Swan love has come full circle. We have had baby swans for about a week and they are such a joy to watch. In case you are wondering how far we have to go to get these pictures... the nest is just across from our kitchen window. This picture is from our backyard!
There are 5 little ones in the class of 2011. So far they have all survived and they are now one week old. They have already learned to come to people who are offering a slice of bread or a scoop of corn. We can't resist feeding them once in a while but we have not been the only guilty parties. They have attracted admirers from all around Little Silver Lake.
One of our favorite flowers ( and as you will see this summer we have many) is the bearded iris. Although they are not really native plants, which we strive for in the rest of our perennial gardening, their grace and beauty are reason enough for our enthusiasm. Still many more to open but we just have to share this picture. Our goal is to have a southern version of the most inspiring iris garden, Presby Gardens http://presbyirisgardens.org/wordpress/.
We have lots of housing opportunities this summer for birds of many sizes but our most popular is the Martin Condos. We have at least 5 pair of purple martins "renting " for the summer! Their songs greet us at daybreak and bid us goodnight at dusk. They are both beneficial and entertaining summer "bennies". For those of you unfamiliar with the term Bennies - It is a Jersey Shore slur for the likes of Snookie and her gang. Wiki says "Benny is a derogatory term used by year-round residents of the Jersey Shore to describe summer-only residents who descend upon the area from northern New Jersey cities and New York. It is often said to be an acronym for some of the places that the tourists come from: "Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, and New York" (hence B,E,N,NY).[1] " Now it applies to any non-resident during the summer months, when roads, stores, beaches, and restaurants are more crowded due to the influx of tourists. The term is predominantly used by year-round residents of the beachfront towns of Ocean County and Monmouth County. " At any rate we love our Purple Martin Bennies and hate the day they must return to their winter digs in Brazil. Talk about your world travelers!
We have some furry friends that find our backyard irresistible and one of them is Coco our standard poodle. She seems to think that flower beds mean a resting place for puppies. As you can see she loves our hardy geraniums!
