Garden Updates

Some big buzzy bees have decided to build a hive in our hay. Mostly, this makes me happy - I know that bees are a dying breed and are necessary for the health and prosperity of our little garden plot. However, I am a bit concerned since the kids' playthings are next to the garden, and the bees seem to have made a habit of hanging out (indeed - they park their furry little butts [abdomens?] on Harry's climbing thingy and sun themselves) where the small humans of our family play. I am not bee-phobic, but I would just as soon not see either of my children stung if it can be avoided, so I think we'll end up temporarily relocating the climbing apparatus away from the garden. I'm not sure it will help that much, since the bees have found some yummy snacking in the elm tree near the house.

We also have another visitor to the garden, this one more mysterious. Some critter has been eating the squash blossoms, picking them clean off the stems. No nibbling here, just one big mouthful. If I didn't have a five-foot fence around the entire perimeter of the yard I'd think it was the deer, but given the fact that there is a fence, and the dogs are out there all hours of the day and night (especially the old, increasingly incontinent one), I find it unlikely that they'd bother to jump the fence, even for such a choice morsel. Or, I guess it could be...my best guess right now is that it's a groundhog. I'm considering setting up surveillance so I can figure it out for sure, but either way, it doesn't look good for squash this year at the DiNorcia garden.