More Firsts of Spring

The other day a herd of deer (about 8) galloped through our back yard and when they were finished we noticed that one of Kathleen's "cup-and-saucer on a pole" yard decorations was a little bit worse for the wear. Apparently one of the deer's hooves hit the saucer, fragmenting it into a number of pieces, and taking a big chunk out of the cup--which nonetheless stayed attached to the pole:

The bumblebees have returned to the balcony. Despite the fresh coat of paint, they still insist on drilling perfectly cylindrical holes into the underside of the beams (you can see 4 such holes in this picture). The bees are also a bit messy about their work--note the brownish stuff splattered on the uprights under the two holes on the left. What they do with these holes is a mystery to me. I had hoped our critter problems would go away after we got the vinyl siding, but the balcony is still vulnerable. At least the squirrels are leaving us alone!

Finally on a happier note--the bottlebrush buckeye is alive!! I had gotten a small plant last summer from my friend, Tony Marcellino, Sr., and it survived the transplanting, a hot summer where all the leaves fell off prematurely, and the winter. I feared it was dead, but there is a lot of new growth and vigor. Tony passed away last fall from complications due to lupus. I am glad to have this remembrance of him. This picture was taken serveral weeks ago when the new leaves were in the process of unfolding.

Here is a picture of Tony last Spring by the large bottlebrush buckeye in front of his house. It is in full bloom with many "bottlebrushes".

Here is a close-up of a bottlebrush bloom: