the linden trees that line many of the streets of minneapolis and saint paul are loaded with fruit right now. i am very fond of these tiny pea-sized fruits so delicately attached to their brightly colored ribbon bracts.

linden (tilia) tree fruits

community park, saint paul, minnesota

this is our first sample of honey and nectar from our bees that we have gotten so far this year. the cells above that are sealed are full of honey, and the open cells are full of nectar.  the bees are waiting for the nectar to evaporate a bit more before they seal it off to provide winter food for the hive.

honeycomb with nectar and honey from our backyard hive

saint paul, minnesota

a pair of dragonfly wings were all that remained.

found in our chicken coop

saint paul, minnesota

my husband laughs at me every time i come through the kitchen door lately. a simple run up to the local grocery for milk brought me home with milk in one hand and an armful of lilies in the other. then it was black-eyed-susans on the way home from eva’s soccer practice. and today i was buried in hydrangeas after a visit to my mom’s.  it’s high summer here in the upper midwest.  sun’s shining. time to make hay.

hydrangeas from my mom’s yard

saint paul, minnesota

the roadsides are loaded with these black-eyed susans. i sometimes assume that anything this prolific must be an import from somewhere else, but these sunny girls are native, and we love them.

roadside black-eyed-susans

saint paul, minnesota