…or Giant Stag Beetle, or Staghorn Beetle (Lucanus elaphus). Found him upside down in a bucket (probably crashed after a nuptial flight.) Somewhat rare and threatened, but not threatening, and rather cute. Grubs live in rotting logs (our back woodpile). Like to be around oaks (three giant white oaks in the back yard).

And, speaking of yards, a pair of wrens (house wrens, I think, (Troglodytes aedon), living in the south side bushes and trees, and very noisy, scolding anyone who walks by.

And here is today’s weed-pull. Walk the beet rows every morning, and what do you see? Beets, of course, but also sneaky weeds, intertwined. It’s not just that they are growing so fast, but also because they are hard to see. I can stand scanning a row for half a minute before, all-of-a-sudden, seeing an interloper.