Seed Time

I started some cilantro in my Aerogarden, but will need much more. Josh would eat it with everything.

Taking stock of seeds. I have lots left from last year, as well as seeds I saved from pepper and squash plants. Here are non-GMO seeds from Annie's, Victory, Baker Creek, Pepper Joe, Penny's Tomatoes, Seed Savers' Exchange, Botannical Interests

Snow Day

Top picture 3:00 Wed. Bottom at 12:30 Thursday. Snow is about six inches deep with some drifts 3 feet high. Lots of wind and that may be why it did not accumulate on the porch cover. Ice is stuck to the window.

Dry Wetlands

I ran throught the Baker wetlands this week. It is almost completely dry. Compare the top two pictures with the bottom ones I took a few years ago in "A Tour of the Baker Wetlands" http://www.aihd.ku.edu/ponds/BakerWetlands.html

Maples

It's just a few days before the annual Maple Leaf Festival here in Baldwin City. Our yard has numerous maples and here are some that are changing. Great time of year!

Hot raccoon

This little guy showed up on my porch yesterday afternoon. Very unusual since raccoons are active at night. He may have been hot and thirsty, and was separated from his mother.

After sitting on the bench a while, he got down then scurried across the stone to the small pond where he drank for a long time.

He then climbed the cottonwood and went to sleep.

I thought he was snoozing when I zoomed in but when I looked at the picture on my computer screen, I realized that he actually had known I was looking at him the whole time.

Drought

Baldwin is like many other places right now--in the midst of a serious drought. We have many cracks in our ground, some so wide we're not letting the dogs run around in case they might step in one of the two foot deep crevasses (good thing we don't have horses). My gardens are doing well, however, because I mulched heavily and the ground is not losing moisture as quickly as the grassy areas.

My smaller, elevated butterfly garden is going strong.

All my "full sun" potted plants are now under the porch. Semi-sun plants don't even get morning sun and some of the shade plants are now inside. I was given the hosta in front but will wait until the weather cools to plant it.

Peppers are especially happy

Our big pond is down about six feet and we see more deer, oppossom and raccoon tracks every morning.

I picked a variety of peppers today. Also this morning, MSNBC news featured a story, "Heat, drought make for potent peppers." Lack of moisture causes the alkaloids to become concentrated, resulting in more intense flavors--and heat.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/48257563/ns/weather/

Wren Parents

We have a pair of adults wrens who nest in a bluebird box nailed to our screen-in porch. The eggs hatched and a baby peeks out from the box. The parents spend all day--and I mean all day--making a frantic chipchipchipchip cry. The babies are in the box so maybe they do this to coax them out?

Parent chipping on the porch step.

Parent chipping on the rail edge

Chipping by the pond

In the maple tree

On the bench