This Kestrel  quickly left its distant perch after I stopped the car on Hwy 529, near Big Lake:

Here is a new, introduced pest, the Harmonia axyridis , [not to be confused with our native “Ladybug”].  The above article gives a very good summary of the introduction of this beetle into North American agriculture but neglects to say that the cause of the demise of the native ladybugs was due to huge applications of organophosphate and organochloride pesticides (eg parathion and DDT) in post WWII North America.  Now pesticides  for the control of these Asian beetles is on the market.

Some of the blueberries, especially the parched ones are starting to ripen.  We hope that the recent rainfall will keep them  going until the next rainfall.  We need another month of beneficent weather for a good crop.

Bluet Damselflies are still abundant.

And the watershields are blooming in different spots.  (influenced by water temperature and light?)

This year I’ll try to follow these to eventual seed production:

A fence post scene that I often photograph in the winter:

I thought that I’d document this work by the roadside “weed” mower in case I get into a discussion with the “officials” supervising his work.

[It might be easier to “relocate” some more plow markers to this corner … only to guide the snowplow of course!]

Those milkweeds are usually a good spot to see Monarchs and Clearwings.  Not so this year.  No Monarchs butterflies, one Monarch Caterpillar.  Lots of Clearwings for two days.  Now lots of bees and Asian beetles (confused with ladybugs).