Perfect Summer Day

I walked out to the garden this morning to find many butterflies on the cone flowers and butterfly bush. I didn't have my camera, but my grandson, who is visiting, brought it to me. I caught this butterfly flashing his colors in the sunlight.

Time to split the irises --and I have a generous planting in this third year of my garden. I clipped back the catmints and yarrows and chrysanthemums this past week. I always think of the last clipping on the Fourth of July, but a neighbor clips her fall bloomers again in early August. I think I will try the extra clipping this year to see if the result is thicker stems, bushy foliage, and profuse flowering. It's hard to be thinking ahead to autumn when summer is so perfect now--but it's coming, although there are no signs of autumn at all on a day like this.