Peach Blossoms and Buzzing Bees

The two peaches in our front yard are in full bloom. Their pink blossoms fill the yard with a delicate, sweet fragrance.

The creaky old peach is as full of flowers as the much younger tree. The carpenter bees zoom by my ear as they move quickly from one flower to the next. The honey bees by contrast are slow and deliberate.

The carpenter bees live and nest in the sunny gable end of our house. They burrow into the eaves, which is probably not so good for our house. But the bees are such vital pollinators and important members of our yard community that I'm willing to share our space.

If the peach trees can weather the vagaries of the season then we should have a banner crop in August. Other plants and animals are springing forward. The frogs and toads are racing against the drought to mate and lay eggs with enough time for the tadpoles to reach adulthood before the pools dry up. Tree frogs are calling from the red maples behind our house. We also watched a broad-winged hawk carry a stick to a thicket of tall trees; we hope they build their nest and stay.

On a walk yesterday morning through a nearby conservation area we listened to a grouse drumming. Yellow-rumped warblers, ruby-crowned kinglets, and hermit thrushes are here in droves. We heard toads trilling from wet spots--I say wet spots because the wetlands are so dry. The gorgeous yellow flowers of marsh marigolds are in full bloom as are the shadbush. It all seems so early.

The sugar snap peas are an inch high. I finally finished the pea fence and now need to put up the full garden fence before the deer find the tender shoots. At this time of year I squeeze my work in between gardening. The weeds are speed growing in this warm weather, soon the lawn will need mowing.