Early May in the backyard

The first week of May in my backyard has been absolutely brilliant! After a couple of weeks in which we received almost 14 inches of rain and it seemed that every day we were dealing with another storm, this week has been filled with sunshine and pleasant temperatures. Daytime temperatures have topped out in the low 80s and at night we've gotten down to the low 50s at time - almost unheard of for early May here when summer is often already in full swing.

In addition to the weather, it has been an interesting time around the yard for other reasons.

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are still passing through. Yesterday, I photographed this male at one of my feeders.

He was accompanied by two females. This one...

...and this one. I haven't seen any Baltimore Orioles in the yard yet, although I'm pretty sure I heard one calling yesterday.

This female Northern Cardinal was taking a break from the nest to grab a snack. We should be seeing young cardinals around the feeder very soon.

As always, there have been plenty of White-winged Doves around this week, but I've also had Eurasian Collared-doves, Mourning Doves, and even one Inca Dove.

May is magnolia month and the southern magnolias are in full bloom already.

May is also the beginning of daylily season and I have several in bloom. Others will be joining in later.

Butterflies like this Cloudless Sulphur love this old species canna.

The Monarchs seem particularly fond of the yellow cestrum. There have been several of these butterflies in my yard this week.

This sunflower shines down on a garden that is enjoying a gentle respite between spells of challenging weather.

The green anoles are happy.

And the goldfish are frisky. Yes, it must be "the lusty month of May" as Lerner and Lowe wrote for the musical Camelot long ago.

And I'm loving it!

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...

Poetry Sunday: Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney

My mother was a farm wife and a prodigious canner. She canned fruit and vegetables from the garden, even occasionally meat. But the best thing that she canned, in my opinion, was blackberry jam. Even as I type those words my mouth waters! Of course, before she could make that jam, somebody had to pick the blackberries. And that somebody was quite often named Dorothy. I think Seamus Heaney might have spent some time among the briars plucking those delicious black fruits as well, so he would have known that "Once off the bush the fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour." They don't keep; you have to get that jam made in a hurry! Blackberry-Picking by Seamus Heaney Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust ...

The Nature of Things

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