Best bets for the weekend

Welcome to June. Ready or not, here comes summer. The upside of that: the dreamy blue skies and sunburn weather that make activities like floating the Yakima Canyon a good reason to live in this drizzly-for-nine-months-of-the-blessed-year neck of the woods. (For more on that, see Kathryn True's story on birding the canyon.) The downside: With warmer weather come things that bug you in the woods. For tips on insect avoidance, see Stephanie Dunnewind's story. And to keep you busy this weekend:

Gardens and Earthly delights: June brings blooms. Everything that can blossom is doing its darndest, showing off the petal-pushing energy of a young season. Catch the best now before the petunias go all leggy and the roses get black spot. This weekend brings the Point Defiance Flower and Garden Show in Tacoma; the Queen Anne and Magnolia Garden Tour in Seattle; the Real People's Garden Tour near Carkeek Park; the Wallingford Garden Tour; the Vashon Sustainable Garden Tour on Vashon Island; and the Center for Urban Horticulture's Fern Festival. For details see Garden shows and tours.

Cha-cha at the Chittenden: Dance your heart out or just tap your foot. It's opening weekend for free Summer Concerts at the Locks — the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard. Boeing Employees Concert Band opens the series on Sunday.

Meet Bambi's father: Remember the artwork pigs that took over Seattle? In Bellevue, they have bucks — male deer, that is. Get a look Saturday.

Fairs and festivals this weekend

Looking for more weekend activities? Search our event listings.