A side view of my little perennial garden square!

A side view of my little perennial garden square!
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

This is most of my flower garden! I have a few more flowers next to the steps I will take photos of later. But finally my little perennial garden is starting to take off!

Rhododendron and Swallowtail Butterfly

Rhododendron and Swallowtail Butterfly
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

Pink Rose

Pink Rose
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

Bumblebee feeding on a Clover flower

Bumblebee feeding on a Clover flower
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

Beautiful vista of a garden and mountains in the distance.

Beautiful vista of a garden and mountains in the distance.
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

Near the Massachusetts/Vermont border.

Wild Iris growing on the roadside

Wild Iris growing on the roadside
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

Fields of summer again!

Fields of summer again!
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

This is the area where I saw the deer yesterday evening.

Deer in the Meadow!

 Yesterday evening, I went out on the back porch. It was very quiet outside with just the birds singing and a gentle breeze. It was around 8:00 or 8:15 pm. The sun was going down. I had my binoculars looking towards the woods and nearby fields to see if I saw any rabbits or other wildlife. All of a sudden, as if an angel had tapped me on shoulder to see, I zoomed my binoculars into an area next to the woods where the woods and field meet. There's a fence there as the farmer has cows usually grazing there. The field had been allowed to go fallow as the cows are in the upland pastures now and a variety of flowers including daisies, were blooming there. All of a sudden I saw a beautiful deer. She was feeding along the fenceline on the side next to the woods. She walked along the fenceline and I had a feeling pretty soon she would jump that fence and start feeding in the field. I was right, she jumped the fence and started feeding in the field, probably rich with red clover, which wildlife love, especially deer and rabbits. She was so graceful and once in a while she would look up, her ears perked up. But most of the time she seemed quite happy grazing in that field. One time a neighbor went walking past several hundred yards from where the deer was. He walked with his head down to his house and didn't even notice the deer at all!! And the deer just gazed at him for awhile and went back to feeding. Her white tail would flick once in a while. One time she looked up and I would swear she could "sense" me looking at her. It looked like she was staring right at me! But then she would lower her head and graze some more. Because it was a quiet evening, I think she enjoyed being out there. I felt like I was alone with the deer and God. I felt like no one else was witnessing this except me!! It was an exhilarating experience and I was comforted by the fact that we are still surrounded by wildlife, and that man and his activites have not scared them off. Finally it got too dark for me to watch her and I came in. I wanted my husband to come out to see her, but I was afraid if I moved or opened the door, etc. it may have scared her off so I just kept still the whole time. I really felt blessed to have witnessed this! It was the first time in the 8 years we have lived in this area that I have seen a deer although I know they are here in the woods, but it was my first sighting of one here. I thank God and the angel that alerted me to look where I did! At that moment I thought, maybe there's still hope for our wildlife after all and a sense of peace came over me I couldn't describe!

Macro of a wildflower

Macro of a wildflower
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

I'm not sure what kind of wildflower this is. It grows like a pea plant. It is a vining type wildflower. The bees love it! This is an extreme macro shot, the flowers are actually very tiny.

Beautiful Peony blossom!

Beautiful Peony blossom!
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

I believe this is the thunderhead that was in southern Berkshire county headed east towards Chicopee and West Springfield or one of them.

I believe this is the thunderhead that was in southern Berkshire county headed east towards Chicopee and West Springfield or one of them.
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

A rough day in Massachusetts with tornadoes hitting southern Massachusetts especially West Springfield and Springfield MA, also Chicopee and Wilbraham, MA
June 1, 2011

These are the clouds that caused tornadoes in Wilbraham, Chicopee, and Springfield, MA.

These are the clouds that caused tornadoes in Wilbraham, Chicopee, and Springfield, MA.
Originally uploaded by anslatadams

Looking SE from North Adams towards southern Berkshire county and southern Massachusetts. Those are mammatus clouds that can spawn tornadoes. Hidden from view was a giant thunderhead behind these clouds I was awe struck when I saw them as I had NEVER seen clouds like this before. We dodged a bullet here. These storms break up over us and reform after they pass those mountains so everything East of those mountains get hammered and anything West of the Hoosic Mountain range near Williamstown, MA gets hammered from Albany, NY eastward then the mountains do an amazing thing in this area, I think some kind of "updraft" forms between these mountain ranges and the worst we usually get is some wind, heavy rain, thunder and lightning, but not as bad as they are before or after they pass these mountains!! That's looking at Florida mountain in the Berkshire mountain range. Thank goodness it broke the horrible heatwave we've been experiencing here for over two weeks at least or maybe one week, seems longer!