Saturday, April 9, 2011

The Birds, and the Bees, and the Flowers...

The tree swallows returned today. There was a lot of swooping and diving to celebrate their arrival. Add to that the flash of bluebirds and much squabbling over the prime bird house locations. It seems that tree swallows are dominant and get first choice of a nest box. Bluebirds try to claim a box but they are no match for strong flying swallows. Even the little black capped chickadees got in on the ruckus. When it all sorts out each house will have a nest.



By afternoon the birds had settled down, but now there was a lot of buzzing in the garden. In the warm sunshine the crocus flowers were wide open to welcome visitors. The bees were delighted with this early pollen source.





What a tight squeeze this miniature iris was for this fat bee. He disappeared inside the flower, but then had to back his way out beehind first. Ed spent the entire day outside. I joined him at every opportunity. It was exactly the kind of gorgeous spring day we have been waiting for.

1 comment:

Beth at PlantPostings said...

Great photos of insects in the flowers! It's great to see the snow leaving your garden and the flowers taking over!