Hatched!!

  The bluebirds have to get busy now and they have help.  There is a power line above the nest box and they perch there to scope things out.  So today I saw three bluebirds on the line.  I have read that the young from the first nest of the season help raise the young of the second nest.  So I am guessing that this is the second nest for the bluebirds.  I am so nervous about disturbing them I can't get good photos but at least you can see that male bird has a worm. Yum!

  Also my cleomes are blooming.  They re-seed each year and help fill in my garden along with the four o'clocks.  I first saw these cleomes or spider flowers at Leamings Run Gardens down in Swainton, Middle Township.   On a tour, Jack Aprill, described the cost cutting practices they used in their spectacular gardens. He also promoted his views against using hummingbird feeders.  I guess from his perspective when you have twenty some acres and the ability to grow favored plants for hummingbirds, who needs to mess with sugar water feeders.  His family may have taken over the gardens as he was up in age.

http://www.leamingsrungardens.com/Hummingbirds.asp

   I took a four inch snippet of this plant from a friend and just threw it into my handbag.  When I took the shoot out to plant it, I found it to be badly battered and bruised.  I knew that it still had an excellent chance to root because the plant is related to the plant called a "wandering jew".  They will root so easily. Anythime you break a piece off and it falls to the ground, you will have a new plant started.  That happens with my prickly pear catus, also. When I get too close with the mower and a piece gets hacked off and then thrown a bit --you have got yourself a new plant.  So three weeks later the plant is thriving.

http://www.wanderingjewplant.net/

 Just researched the weed growing by my front door.  The leaves looked a little like watermelon leaves but this is no close relative and the recommendation is to get rid of this poisonous plant. This is the matching online photo. 

                    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_rostratum

This is the one by my door.  I read that Darwin was very much interested in this weed or specifically the flower of the weed.  I am going out right now to cut it down because the plant is poisonous, harms animals and produces burrs.  I thought I was going to see some tiny little watermelons.

And a REAL watermelon plant: