Time of growth

Spring is a time of new growth. This is clearly evident on the trail cameras. 
​One of the trail cameras was quite busy over the past week or two taking photos. The card was filled with photos of young bucks in velvet.

It also appeared to document an assault on one of those bucks. One frame shows a blurry image of larger buck moving toward a smaller buck.

Later frames show the smaller buck with a bloody horn.

It appears like one was broken off, but honestly I couldn't bring myself to look closely at it. It just seemed a shame that this little buck would become a "uni-horn" before his horns even really started to grow. However, that's just the nature of things.

Meanwhile in other deer news, as I lamented the loss of two fawns I was able to get a grainy photo of one mama doe with one fawn. Hopefully she will bring it closer to one of the trail cameras for a better photo.

While the honeysuckles and wild azaleas are pretty much done blooming,

​I managed to photograph one that was a darker shade of pink that was growing in a reclaimed strip mine.
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I am still a little confused as to whether the shrubs I knew as honeysuckles are in fact wild azaleas.

Adding to the my uncertainty is the fact that there are several kinds of wild azaleas.

​I believe the lighter wild azalea I see a lot of is the pinxterbloom azalea while the darker one would be the roseshell azalea.

Meanwhile, the rhododendron in my yard has had a colorful awakening.

​The bush was a draw for dogs and butterflies.

Nonetheless, the yard around the Applegate estate has seen the appearance of irises and columbine.

Meanwhile,  neighbor's pond has been visited by a mallard couple

The pond was also the scene of a steamy May morning.

Spring is usually the season of new life. However, there are times like with the lost fawns that it become a time of loss as well.

​That's just the nature of things 'round here.