This was an amazing week even though I had bugs for breakfast. The mornings have been the perfect temperature for me to hike the trails. Rain fell on a couple of evenings. Water droplets formed on the leaves and dripped from the branches in the morning; making for a fantastic way to begin the day. 

The sights were great and so were the smells. Damp earth, fresh rain and an abundance of wildflowers in bloom made for an aroma paradise. There are honeysuckle, lungwort, violets, wild roses, blue eyed grass, wild strawberries and so many more flowers on the trail and in the woods. 
 

The swans have been putting on quite the show. They were not going to have anything to do with having Canada geese swim in the same pond so there have been a few scuffles and the swans always won. Last year at this time, the cygnets were already hatched. There is no sign of babies this year.

The dragonflies have been out in full force. That is a good thing because there are even more mosquitoes. The grass on the trail got mowed but earlier in the week, it was still tall and made for some great hiding spots for the little blood suckers. As I walked, they would swarm up toward my face. I couldn't breathe through my nose due to my allergies and breathing through my mouth in the middle of a swarm of mosquitoes made for some added protein. I think I swallowed about four of them this week. I'd rather have eggs for breakfast. I had to dig out the netting and put it over my cap to keep them at bay.

The best wildlife watching day happened at home. It began with a skunk in my backyard; looking for food. The tiger swallowtail butterflies were feeding on the lilacs. The American goldfinches were finally using the bird bath. A male ruby throated hummingbird visited the red coral bells in my flower bed. It flitted from flower to flower. The final sighting of the day was a white tailed deer that jumped the fence in my neighbors yard. The barbed wire fence behind my yard has been fixed so they are no longer able to squeeze underneath. What a great day for nature watching!

One does not have to go far to watch nature in action. A backyard or a local park can provide a nearby locale to view neighborhood wildlife, birds or insects. What have you seen near your home?