Flora & Fauna

I took myself out for a spin this week to enjoy some of the beauty of Lonesome Lake.

Both the black flies and mosquitoes are horrendous right now, and I expect this to last until the second week in July.

Trillium

Lady's Slipper

Gaston and I went prospecting this week, and the lakeside motel we stayed at had an incredible lilac bush teaming with various bees and butterflies. It was utterly exhilarating to be a part of the activity including the scent of the lilacs, sounds of the insects and birds and two distinct calls of the spring peepers!

Can you identify the bird call?

When we arrived back home, we discovered butterflies hanging out on the beach!

This afternoon I plan to work in the bush garden which is thriving in this warm weather. Parts of it already need weeding and the spinach and carrots need to be thinned out. There are sunflower, herbs and more parsnip seeds to plant. I saved quite a few cosmos seeds from a previous year and will get into another flower bed.

I've checked on the garden a couple of times since we got home, and each time I am quickly surrounded by pretty thick clouds of biting insects. This is the worst year I have ever experienced! The mosquitoes are still able to bite through my screen jacket and through my clothes. The black flies are somehow finding their way into my pant legs that I have tucked into my socks and can even crawl up to my back. Ugh! About every 15 minutes, I have to go inside and catch a breather. It's also difficult to see through the bug netting when the sun is shining brightly.

As with may things, here in the bush, baby steps!

Ricky is very busy these days, so I haven't heard from him this week. He must be gearing up for fishers and organizing his minnow traps. Apparently, that takes a lot of effort! I expect that he will start showing up for home cooked meals any day now when he sees we are back home!

Have a great week!