Invasive? I Didn’t Know That

Drive just about anywhere this time of year and you are likely to see colorful orange lilies (aka: ditch lilies, tiger lilies, etc.) in full bloom. Earlier today I was fortunate to find this blossom among many with a dark background behind it. Seeing how pretty it was, I needed to document it, and I did.

Out of curiosity I did a little research on ditch lilies and was surprised and disappointed to learn they are an invasive plant. Depending where you look on the Internet, some sites even warn of the danger of ditch lilies - especially how they can outcompete native plant species.

Having read the domination-type growth pattern information, I plan to try to establish a better plant in our area now hosting ditch lilies. My plan is to plant butterfly weed (aka butterfly milkweed). We will have similar colors with a much more useful plant.

For more information on the issues with ditch lilies - check out this website:

Daylily Weed Control

Invasive or not, ditch lilies can make for pretty pictures!

Again this year Kristy and I are hosting a nest of barn swallows. Today was “learn to fly” day. We watched all four take their first flights from their mud nest. And, like last year, we have also seen some fly back to the nest.

Before they took flight I was able to take a swallow family picture and a phot of Momma Swallow feeding the young.