This was my morning reading spot in the vineyard. The vines are getting really tall and bright. As I was getting ready to head back to the house for lunch, I heard a distinct low, three whistles...another hoopoe.
I was so excited to recognize the call, but then it flew past me. So a second hoopoe sighting in the vineyard. I wonder if this is going to become common. Maybe I'll make it a goal to try to snap one's photo...but if you've ever tried to photograph birds, you know how cooperative they can be.
When I got home, I noticed gross aphids all over my rose buds, and the snails (who were my patio friends) were starting to cause some trouble in my hydrangea. A few quick remedies: I washed off the aphids with soapy water and relocated a spider hoping he'll decided to get comfortable in the rose bush to keep the aphids away. Then the snails got evicted to the front side of the barn between our house and the street and coffee grounds spread in the hydrangea and geranium soil. I liked them when they clung to the patio walls, but their goo was getting all over the leaves and causing root mold and the hydrangea couldn't handle the extra weight hanging on their undersides. Sorry snails.
