Bad Weeds, Good Weeds, Challenges

 Lots of rain this week - 1.5".  So the weeds had ideal conditions.  I was afraid that the pumpkin patch would be too wet to till, but I did it anyway.

 Typical present in the pantry.

I slopped thru the wet field and got the rows pretty well tilled.

 The half of the field that has been in for 2 1/2 weeks has pretty discernable rows.

 And you can even find some pumpkins in those rows surrounded by pigweed, ragweed, lambsquarter, and galinsoga.  They desperately need hoed but I had no time for that.  The other side of the field is just starting to show germination.

Can you believe that the new mower already has a flat?  I filled it, mowed and it was flat again the next morning.

 Some of the clover plots are getting taken over with weeds.  I sprayed several of them with 2,4D-B and I bush-hogged a couple of the other ones.

We continue to have a variety of cats showing up on camera.  Last week there was a relatively large tomcat in addition to the bobcat.

 This week we have a smaller one.

 It's ok.  Chloe the attack dog protected me from the threat.

 I've been seeing large prints - that's a D battery.  I wasn't sure if it was dog, coyote, bobcat or what.

 So I found this which has me pretty well convinced that they're dog prints.  Probably the German Sheppard that shows up on camera.

 This is, I believe, butterflyweed which is a variety of milkweed.

And, I believe that this is common milkweed.

There is an abundance of both which should be good for the monarch (and other) butterflies.

 The prairie plot with warm season grasses and various flowers.

There are several spots that should be monarch nirvana.

I put a strip of sunflowers in the middle of this field and they are up (along with a fine crop of warm season annual weeds).

This was one of the plots with an annual legume mix.  The legumes are in there somewhere with the weeds.

 For example.

 The driveway clover plot is over knee high in weeds.  It got sprayed.

 This is the pond field - the stand is hiding behind the trees in the background.  Somehow, a volunteer pumpkin showed up in the middle of this field.

More butterfly nirvana below the main field stand.

 Mowing may be my best weed control in these clover plots.

 Here's the barn field with the legume mix - the deer are already eating the legumes and leaving the weeds.

 Turkeys too.

 Put out my last bag of minerals.  Not sure if I will buy more.  Seems like the main frames are pretty well set by the 4th of July.

 Huge patch of wineberries.  They are just like red raspberries.  Not ripe yet - another week or two.

 Same story with the blackberries.  I don't enjoy them as much.

78 degrees.  That's downright civilized.

Bucks developing.

 Some pretty wide already.

The insects just pester these deer mercilessly.  I think that those are all flies on its back. Ticks behind the ears.

Fawns.

 And gobblers.

 Coyotes.  No bobcats this week.

And, the water heater might be on its way out.  I had a luke warm shower today.

Chronic Wasting Disease Article

There is a disease similar to "Mad Cow Disease" that is affecting deer and elk populations.  Here is an article describing some differences that have been observed by genetic type in whitetails.

QDMA article on CWD resistance

Fawns, Foodplots, Bobcats and Bucks

 So, it is that time of year.

I see more fawns each time I check the cameras.

Sometimes with Momma.

Sometimes off on a frolic.

 I haven't really tried to determine how many individuals there are.

So far, I haven't seen any obvious cases of twins.  Occasionally, I get a photo of a predator a few minutes after a photo of a fawn.

Apparently there had been enough rain over the last two weeks to get things germinated.  This plot had a legume mix and I added some sunflowers.  I can see some of the right stuff up but also many weeds.

This was a sunflower only planting.  It looks like the birdseed did pretty well.  I'm not planning to put up the deer tape to protect the sunflowers this year.  They're going to have to fend for themselves.

 Another field of legume mix.

Many of the pumpkins that I planted were up. Notice the deer print in the field - I didn't have the tape up yet.

 The largest pumpkins have the worst germination rate.  I'm hoping that they are just slow and will eventually fill in the rows.

Most of the rows weren't bad.  I only had 1/2 of the field planted previously.  I was back to finish the other 1/2 with pumpkins that have shorter times to maturity.

Unfortunately this is what the car was showing when I arrived.

 I got the rest planted but I was too cooked to finish tilling for weed control.  I did get the tape up.

 I'm not sure who's print this was in the field.  It was pretty large.  Dog, coyote, or bobcat?

There were several sightings like this one.  Large cat, bobbed tail, striped underside.

 Pictures not all that clear.

 But there were also pictures like this one.  Cat not as large, tail longer.

But some coloration like a bobcat (hard to see - click on photo).  Just a plain old house cat gone feral?

 And of course, the coyotes.

 They do seem to show up on camera 10 minutes after the fawns.

And the neighborhood dogs are out and about.  They were absent for awhile.

All these predators and we still see turkeys.

 The three amigos.

I can never get over what the ticks do to the deer at this time of year.  I'm not sure if those are ticks or flies on the back.

 The bucks are starting to show some antler.

 Some more than others.

 Sunrise.

Stretching.

This fella looks promising.

 Wow - that's quite a start.  Can opener shaped brow tine looks familiar.

Nice brows.

With kickers.

And the size of those bases.  Serious potential.

 I was gone for 2 weeks so who knows how much evaporated.  It's dry now.

 Before I planted at last visit.

78F after 8:00pm - it was hot.

I don't get out in short sleeves very often.