Bee Update

Can you find the Queen?
Our beekeeper was here yesterday to tend the hives, looking to see if there were active queens in each hive.

This queen gets a yellow dot to mark her as this year's queen.

Newspaper separates bees from different hives that are put into one hive.

By the time they chew through the newspaper they all smell the same and are sisters!  The beekeeper cuts a slit to help them get started chewing through the newspaper.

The ox-eye daisy is a favorite of the Foulkeways human population, but the bees and butterflies are not impressed.  Unfortunately their favorites were killed by the lawn spraying.

In the Neighborhood

Some of the beautiful flowers in my neighbor's garden.

And another.

The birds alerted me to this - that's a red-tail hawk who has just caught a squirrel.  The picture was taken with my pocket camera.

Today's Sightings

The first butterfly I saw was this American Lady in my garden.  Later I saw six or more near the Loop Trail near the wetland to be.

This Dames Rocket is blooming behind the meadow near the edge of the woods.

The Red Admirals were everywhere in abundance.

This green frog was on the edge of the "pond" near the wetlands to be.  There were green frogs in almost every puddle on Perimeter Road.

I saw only one Question Mark.  This is the black form, later they will not have the dark shading on the upper surface of the back wing.

Summerhill Preserve

Today three of us from Foulkeways travelled to Summerhill Preserve in Willistown Township, Chester County.  We joined other Natural Lands Trust members for a walk on the preserve, which is only open by special arrangement.  Here we were walking in the woods.

We walked by this vernal pond, but did not hear any frogs, but many birds.  That's skunk cabbage in front.

We also walked by open fileds and heard our leaders discuss meadow management.

Here we are headed back for lunch.

We got to meet at least two of these wonderful dogs.

Bird walk

Ruth Pfeffer leads a bird walk in memory of Ruth Zumeta.

Ruth leading on th Maris Trail.

We saw a bluebird, and Ruth identfied and heard many other birds.

Sakes Alive! Snakes!

This tangle looks like three garter snakes in the rocks.  I can see three tails.

Here are two, but you can see one head.  Garter snakes are good for the ecology by keeping pesky voles in check.

This is a rattlesnake weed, which is really a lovely flower of the woodlands, related to hawkweed.

Out Today

How do you know when something is about to happen?  They bring in the construction module and porta-potty.  Work is beginning on the old post office, which will become a Foulkeways residence.

There was a truck and a man with a machine, which was converting those tree rounds into firewood in the picnic woods.

A sign in Spanish to say do not cut this grass.  This is an area which is now no-mow, or rather once a year mown lawn.

Finally!  I saw a bluebird on the box in the meadow.

Our lovely Japanese garden.