Just when they look their ugliest to me, they are most attractive to the wildlife.

We have various non-human residents who pass through our yard in the summer. Other people may lead more exotic and busy lives, but one of our joys around here is simply watching what unfolds in the back yard. Some visitors are more welcome than others, but they all bring interest and variety and encourage us to pay attention. You never know what you might see when you look out the window…

This overgrown lilac just over the stone wall in our neighbor’s yard, for example, is a favorite roost for the female ruby-throated hummingbird.

She even takes a drink now and then — at least, I think that’s what she’s doing here:

We have mixed feelings about the rabbits, who ate enough of my flowers that I put up an ugly fence for awhile… but they clearly feel quite comfortable.

Chipmunks aren’t as welcome as they used to be either, since they sabotaged my sunflowers twice this spring.

The fence wasn’t pretty, but it seemed a welcome addition to birds who liked to perch on the wire. When I took it down this week, they were briefly flummoxed by the disappearance of their favorite landing place.

This warbler — I think it’s a Nashville warbler — didn’t appear till after the fence went up.

A giant swallowtail visited as well. They’re not really common around here, but we’ve seen one twice this summer.

Last but not least, we have a whitetail deer with two fawns.

It’s hard not to see them as pests who carry lyme disease and eat garden plants. But they don’t come to our yard much, and when they do they mostly eat the brushy stuff along the edge of the yard. No nibbling in forbidden areas so far.

On the whole it’s a pleasant set of visitors. I notice, looking at these pics, that most of them weren’t taken in bright, sunny conditions. The light could be better. But it’s been so hot that clouds are actually a relief when they come. I suspect the animals feel the same.

Still, it’s been mostly sunny, and I can’t complain about a sunny summer — not in one of the most overcast regions in the country!

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These are some scenes from out back this spring. Along with the usual birds and chipmunks visiting our feeder, we’ve been enjoying a red squirrel nest in the stone wall. There are at least 4 babies that have evolved from peering out from the crevices to practicing their climbing and walking.

We spend a lot of time at this table, enjoying the wildlife passing through. Today I took my camera and joined my daughter outside at the picnic table to wait and see who showed up from a closer vantage point.

We have at least three male grosbeaks. This one looks the most polished. But the award for the most blotchy goes to this guy. Maybe he doesn’t have all his adult plumage yet:

This one looks like a mixture of the two — a few speckles, but close to the elegance of the first one:

Naturally there are plenty of rodents around, too.

More visitors arrived than I could photograph, but it was peaceful being out there and having the creatures eventually realize they could go about their business and we wouldn’t hurt them.

Rain finally drove us inside, but I’ll look forward to more times of enjoying the back yard and learning more about my camera at the same time.

From our table, we’ve enjoyed seeing this red squirrel doing its Spiderman imitation on the stone wall across the lawn.

Is there a nest with some baby squirrels inside the wall?

No way to be sure at this point, but it’s fun watching such dramas play out — and inspiring to see such incredible core strength.