The most popular hangout for egg laying blue orchard mason bees. True to good advice, the nursery facing southeast is the most occupied. Early day warmth is supposed to get the bees going. 
Nest box no.2
No.3
No.4
What is the chair industry like in Tacoma these days?
The best help around, at least we think so, Whitney and Jamie putting out the corn starts a couple of weeks ago. Jen has gradually gotten use to the idea of transplanting certain crops that she's always direct sown, corn being one. Farmer's with a longer recent history here practice what she would never dream of, but the touchy past two springs have forced her to try the local way. And if there is an award for apprentice of the year... we have a nomination.
The other male on the farm, and we pretty much can't stand each other - I mean, he started it. And now its just ridiculous. He left the run to follow me the other day - just to attack me. I had to defend myself, but then I felt guilty. Good news though: I carried a machete into the run the next day during their feeding. My aim? If he attacked me I'd only just let him feel the tip, nothing heavy, no problem. But he kept his distance - as if he's been around and knows what a machete is. Speaking of him being around, I sometimes think that his flamboyant colors are related to his aggressive behavior, as if he grew up in cockfighting land and someone bred him to look wild and fight the same. But he didn't. His ancestors maybe? Where did we get that egg?
Robin eggs accidentally stumbled upon. Cover 'em up and walk away.
new dockton road bling.
The other farm all-star, sister extraordinaire, shelling pea, checking the latest standby lists for a flight home.
Farmer Jen working an angle.
the sensitive muddy five toed prints of our strawberry eating friends Procyon lotor, northern racoons. Procyon, I hear that water aids your ability to feel textures with your hands. That is great. So you like strawberries too? That's cool, its something we have in common. They're sweet and good. But I prefer it when you eat our compost, or when I see you running down the road away from here.
2 weeks ago: the tomatoes are starting to bush out and grow up. 
In the new beds - basil varieties. Hot and sweet peppers and eggplants are growing in the beds to the right.
Jen, Whitney and Jamie have been raking the fields for grass mulch.
We got the trellis structure up over the outdoor tomatoes but the guys just looked shocked for two weeks - wilting, purpling, looking sick. Some caught early blight, others looked like they had bacterial canker. We swapped out over 40 with healthier starts over a two week period. Finally now the current crop seems to be holding its own and responding to the bright skies and warming days and night. Leaf colors look even and healthy and fresh.
Eggs that never were, brought to us by the actions of bald eagle.
Chorus frog keeping it real over the eastern pond
a questionable location for a field perhaps?
The farm's own first stall of this year
This one was resting beneath the raspberries under black landscape fabric.
Western long-toed salamander larvae are preyed upon by dragonfly larvae, predacious diving beetles, gartersnakes, fish, kingfishers, and wading birds. Adults are taken by gartersnakes, pesky bullfrogs, fish and herons. In turn adult long-toes eat woodlice, crickets, beetles centipedes, earthworms and spiders, while larvae feed on zooplankton, and small macroinvertebrates like immature insects, crustaceans, snails, tadpoles and leeches. 
Oregon ensatinas can live up to 15 years and take 3-4 years to mature. They never enter water, preferring instead to inhabit moist soils. They retreat deeper in the dry months. They have an elaborate hours long mating dance which culminates in the male placing a spermatophore on the forest floor which the female then picks up with her cloaca. In desperate times of danger, it will drop its tail which trashes wildly about while the individual gets away.
