Another round of color as we wait for the gopher

/ June 20, 2014
Lets the colors continue out back.

Lets the colors continue out back.

More color is popping out in the backyard butterfly garden in the home of my dear wife Karen and I in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood.

In this small section, the border lilies, dianthus, daisies and lupine are all looking dapper.

The day lilies are the crowded bunch on deck in the background. The four butterfly bushes are springing into action, but are still a ways from blooming. You can spot the low, wide butterfly bush to the left, next to the pink dianthus.

Away from the plants, meanwhile, still sits the humane spring trap waiting to entice our backyard gopher.

We’ve had one visitor who got stuck inside, and Ellie B aka Dogamous Pyle went wild to let me know.

As soon as I saw a furry occupant as a trotted toward the fence, I threw my fist in the air and said, “We got it, Ellie B.”

My enthusiasm escaped as I neared. Too small.

“Nah, girl. We got a nosy squirrel.”

I grabbed my garden gloves from the shed, let the unlucky little one out, replaced the sliced apples and bananas while I was at it, and reset door.

And still we wait.

Ellie B and I have spotted the gopher once since the trap has been set, watching us from the middle of the lawn, while dear Dogamous Pyle was trapped herself on the porch with the door closed. I swear that furry is taunting us.

What flower colors are out in your place as we enter this weekend? Any great animal antics around your house these days? What do you have planned for the next few days?

Related posts

46 thoughts on “Another round of color as we wait for the gopher”

  2. Of course it’s taunting you. The year my husband took on the chipmunks, one sat on the porch eating a strawberry looking in the house. Now that he’s complaining about the woodchucks, one suns himself in a large flowerpot near where the chipmunk was.

    Like

    Reply

  4. Pretty garden, Mark, and I agree that those are salvia. I must confess, I shipped a family of squirrels from my n’hood to yours (see my latest rantings!) –good luck! 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  6. He’s going easy on you, B. If he really wanted to harass you he’d get a twitter handle. I thought about it, “took a selfie as I napped in the trap today” very tempting. But at the end of the day I’ll always side with familia. I’m with team B.

    Like

    Reply

  11. I am in Zone 7 so just a few weeks ahead of you in bloom time. No advice for you, Mark, on gophers as we don’t have them here; just the dreaded vole which can be really destructive. I have big gardens with over 30 varieties of daylilies so it’s fun each morning to go out and see which new ones are in bloom. Do I see a little purple salvia in amongst your Asiatic lilies? Such a nice complement to the lilies.

    Like

    Reply

    • You do. I was calling it dianthus, but perhaps you are correct in your label of salvia, Barbara. That must be awe-inspiring, a big garden to offer so many different blooms and colors. I hope the vole avoids your spaces!

      Like

      Reply

    • No, the day lilies have yet to make their appearance. Those are the border lilies that have already yawned to the world, I’m pretty sure, Amy! I’m glad you are getting back to normal, my friend.

      Like

      Reply

      • Little by little, Mark. When I put that much effort into an endeavor, it basically takes everything out of me. So, your Day Lilies are late this year too! I keep waiting for mine to open, and like, um, are ya ever gonna open this year? LOL Love, Amy

        Like

  17. i love this ongoing saga, the battle of the humans and one enthusiastic dog, vs. the elusive gopher. i’m afraid your ‘trap’ may turn into a fresh fruit buffet for the woodland creatures inhabiting your space ) and speaking of your space, it just gets prettier every day. i love seeing gardens and appreciate you sharing yours. as for my neck of the woods, we’ve had a lot of rain here and things are really green and filling in nicely )

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Ah, yes, Beth, my fear exactly, of us having the best-fed urban wildlife on the block.

      I had great hopes the day Ellie B and I saw the gopher dancing a waltz on the back lawn! I wanted to call in an Animal Planet film crew. I not dare grab my own iPhone/iPad because I know I would have scared furry away.

      What a tease.

      Rain = green. That is good for Ann Arbor gardens, Beth.

      Enjoy the weekend, my friend.

      Like

      Reply

    • I’m with Beth on this one. Your buffets are going to be neighborhood renowned for the fresh fruit and other delictable tidbits Mark. And I thought squirrels would be a part of this action – they’re waiting for their air-conditioned tour. Ha!

      Like

      Reply

      • I like cat9984’s story.My wife and I owned a semi-detached and our neighbor was squirrely about squirrels. They drove him nuts and he would even chase them around the yard with a broom. They had a great time and would sit in the trees and chatter at him.They didn’t bother me and I didn’t bother them. One day I was in a discount store and they had a whole bin full of plastic life-sized grey squirrels. They were very cheap (about $1.50 each) and very real looking and had screw holes underneath so they could be mounted in trees or on the house. Ha! I bought about 6 and took them home to install in the neighbors trees while he was on vacation. My wife found out and forbade me. Wanna buy some plastic squirrels cheap Mark? 😀

        Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.