I have barn swallows which build a nest every year high above my side patio, underneath my arched window. And even though they can be messy, v.e.r.y. messy, I am still glad to share my space with them. The adults have navy blue to purple colored wings with a breast of light orange. So beautiful.
One of the parents.
the babies
The best part is when the little ones can fly out of the nest.
We are able to watch them through the windows and it is pretty amazing. The parents will take each of them, one at a time, and fly with them. The others wait patiently for their turn.
Ling Ling especially enjoys this.
Good thing she is an indoor only kitty.
This one was pecking at my cushion, trying to find a worm or bug. Too cute, but he better not peck a hole in it!
I am sad when they are gone, but look forward to seeing them again next year. Although, it will be nice to get my patio back. 🙂
fromgardentotable 
aww, what cute babies. i like to watch swallows dip and swoop over rivers and lakes in the late evening, catching bugs in mid-air. it’s amazing how they can plunge down and almost skim the surface of the water without touching.
i like your blog! i came across it looking for photos of ground cherries because i think i might have one growing. all your posts are really interesting though, so i’ll be back.
Thanks for stopping by Emily. I enjoyed your blog, too. Funny thing about the ground cherries.
THEY MULTIPLY. I have many plants which came up unexpected, so I amhoping to have a decent harvest.
excellent! i really, really hope that’s what i have. my friend gave me a bag full of seeds and seed packets that included a few random mystery seeds that she’d collected and forgotten what they were, so i started them because i like surprises…this one looked like an elongated raisin, and out of it grew probably a hundred tiny seedlings. i separated them out and also got a glimpse of the actual seeds, which were tiny, cream-colored, round and flattened. i managed to save a few dozen little seedlings and re-pot them, including one that’s looking nice and big and healthy today.
so my thinking is that the “raisin”-looking thing was a dehydrated ground cherry, with all the seeds inside. does that sound plausible? (i have no experience with ground cherries.)
best of luck to you for a good harvest. i hope you post pictures of them.