he starts his day with a healthy breakfast. He's now 10 months old and time for a visit with the doctor for a check-up.



At the doctor's office, killing time in the waiting room with mommy.



Still waiting for the doctor... selfie with grandpa. (I now have 4 teeth)



Go to examining room #4, take your clothes off and wait for the doctor.



These scales can't be right... are you sure?



Check my length... I feel like a bass at a fishing tournament.



Checking my knowledge container...



Checking the ears...



Time for a blood sample.



Time for a shot and we are done. Everything looked good and we will see you again in September.