The weathered old wren box sheltered another family. Ma and Pa took them off the nest after spending weeks of hard work running into the undergrowth for insects. Maybe Pa Wren will leave us alone when we sit on the screened porch. The Robins showed the kids how to fend for themselves, and started building a second nest. The Crows are more family oriented and the kids sort of never move out. The kid-Crows explore the neighborhood for food and once ate nightshade berries … the next morning one was truly ill and bawling for mom or dad. The adults have figured out how to get the suet feeder off the post and enjoy a leisurely meal on the ground.
We spotted a Tree Sparrow working furiously to feed a chick three or four times its size! It was a Cowbird chick whose mother pawned an egg on the Sparrows. For millennia Cowbirds foraged on the ground, often following Bison herds that stirred up insects. This nomadic lifestyle made nesting difficult, so the females adapted by laying as many as 36 eggs per season in the nests of other birds.
The farmers are bailing the first cutting of hay, and roadsides are blooming with Queen Anne’s Lace and spindly-looking Sweet Clover. Both were introduced by Europeans and spread across all the country. They can be a nuisance, but are dearly loved by honeybees and native bees. Things aren’t always black and white.
Our June 26 full moon was known as the Strawberry Moon by the Anishinaabe when wild strawberries ripen. However, the Natchez in Mississippi call it the Watermelon Moon. Maybe swing by the grocery store to get a watermelon and some strawberries, and sit out back after dark enjoying the fruits of the moon. And the July 29 full moon is the Raspberry Moon.
Check out the Stillwater fireworks show … but use bug spray. Mosquitos have emerged and many are carrying West Nile virus. Happy 250th Birthday!