This week I found 3 Bluebird young in #15 and five bluebird eggs in #20. Plus I found seven Chickadee eggs in #16.
Unfortunately, the baby bluebirds in the box in the yard are all dead. Maureen and I watched a House Wren go into that box a few times during the weekend while working in the yard. Almost certainly, the wren killed the Bluebirds and will try to build a nest in that box. Wrens also evicted Chickadees from boxes in the meadows. House Wrens are cheery birds, but I am always leery of them. Over the years, I have seen enough bluebird nests destroyed by their aggressiveness. What bugs me is that a wren will build a nest in a soup can on its side, but bluebirds are a little more picky about where they lay their eggs. My own advice would be: "That's nature."
Currently we have several different flowers in bloom at Mariton. The Showy Orchis is still beautiful. A walk along the River Lookout is the best place to see them (and you don't even have to go down the hill). There are places where they are almost in the trail. Farther down the trail, one can find the One-Flowered Cancerroot. Cancerroot is a parasitic plant without chlorophyll, so it taps into plants that photosynthesize. Sweet Cicely is in bloom along the trails. Robin's Plantain is in bloom in the meadows. Wild Geranium is blooming everywhere. In fact, one of the meadows is very pretty right now with a hill side of Wild Geranium, Perfoliated Bellwort and Mayapple blossoms.
