It’s a jungle out there! Parts of my back yard become a jungle at this time of year. It’s a bit boggy because we have a small trickle of a stream that bisects our four acres. Skunk cabbage grows green and lush until August.

Vines wander.

Ferns abound.

And little black monkeys climb in the trees.

Yes, it’s true. Myrtle and the Fantastic Five visited the back yard yesterday morning. They figured out how to come over the fence. BUT, not only did they use my yard as as a jungle gym, Myrtle and one of the cubs were up on my deck! Too close for comfort—especially since only a screen door was between them and the furiously barking Alex and Hailey. In her defense, I did have a bird feeder hanging from the railing of the deck, which she knocked off into the yard below. So, no more feeding the birds from the deck.

P.S. Myrtle is much bigger when you are right up next to her rather than just seeing her in the yard. yikes. 

In my yard ...

These are like little “pygmy” iris. They are tiny.

The yellow iris I “borrowed” from a neighbor at the end of the street.

My neighbor, Terri, at the beginning of our little dead-end street, has a gorgeous cherry tree. I took a walk down there this week to visit it. Standing underneath its bloom-laden boughs was awe-inspiring. I found this poem which just about says it all.

Latter summer fall and winter,

I lie down in your remnants.

This is half of my back yard. The trees have not completely leafed out yet but they are working furiously on it. This is one of my flower beds (or maybe I should call it a rock garden!). [Note: all photos were taken this weekend.]

Above is part of the other half, and my big flower bed which will soon have a large variety of things taking their turn blooming.

With all these trees it figures that we get lots of different birds. Some of them are not residents of our mountain highlands and live a bit further south, while others live here year round. The red-bellied woodpecker is one of those residents. [Please don’t ask why they call it “red-bellied” when it’s obvious that it’s head is the only red thing on this bird.]

This male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (and the female, next photo) we only see occasionally.

One of my favorites is the Indigo Bunting which we only see coming to the feeder in spring. They are so bright blue you can’t miss them even when they sit in the trees!

Of course we gets lots of these pesky (but cute) creatures.

This is growing in the woods just off the big flower bed. It’s a kind of Jack-in-the-Pulpit. I consider the woods inside our fenced area to be “my yard” as well, so this counts.

Rick found this on Sunday morning as he started to plant the marigolds in the front flower bed. It’s a white morel! More on that story in a different entry ...

And last, but certainly not least, the newest repeat visitor to the front yard. Patch(es). As I drove in the driveway returning from a grocery trip yesterday, there she was laying in the same spot again. I think she likes it here. I managed to catch her on video as she was leaving.

I do hope you’ve enjoyed your tour of things found in my yard!

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! The word is finally out. Leaflets bearing the news are being distributed all across the townships and counties of New Jersey. Aided by the sun, wind, and rain, the leaflets are reaching a rapidly growing audience with their important news.

And what exactly do the leaflets say? Simple!

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