It's Not a Freak Snowfall

...in June when it's 90 degrees... It's cottonwood seeds. They've been falling like snow flurries for a few days but this morning they had accumulated!

Fresh Flowers and More

Each day or two there are so many new and noteworthy flowers showing their faces that I can't possibly hope to chronicle them all.  Here are a few that caught my eye this morning or yesterday:

Foxglove beardtongue blooming in the prairie.

One of my most evil enemies, the bindweed (shown with a tiny bee pollinating it).

This false sunflower was one of two in full bloom -- very early -- in a whole grouping of which none of the others are even close to blooming.  Odd.  Note the crab spider hanging out, well-camouflaged, just above the disc flowers in the photo.  Because tiny critters on flowers is a theme of the day!

Purple coneflowers aren't blooming yet, but they actually look so interesting at this stage of almost-ready that I decided to include this.  Plus, there are ants crawling on it. 

Found her hanging out on an arborvitae tree... who wouldn't love this face? 

Yarrow

Last week I showed a painted turtle laying eggs, this week it's a ginormous snapper.  

Water Blooms

The ponds are surrounded by irises, and afloat with lilies...

Emergence

Slow and Steady...

Turtles are laying eggs!

Here are things in full bloom in the prairie today:

Golden Alexander and spiderwort color the prairie with yellow and purple...

Cream Indigo

Wild Rose

Canada Anenome

Columbine

Prairie Alumroot

Phlox