Jubilant July! :)

 This year our tulip tree finally bloomed for the first time! :)

 I walked past the tree and almost missed them! :)

 Upon closer inspection, ... there they were! :)

 It takes several years for a tulip tree to mature enough to bloom, and I'm hoping that there will be even more blooms next year ...

 and that it will bloom from now on! :)

 The hummers are finding many flowers full of nectar around the yard! :)

 How I love this time of year! :)

 The corn stalks are growing! :)

 The Yukon Gold Potato plants are beginning to yellow, signaling that soon I can look forward to harvesting them! :)

 The garlic are beginning to shed their top hats! :)

 The Tree Swallows are busy with their babies! :)

 I couldn't resist going out with my zoom lens when I saw a little one stretching its' head outside of the nest box in hopes of getting first dibs on the food! :)

 It withdrew as I approached.

 If you look close you can see two little faces looking out! :)

 It sounded like there were at least 3 in the nest! :)

 I noticed that neither parent was approaching to feed them from my position,

 So I backed away. :) ...

 In they came! :) Little baby's mouth is wide open! :)

 It's looking at something! :)

 Here comes another parent! :)

 This one is perching a moment longer! :)

 It's making sure they all get to eat! :)

 Now flying around and up ...

 taking a moment to perch and rest. :)

 Feeding these babies takes a lot of work! :)

Thank goodness there are two parents to care for them! :) They only rest a moment and then return to the sky to catch more food! :)
Oh how I love jubilant July! :)