There are hundreds of Paw paw flowers on the trees this year.

Some years a few of them make it, but most years, the flowers just drop; or they start to fruit, then inexplicably disappear. I'll be anxious to see what happens this summer.

Mama 'coon lounging in one of the nest boxes

(photo by O)

O also photographed these tree trunks.

But wait. There's more.

Swarming honeybees! NPR's science correspondent, Robert Krulwich, did a marvelous piece on bee beards, dancing, and politics. Give it a listen.

Black Locust flowers, the sweet scent wafts about the yard... mmm.

Nannyberry flowers

Blue Dogwood flowers, another lovely scent--my favorite--smells fresh, sweet, and a bit lemony.

I've photographed these Treehoppers before, but never so early and so tiny. Here they're settling in on a Wafer Ash for the summer.

There's been a good bit of goose action across the river.

We finally got a peek at the goslings. We were quite surprised to see 3 broods last weekend, two with 2 goslings and this one, with 4. Canada Geese have been territorial in the past and three families sharing the riverbend is unusual.

There's a lot of frog action at the pond.

Tadpoles

Just hangin'.

Frog toes

Lily is obsessed with prowling the pond's edge and stalking frogs. She doesn't stand a chance of catching them, though, they're very wary.

We see Snapping, Painted, Soft-shelled, and Red-eared Slider Turtles on the river throughout the summer, but haven't observed any residents or reproduction at the pond, until this Spring.

A Red-eared Slider, I think (correct me if I'm wrong), barely bigger than an American quarter.

Live long and prosper, kiddo.