I knew it was going to rain on Saturday, so when I got home from work on Friday, I planted the ‘Baby Sun’ coreopsis I’d just got, and the four ‘Balmy Purple’ bee balm I’d had for a while. Both in the NoMo flowerbed.

I was up fairly early on Saturday, and it was raining, but it stopped in the afternoon, and I didn’t want to waste the entire day, so I decided to fix the pond a bit, building up the low spots. It’s still not perfect, but it’s a lot better, and there’s much less exposed liner. While it was raining, I’d trimmed Cliffie’s plants a bit so he had somewhere to swim, and I put the clippings in the pond. It’s only elodea and a little ludwigia, but the frogs appreciate them even if the plants don’t look like much since they’re mostly under water.

I also put in the last two stepping stones. Finally!

I was almost out of daylight, but decided to pot the geranium and ‘Black Magic’ ‘toonyas. I made one big pot with three geraniums and four ‘toonyas. It was almost dark when I’d finished, so I took the picture yesterday, after I’d pulled up whatever plant had volunteered practically in the roots of the weigela on the south side of the house. I potted it because I want to see what the flowers look like before I decide it’s a weed. It’s definitely not weigela, but it was so close and so large that I think it must have come with it.

Another one in a smaller pot; this has one geranium and three ‘toonyas.

I got up and moving around fairly early on Sunday because I knew we had to mow the lawn, and I wanted to get rid of the big pile of bush honeysuckle that I’d dragged out after The O cut it down for me. I didn’t take pictures; I just wanted to get it gone. I also went in to check on my bebe pine trees, which are doing okay so far. I cut back a little more honeysuckle about which I’d been undecided when The O was there. The stuff he cut hasn’t tried to grow back; it’s the best kind of Asian bush honeysuckle…the dying/dead kind.

The cool orange fungus that I’d found a couple of weeks ago is bigger, and even cooler. I think it may be Tremella mesenterica, AKA witches’ butter.

My trumpet creeper seeds finally sprouted in the spots where I half killed myself to get the goddamned bush honeysuckle out. I like the seedlings; they’re cute.

I’m almost sorry I put the ‘Java Red’ weigela back near the creek because they’re beautiful, but not as visible as I’d like. It’ll be better when they reach their full height of 5-6′; that’s why they’re so far back anyway. I’m also not the only one who appreciates them because I found this beautiful Spicebush Swallowtail on them. One of the guys I overwintered eclosed last week, and I’d like to think this is him. I hope the other one made it, but so far, he’s still asleep. This one, though, was very much awake.

I planted the last three black ‘toonyas in the Bee Happy bed. I was going to put them in hanging pots, but decided to put them near plants that attract bees anyway, just to see whether the bees would go to the black flowers. I know they don’t see them as black the way we do, but I’m still curious. They look interesting between the purple veronica and salvia, and help break up it a little.

Not all of the asters I planted last fall survived the winter, but some did. I know they eat the leaves, but I was still glad to see this little guy. I’ll guess Silvery Checkerspot, and he’ll be as pretty as any flower, so he can eat my asters; I can always buy more if he brings too many friends.

Cletus is still around, singing, “Ur-ur-ur-ur! Ur-ur-ur-ur!” I forget when I took this picture, but I like it. Cletus was the first creature to move into our pond, so I’ve grown attached to him.

Cletus isn’t the only one living there, though. P said he’d seen Cletus and told me where, but when I went to look, the frog I saw was not Cletus. Smaller, and not a leopard; I didn’t know what kind of frog it might be.

I got a better picture, and posted a request to /r/frogs. Before I got any responses, though, I’d figured out that it was probably a juvenile bullfrog. Someone responded that it is certainly a bullfrog, and since the tympanum is about the same size as the eye, I’m going with “girl bullfrog”. I had originally decided upon Michigan J. Frog, but someone suggested Michigan Jane Frog, and since she’s a girl, I think that’s perfect. The mosquito is also a girl; I hope she lays eggs so her larvae can enjoy the Mosquito Dunks in the pond. Hehe. Anyway, here’s Michigan Jane.

I was technically supposed to be doing laundry, but since P mowed the yard, I had enough free time to plant the jewelweed that I’d had in pots. It didn’t seem to like potting much, and since it doesn’t like growing in water, I just planted it in the spot where it stays damp if the bird pool backs up even a little bit. If the stuff down by the creek is anything by which to judge, it should seed itself nicely.

I also planted a bunch of seeds hither and yon, but of course no photos because…they’re seeds, covered with mulch. Zzzzzzzzzzzz…….