Wordless Wednesday

Harvest Monday - Hazelnuts

Several years ago I was sent some hazelnut trees from the Arbor Day Foundation.  I planted them initially in my perennial bed but moved them last year to one side of the wood shop.  
I never thought I would see hazelnuts.  They never seemed to be more than a green shrub.  This year one of them had blooms and now I have had a hazelnut harvest.  I hope the squirrels don't discover them.

We've tasted them and they taste fine.  Sarah says we need to roast them because that's how they sell them in China.  I'll let her try that.

Here's the second harvest on Friday.

And from the vegetable department: tomatoes,

 green Cherokee purple to see how they ripen inside,

and peppers with two Market Miracle tomatoes that keeps producing!

See other harvests at host: Daphne's Dandelions.

Volunteers

I know you have them in your yard - volunteers!  Those trees and plants that appear on their own and you don't have the heart to pull out.

Here are four that I face a decision about.

First, some sort of squash.  I let a previous volunteer grow and even transplanted it.  It produced a fruit which when cooked was tasteless.  This one I have no idea what it is and I'm leaving it for now because its green and fills in a spot in the perennial garden.  It won't last past the first frost.

 This one is growing out of the compost bin.  Is it a cucumber or melon?  It won't last long where it is.

 This volunteer red bud tree came with a bleeding heart from my mom.  I've left it here in this corner of the perennial bed but now I realize it needs to find a new home.  But where is the question?  It truly likes it here where it's growing.

 This volunteer cedar tree is growing in the liriope near the pond.  I've transplanted other mini cedar trees to a miniature garden in a pail but none of those survived.  This one has gotten too big to do that and is getting too big to stay where it is.  Where to put it?

Friday Favorite

It's liriope time! Most of the growing season this is a nondescript edging plant but come August it sends up its spikey lavender blooms to say "I'm here! Notice me!"

So I've taken notice and designate the liriope as the Friday Favorite for this week.

Not Totally Wordless Wednesday

"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit

the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."

-- Maya Angelou 

Oops!  So I posted this on Thursday!  Where  did Wednesday get to?

Bold Visitor

Can you see her?  She's just on the other side of the screen porch.

Eating the liriope!

Watching her fawn flee and then following.

Joining Our World Tuesday.

Harvest Monday

 Prize length cucumber.

 More basil than I know what to do with.

Picking tomatoes green and letting them ripen on the counter.

Other harvest may be viewed at

Daphne's Dandelions.

Friday Favorite

I know Black-eyed Susans are known as Rudbeckia and that there are lots of varieties.  But I much prefer Black-eyed Susans because all of the ones I have came to me from others and who knows what variety and they are a tad different.  At this time of year they can be counted on to be in full flower and be a favorite.

Here they are with a note if I can remember about who gave them to me or how they got to growing where they are.

At my front door there is this very large stand of yellow faces.  These came with me from my old house when I dug up some lilies of the valley that had been at my husband's grandparents home and transplanted to our old home.  I wasn't going to leave them behind when we built this house so when the time came to plant them (three years after we sold the old house) I went back for the lilies and got the Black-eyed Susans in the bargain.

This group was given to me by my friend, Marcy who is also a teacher.

This group came from someone in the church choir I do believe.

 This group came from the former church choir director.

 This group is self seeded from another bed.

 This group got transplanted with the iris which came from the church Peace garden.

 Another volunteer sowing.

They are still volunteering all over the place and I hate to pull them out.  I know the ground hog helps to control them as does the rabbit.  If I plant them farther afield and don't treat them with Liquid Fence, the deer will mow them down.  I will undoubtedly find more places for them because after all they are a favorite.

If You Sit Still Long Enough, They Will Come!

Or at least you hope they will!  I am not the best photographer and don't have the equipment that allows me to super zoom in on the birds, but yesterday I spent some quiet time on the deck watching the bird antics.  Finally I decided to get the binoculars and the camera and managed to capture these shots.

 Goldfinch.  

The shot I wish I could have captured is the goldfinch perched on the black eyed susan nibbling on the flowers.

 Sharing the bird feeder.

Is that another kind of finch?  They love to eat the blossoms of my Autumn Joy sedum.

 Tufted titmouse.

The shot I wish I had is the titmouse working to open the sunflower seed grasped in its feet.

 What is that woodpecker making the racket in the woods?

 Is it a flicker?

 It never visits my feeders and its a rare sighting around here for me.

 Can you make out this little darling?

 Does its bill give it away?

 Silhouetted on the feeder sitting up straight.

More relaxed after a good drink.

The shot I wish I had is of the battles between the hummingbirds over feeding rights.

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday.