Thursday, May 11

Daily Farm Photo: 5/11/06


Butterfly Conference

Lamb Report: Number of bouncing sheep so far today: 0. Slight pause in bouncing sickness epidemic attributed to one of two things: 1) Lambs so water-logged (from yet another rainstorm) that lift-off is physically impossible to achieve. Or 2) Lambs don't want to leave the ground because I put everyone in a fresh pen filled with tall, lush grass this morning, and bouncing would mean missing out on biting. There is nothing quite so pleasant as the sound of 64 happily (and frantically) munching mouths. (Leopold The Ram is in Solitary. He is munching, but not happily or frantically.)
Current Lamb Count: 21.

10 comments:

  1. Glad to see the butterflies are back. I have hummingbirds at the feeder. I have planted native bushes and flowers for both this year.

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  2. Oh your picture is so pretty, I love them. I also have had the hummingbirds finally after a long winter, they arrived on May 7th this year.

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  3. Those are beautiful butterflies. I have never seen that kind in my part of Texas. I have a few hummingbirds at my feeder which is hanging very close to my red bird feeder. The twin baby birds, a boy and a girl, and made it to the feeder and are drinking out of the hummingbird feeder. Mom and Pop haven't told them not to do that. So, I guess it's okay.

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  4. Wow I love the butterflies:) Everytime I see a butterfly it is like my Grandmother is saying hello:) she adored them and so do I:)

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  5. Amazingly beautiful! I love butterflies. Thanks for posting them as in Maine we won't have any for a little while yet.

    Those lambs are too funny! We must have a picture of bouncing lambs when they dry out and get back from their salad bar. They just crack me up.

    Felice, Portland, Maine

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  6. They're so pretty! Lovely flutter-byes.

    So what did Leopold do to end up in solitary?

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  7. Wow those butterflies are beautiful.
    I too want to know what landed Leopold in Solitary. :-)

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  8. Hi Fischtayl Farm,
    I love hummingbirds. I'm embarrassed to admit I bought a feeder about 9 years ago and still have yet to install it anywhere. It's partly a matter of putting it somewhere so that it doesn't turn into a combo bird/cat feeder--you'd be amazed where these farmcats manage to get to.

    Hummingbird feeders can get addicting, too (for the feeder). There was a lady near the first farm I lived on who had something like 22 feeders--and she was refilling them two or three times a day!

    Hurray for you for planting bushes and flowers for the hummingbirds and butterflies. : )

    Hi Candy,
    Another hummingbird lover! I'd have to look back on my garden blog to see when I spotted the first one--(my plan for keeping track of things is working! : ) I know it was in the greenhouse. And so was the second (and only other) one I've seen. I think they're going after the potted sage plant which I let bloom--it is huge and covered with beautiful flowers.

    Hi Mary Lou,
    And another hummingbird feeder! They really are the most incredible birds to watch. I just love them--and I am starting to feel pretty lame about not having ever put my feeder up. Pretty cute about your twin baby birds stealing hummingbird food. : )

    Hi Stephanie,
    What a wonderful reminder of your grandmother to have with you wherever you go. There is something so special about butterflies. The other day one managed to get caught in a tiny space between the "window" in one of the henhouses--two layers of dense chicken wire. I have no idea how it got in there, and it had no idea how to get out. It was so sad watching it frantically fluttering around trying to escape. And there was nothing I could do.

    Hi Felice,
    Sounds like I am going to have to learn how to use not only the sports/action setting on my camera, but the mini movie making feature as well so I can show everyone just what Bouncing Sickness looks like. : )

    Hi Sunidesus & Empress Melissa,
    Well, Leopold has been in Solitary for a while now. He just started getting a bit too rammy with me. Okay, more than a bit. He rammed me out of the blue, knocking me down, and it was getting to the point where my fear of having it happen again (the time before he got me in the abdomen and it took a month to stop hurting) was so intense he could sense it and it just made him rammier. Yes, I can be a wimp. But you really have to be careful around animals. They are so much more powerful than we often give them credit for--like the little lamb who got me in the mouth the other day. This is why I don't have cattle--I'm terrified of them. Plus they are just so much harder to handle. I mean, I can catch up most of my sheep by myself if I need to. But there's no way I could wrap my arms around a full-grown cow and then flip her on her butt to give her a shot or something. : )

    But I digress. Leopold is actually a very good ram with a nice disposition. I mean, they really can't help the ramming thing, and usually they do it for a reason (upset about something, feeling weird from weather changes, etc.) and not just to try and kill something (like me).

    And so, since he's done with his One And Only Job for the year, there was no reason to keep him out with the rest of the flock. Many people keep their rams separate except during breeding season. I just know he was happier being with other sheep.

    He actually will be relocating soon, as we've used him for breeding the last three years, and since we're holding back his daughters, we need a new ram this fall. I'm hoping to find a very good home for him very, very soon.

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  9. Hi Farmgirl,

    Beautiful photo! I wonder what those butterflies are discussing? Maybe at what altitude to fly in order to avoid the bouncing lambs!!

    Have a great day...

    Bruno

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  10. My dog loves chasing butterfly's shadows and they seem to love making her do it :)

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