After the Rain!

Over 4 1/2 inches last night!  Hurrah!

The butterflies were busy.

A good day to sit on the bench and watch 

the butterflies and bees enjoy a fall-like day.

Hummingbirds Are Busy, Busy, Busy

Three hummingbirds are sipping the liquid out of the feeder every two days.

They are not afraid of us when we are on the deck just three to four feet from them.

They also love the cigar plants in the planter.

This is one creature of the animal world we do not mind in the garden!

P.S. I had to take down the video.  It just wouldn't load.

Summertime--and the 90s are over

Well, we are experiencing temperatures in the 80s, not the 90s.  The humidity is still high, but not gross as the weathermen have rated the past week's heat index.  The daisies and Black-eyed Susans lifted their heads in the late afternoon sunshine.

The honeybees were busy in the Sedum blossoms.

I've had honeybees all summer in the garden bed even though

their numbers are supposed to be diminishing.

I haven't seen a Monarch butterfly since 2011.

Monarch butterfly on butterfly bush
 in my garden 2011

And I would like them to return...

We've had all kinds of animal problems this year:

Chipmunks are numerous and problematic 

after a mild winter and an abundance of maple seeds, 

as reported by the Hartford Courant.

And the newspaper reported how to fight them including some

very interesting techniques: dryer sheets?

Can that be a chipmunk on the deck?

The other pesky animal this year has been the Gypsy Moth in June and early July.

They ate whole forests in RI and CT according to the Courant.

We know they ate the leaves at Jessica's ice cream stand.

They were so bad we couldn't go back for weeks!

Caterpillars can't keep us away
from ice cream for long.

Too much heat, not enough rain, 

too many chipmunks and Gypsy moths, 

not enough honeybees--

the trials and tribulations of gardening from year to year

make it interesting and challenging.

Mid-August Bouquet

Well, a weekend with rain restored the garden bed. I was able to cut some new stems to add to the Mason jar bouquet I keep on the kitchen table.

Best blooms today: some fresh, second-run Daisies and newly blooming Black-eyed Susans.  

Also added: Cleome, second-run Snapdragons and the single (second) Hydrangea bloom.

Sunset tonight at 8 p.m.

Where is summer going?

What Is that Thing that looks like a Moth--and a Hummingbird?

It's a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth! Click on the name to find out more about it.

A moth that is out during the day and mimics a hummingbird like camouflage.

And he really likes the butterfly bush.

He's been hanging around (like a bee and a hummingbird)

for more than a week.

What a sight!

Welcome to our newcomer in the garden!

The blooms are all yours--

to share with the bees and the hummers, of course.

Rain, Finally!

Froggie's rain gauge reads over an inch of rain this weekend!

New signs of life around the garden bed after the rain:

Snapdragons that were deadheaded are re-blooming.

The new hydrangea bloom has renewed life.

That makes two blooms this season...

The Fairy Wings Guara are flying.

But the Sneezeweed Helenium blooming is a sign of late summer.

And the patch of dry grass next to the grass shaded by the house

(in the background upper right)

shows the damage done by 

what the meteorologists call a 'moderate' drought.

Garden-sitting During a Double Heat Wave

Watering, watering, watering! And now a request to conserve water due to dry wells. I've been spot watering on the sly for myself and my neighbor who has been gone almost two weeks.

Just want to prove that the plants are okay so far. She'll be home Saturday and can make her own decisions about water conservation.

The Stargazer Lily has bloomed during this heat!

So fragrant too.

The Globe Thistle is just starting to bloom.

The bees were busy in the Liatris

which doesn't seem to mind the heat.

The coneflower, newly bloomed, has a deep color.

Its color will fade in the next week,

but the goldfinches will love the seeds.

The yellow day lilies are almost through blooming,

but their fragrance is still delightful.

I'm on duty until Saturday.

Then the garden owner will have to

decide what to do about the call to conserve.

Until then, I'm a stealth water-er!