Took a bluebird trail tour at NBG on June 23. Baby bluebirds hatching!

With guidance from our Urban Ag Team, this spring I put in a native plant and pollinator bed in one of the triangles in my neighborhood. Looks good so far except for an aphid invasion that decimated half the butterfly weed and also attacked the baby milkweed I put in. Some of the plants were donated (thank you) and some came from our spring plant sale.

Walking around my neighborhood with trees on my mind, I’ve noticed some really striking examples of 1) root girdling; 2) good branch healing after pruning; and 3) well developed root collars.  

The blooms are pretty much spent now, but for the past several weeks they were filled with bees, mostly bumblebees.  

A Very rare flying pig has decided to nest in the 300 block of Burleigh Ave. It selected the stump of a redbud tree, in early July and started building its nest! Residents up and down Burleigh anxiously await what happens next.

Monarch activity is all around.