Indigo Buntings

Yesterday there were indigo buntings outside the east windows. I first noticed an otherwise unremarkable bird that had a blue chest. I kept looking as it hopped and changed angles, and I wasn't wrong. Then it was joined by one that was blue on top. Definitely not bluebirds -- those have red chests. These were dark blue. I had let the weeds on the east and north just grow, so there must be tons of seeds for the birds. The hummingbirds are around, too. I hope they are eating Japanese beetles, but it wouldn't seem so.

Meanwhile, I have kept the rest of it mowed -- mostly just to the south of the house and down at the mailbox. If I were truly mowing eveything, it would take more than twice as long. This summer I am mowing once a week for about an hour and a half. That's doable.

I'm also planting up the west side, mostly daylilies, and edging the south side of the house with mulched daylilies and bricks. I think I will lay a sidewalk along that, so I can walk past the flowers without having to walk in wet grass. Also it will reduce the mowing by a trifle. I dug up volunteer butterfly bushes from along the edge of the new driveway. I didn't know they self-seeded!