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.