I always thought the name of the group was stupid, but I certainly understand, “No Rain.” It’s still hotter than the hinges on the gates of Hell, and at this point, there’s a 30-40% chance of rain sometime next week…maybe…or it’ll just pass us by like the last time. I’m already sick of watering, and June is barely half gone! Anyway, the flowers are suffering in the heat, but still blooming (so far).

Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ has started blooming, and the Oswego tea is in full swing.

I already took photos of these, but they’re just so bright and pretty that I needed to do it again. Missouri sundrop.

There aren’t many blooms on the trumpet creeper, and probably won’t be this year, but it’s looking more like I’d pictured, and it’s starting to put down holdfasts on the arbor. I know it’s a thug, but it’s in a safe spot, and I will always love the way it looks.

I didn’t take pictures because the milkweed bed looks like hell right now, and it was so fucking hot that I didn’t even care by the time I’d finished, but I got 15 baby tropical milkweed plants yesterday, and got them planted. Small, but they appear to have good roots, and I soaked down the milkweed bed before I even started planting them. I also noticed some seedlings that appear to be milkweed, but I haven’t a clue whether they’re swamp or tropical. Hell, might even be a weed that I just don’t recognize. Anyway, I planted the little dudes, and hopefully, they’ll grow well and fill in the bare spots in that bed. I have no idea what happened; the swamp milkweed didn’t sustain as much damage, but the common looks just awful!

I didn’t even water my pot plants this morning because I had to take pictures! P actually spotted this pretty little lady, and since he’d said, “Box turtle,” I assumed Eastern and almost didn’t go and look. I’m glad I did because this is the first Ornate box turtle I’ve ever seen in my life! She wasn’t very cooperative, and I didn’t have much time, but I did at least get photographic proof that I saw her!