Spring Pictures From the Homestead
This is our first spring on our new property. Last year this house went on the market in mid June and that was the first time we ever saw it. By mid June, all the fruit trees were bearing fruit. The lilacs were almost done blooming. I was so curious what this place would look like in the spring; I could just imagine all the fruit trees filled with beautiful blooms.
Well, this spring I was thrilled to see bright colored tulips popping up all over the property. I especially loved seeing our orchard filled with flowering trees. It is so beautiful! Now that we have honeybees, the trees are always buzzing with the sound of bees busy at work. All the apricot and pear trees have beautiful white blossoms.
A few weeks ago we planted two apple trees in the orchard. These trees have lovely pale pink flower blossoms.
We also have a crab apple tree that produces gorgeous bright pink blossoms.
Spring in Montana can be quite unpredictable. Last week it was in the 60’s and sunny one day and it snowed the next day. Yes, you read that correctly: snow in the middle of May! We woke up to a heavy snowfall. It covered the ground, trees and vehicles. It was 36 degrees outside but the snow didn’t melt when it hit the ground. By noon it warmed up and the snow melted. Needless to say my morning gardening plans were postponed that day!
This week we were graced with a visit from a gorgeous Swallowtail butterfly. I usually only see them around here in the summer when it is warmer. Little A and I were outside playing when this beautiful butterfly flitted over to the lilac bushes and pansies right next to us. It was a beautiful sight to see. Little A was mesmerized! Luckily I just happened to have the camera outside with me so I could snap a few pictures of this beauty.
Last year when we first visited this property, we noticed several Killdeer on the property. I had only seen Killdeer near water before so we were surprised to see them living on the property. They disappeared by mid to late summer but returned this spring. While working in the garden yesterday, one of the adult Killdeer was displaying her broken wing act. I know from reading about Killdeer on my favorite birding website that an adult Killdeer will pretend to have a broken wing to distract a predator towards them and away from their offspring. I quickly noticed a little fluff ball only a few feet from where Little A and I were working in the garden. It was a baby Killdeer! It was scrunched down not moving. At first I thought it was dead, but once Little A and I moved away to give them some space, the baby Killdeer hopped up and ran over to be reunited with the parent. What an amazing sight to see!
This spring there were quite a few Sandhill Cranes flying over our property. We could always hear their distinct bird call before we ever saw the actual birds. We noticed they occasionally landed in the field across the road to feast. Unfortunately they were too far away to get a decent picture. We did watch them with our binoculars which was amazing to see them up close and not just flying quickly overhead.
Spring on our new homestead has been amazing. We are so thrilled to have found this property. It is a lot of hard work fixing up our neglected house and property but well worth the effort!
This post shared on: Homestead Barn Hop, HomeAcre Hop,
Wow, what beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing at the homeacre homesteading blog hop! Feel free to stop by (www.PintSizeFarm.com) and submit again this week 🙂
I love Spring season. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures of your homestead. I’ m just waiting for more pictures of your homestead. Keep Sharing. 🙂
Thanks.