Spring Buzz

Photo Provided by Becky Nelson
The farm is absolutely abuzz with activity this week. After a short hiatus from writing, I found myself yearning to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, to share all the fun spring sights I have seen of late. As I drove by the blueberry patch this morning, I saw the resident fawn between the patch and the raspberry patch in the long grass of the hayfield. I wouldn’t have known he was there if he or she had not been standing up. Saw a little patch of reddish brown and was surprised to see the little deer and not a fox or a small dog. It is always a thrill to see the wildlife around here, even if they will threaten my crops in a month or two.

The hummingbirds are back, too. We have a male and a female, maybe repeat customers from last year. They buzz about the feeders and are great fun to watch. I witnessed the odd mating dance that I wrote of last year again this spring. The male looks as though he is on a wire or a pendulum, swinging up and back in an arc into the air, swooping toward the ground and into the air again. It is a treat and a privilege to see. We had some squabbles at the feeders last year as a couple of males chased each other around when both approached the feed tub at the same time. I haven’t witnessed any battles yet this year, so maybe I have only the one couple.

We have a fat woodchuck living just on the edge of one of the gardens. I just put the peppers into the ground in this section, and I hope the big fella doesn’t care for them. If he gets interested in the garden crops we will have a battle so I hope he moves on. She is interesting to watch as she peeks up from her hole in the stonewall and looks for trouble before coming out to munch. I am not fond of the big rodents as they can decimate a garden in a short bit, but for now, no harm.

We had six beehives delivered a few weeks ago before apple bloom. That has been a never ending source of fascination to me, watching the activity in the hives and in the blossoms of the apples and blueberries. Soon we will have raspberry blossoms and squash blossoms to keep them busy, but they have been buzzing all about to the wildflowers and the fruit blossoms. Watching them communicate outside the hive is amazing, with their dances and their patterns to tell the other girls where to go for good pollen and nectar sources.

Some is planted around the acreage, with much more to be planted in the next couple of weeks. The unusual weather patterns of very cool days followed by blazing hot days has made planning and predicting difficult, but as always we are busy bees ourselves, hoping for a good growing season and trying to head into late spring with a positive attitude. We are ever grateful to live where we do and not have as many severe weather events as some other parts of the country. As the lilacs fade and the days get warmer, we are looking forward to many evenings around the firepit and filling our bellies around the grill. Best wishes for your late spring and summer, too. Keep buzzing!