Beetle Bug

I have no idea what kind of bug this is. They are all over
our back porch at night and are attracted to light. Anyone
have a clue?

Our Fringe tree is in full bloom. The blooms are so pretty and
delicate. I wish it would look this way all year. Unfortunately
the little white fringes drop off and nothing but green leaves
are left.



Fringetree or Old Man's Beard is a beautiful, small tree when
it is in full Spring bloom. It can grow nearly anywhere in the
continental United States and it's white flower color kicks in
just as the dogwood blooms are fading.

The upright oval to rounded form of fringe tree adds dark
green color in summer, bright white flowers in spring. The
pure white, slightly fragrant flowers hang in long, spectacular
panicles which appear to cover the tree with cotton for two
weeks. As with other white flowered trees, they look best
when viewed against a dark background.

Iris Garden

The Birds & The Bees

Goldfinches enjoying a snack at our feeder.


One more shot of our bee colony from yesterday.

Swarm, Swarm!

I looked out our back door this morning and noticed a swarm of
hundreds of honey bees. I've never seen so many bees in one place
at one time in my life. They were swarming around an evergreen
bush near our garden and iris garden. I went in and grabbed my
camera. I took these shots with my long lens because I didn't want
to get any closer than I had to. I took this shot from our garage
door window. It was a pretty amazing sight!






Here's a close up of the colony. I sent these
pictures to my husband, Terry. He used to
work with a bee keeper, Bo Smith, at WWL
in Smyrna, TN. We used to buy honey from
him. Terry gave Bo a call and Bo said the
swarm will move on once the scout bees find
a new home for them. He suggested we call the
Smith County Extension office and they can
probably give us a name of a local beekeeper
who will come out and round them up for us
and set up a new hive. Terry is waiting to hear
back from them, so stayed tuned!

Update on our bee colony...Ronnie Bussell, a local
bee keeper here in Smith County came by the house
this afternoon with his bee keeping gear. By the time
he got here the colony had moved on. It was very
interesting talking to him about bee keeping and bees.
I was hoping the colony would still be here when he got
here so I could watch him work. Oh well, at least I can
mow now without fear of being stung :0)

Black Capped Chickadee perched in our Fringe tree

Dandelions And Your Health

Dandelions And Your Health

Interesting article about the benefits of dandelions. Check it out! They're not so bad after all.