6.13.2022

Sunday Sights ~ hay-n-butterfly season

It is hay sneezing season. We have been waiting for a dry stretch of weather for Brad to cut first crop hay. I've never seen our hay get this tall!

You could lose a dog in the field.




Jameson trying to run/leap above the hay

We have a few days of scorching hot stormy weather to get through (yuck!!) and then a sunny dry stretch is predicted. You know the saying, gotta make hay while the sun shines! We have a regular buyer eagerly waiting for our first crop. We are still feeding out last years hay, and will stock back up with second crop.




Leo helping Brad prep the hay bailer


It is also butterfly season. At least they don't make me sneeze! I've been enjoying various flutterby's, moths and dragonflies on my daily walks. Usually camera-less. 

Purple-spotted red butterflies are common. I spotted one at my front door on Saturday. As I approached, it flew up to the rooftop and decided to enjoy a light sprinkling rain.

Enlarge to notice the droplets.




The butterfly kept turning and turning around, while opening and closing it's wings. 





I began to wonder, what the butterfly was doing up there for so long. I found out when I looked at my photos. It gave me another thing to wonder about.


What is a butterflies long tongue called?

"Butterflies drink through a tube-like tongue called a proboscis. It uncoils to sip liquid food, and then coils up again into a spiral when the butterfly is not feeding."

I can never remember detailed names. I swear the Blue-spotted orange Purple-spotted red butterfly was looking right at me.





3 comments:

Linda said...

Beautiful hay! Are you going to have to charge more for it this year? We're still using up last year's hay, too. I'm curious to see what will happen with prices this year when we reorder. I hope they don't go up too much. Such detailed shots of the butterfly. Nicely done. Since you pointed them out, I have been noticing butterflies more around here, too.

aurora said...

Yes, we will be charging more for hay. Not sure how much of an increase. All of our first crop is done in large square bales, which we hire out. Fuel & Fertilizer has gone up dramatically. We heard those that waited in our area are having a hard time locating Fertilizer. Our bailer does small squares. Brad has been farming his whole life, and thankfully is proactive.

Glad you are enjoying flutterby's, they are so uplifting!

Val Ewing said...

The cost of hay has to go up, I cannot see it being cheaper at all. There will be quite a bit of downsizing of animals I assume.

hah! Charlie can't make his way through grass that tall! Love it, it is a good looking field.