500 Festival Parade

Every year I help with the equine units in the 500 parade.

We help get the horses & riders ready and then escort them along the parade route.

There were four units this year.

 The Culver Academy Black Horse Troop with their majestic Friesians.

 The Wells Fargo Stagecoach

 The Mid America Cowgirls

And the IPS Mounted Police

 Lots of prep work to get everyone parade ready!

Horses are groomed and some even sparkled up. 

Spit polished military uniforms are pulled on

Along with patriotic cowgirl & cowboy costumes.

When its all over, we are all dog tired!

Riding at Strawtown

Our first trail ride off the ranch was at Strawtown Koteewi Park.

  Janette & Apollo enjoyed the getaway.

 It was a cool cloudy day, perfect for a ride around the open prairie.

We spotted this patch of wildflowers along the trail.

 And we spotted a deer.

Patient horses waiting to go home.

Shooting Star

Goose Family

Naturally Bedazzled

After a ride through the woods, Rocky's bum is covered with flowers.

May Means Mayapples

The mayapples are blooming.

The fruit will appear by the end of May.

The Scent of Spring

Honeysuckle is blooming all over the forest.

The woods are perfumed with the scent of honeysuckle.

Just Moseying Along

The box turtles are out and about.

I found this one crossing a trail.

Basking Turtle

Hello There!

Who Are You?

Not sure what kind of insect this is, maybe some kind of fly?

Blue Spotted Salamander

Its spring cleaning day in the barn.

While cleaning & turning over water troughs,

I found this Blue Spotted Salamander hiding in the moist mud.

Its the first salamander I've found on the farm.

Fledglings

 Three baby Carolina wrens fledged their nest in the barn today.

 Lots of chirping and hopping around.

The parents were encouraging them to leave the barn adding to the excitement.

Hard Working Mom

Mom muskrat was busy gathering grass

while the youngster was playing upstream.

A Lonely Egg

I spotted this single egg along the edge of the creek.

What I didn't notice was the frog in the bottom left corner!

Spring

Spring is popping.