Wildlife Sanctuary -- Our Back Yard

Mr Madley and I like to believe our yard can be a wildlife sanctuary of sorts for birds and butterflies and lightning bugs and bees.  We plant flowers and fruit trees and bushes to attract the butterflies and bees, and we let the grass grow long to give protection to the lightning bugs.  We love to see new and unusual (for us) birds at the bird feeders (like last week when we saw a beautiful rose-breasted grosbeak, whose mate is at the feeder as I write this).  We even like spotting the rabbits, despite their tendency to decimate my garden.  And so it was a blast to look out my kitchen window this morning and see a pair of turkeys tranquilly enjoying the tall grass and the warm sunshine in our back yard.

I know I live in Western Massachusetts, where whole flocks of turkeys can be found dining in front lawns, but it's not so very common at my house when I'm home to see them.  It was a happy way to start this summery week.