Irene

Well, we survived the hurricane, yippee! There was minimal damage in our yard but our neighbor's mature pine came down taking out the crabapple behind it. I'm pretty sure both of those trees are his. So glad we had our leaning pine removed earlier this year. I really couldn't take another $1000 tree bill.

Poor gnome has fallen and he can't get up!

Hurricanes sure are nature's tree trimming service.

 I have never seen so many small branches and leaves in our yard.

Wishing that all my blog friends on the East Coast have safely weathered the storm and that your family and critters are happy and healthy!

My friend the wren...

I have the cutest little wren in my garden singing his heart out all day. I just learned that they make a bunch of nests to woo their female and she gets to choose which one she wants. This little guy has been filling this white birdhouse up for the last 2 springs but his lady friend never chooses it to have her babies. I was happy I was able to get a few photos of him today - one in flight, one with a bug and one singing. I learned that wrens aren't very interested in feeders but they are really good to have in your yard because they love to catch insects.





Also saw this gorgeous black dragonfly/damsel fly type critter. So glad I was able to take a photo!



And I know you would enjoy seeing that I captured my most recent nemesis - groundhog #2. This one was much smaller than the last, must be the female. She moved in two weeks after I caught the last one and has since eaten two bachelor's buttons, sugar baby watermelon plant, gladiolas, several lettuce plants, a hot pepper plant, 3 broccoli plants, a baby blueberry bush and the tops all almost all my zinnias. Of course the rabbit in the last post may have been her partner in crime. We shall see!

Wordless Wednesday - Yard Critters

50 old bricks + stone = no more pile of branches in my yard!