Photos Around the Farm in July

Enjoy our photos and click the gallery below to see a slide show of the July scenery.

New life abounds on the farm in July. The farm babies were born in June, and by this month, they are up and around so we can enjoy them. There were a few new calves as well as a new foal born this year.

mini horse and her newborn foal — This young colt is still getting used to the big field, he rests, staying close by his mom while she grazes away.

brown and white cow in the field with a young calf — A young calf looks on with her momma in the field

In addition, the barn swallow had their babies, and we had the pleasure of watching them grow up right on our porch.

barn swallow nest with baby beak peaking out of it — The new barn swallows are just starting to peek out from their nest

It’s been fun to watch the new additions to the farm. At this stage, the babies are never far from their mother’s side. No new chicks came this year, although we did get plenty of new older chickens from a neighbor’s farm.

The Barn Swallows Grew Up Fast

The barn swallows grew up fast. They were likely born at the end of June/early July. It was hard to tell in their nest the exact date, but by the second week of July, they were peaking out and making quite a fuss. Before the month was over, they were all grown up and started to leave the nest.

barn swallows huddling in their muddy nest — Piling in together, they are just a week older here.

I was lucky enough to witness the exact moment when they all got brave enough to leave the nest. They circled in the air together, and it was kind of amazing.

barn swallows perched on the edge of the nest ready to fly — By mid-July, they have all their feathers and are almost ready to leave the nest.

It was interesting, they stuck around for a few days coming home to roost each night. I would peek out the window each night after dark to see if they made it home. They only returned for about a week before they left for good. I’m sure they are still nearby since barn swallows are a common sight here, swooping around the fields.

Barn-Swallows-Visting — The barn swallows stayed near the house the first few days after leaving the nest.

The Flowers Come and Go

bright yellow orange flower growing on my pumpkin plant — The bright blooms on a pumpkin plant.

It’s starting to heat up, and some of the early blooms have already faded. It was a pretty sight to watch the goldfinches balance themselves on a few daisies that had gone to seed.

goldfinch eating seeds from a spent daisy — A goldfinch enjoys a feast from a daisy that has gone to seed.

The butterfly bush we planted two years ago is also really filling out and attracting so many gorgeous creatures to the garden. Pretty moths, bees, butterflies, and even a few hummingbirds come to visit.