It’s 0740h, so most of these are last night, but my post from yesterday was getting awfully long.
My new grass got mowed for the first time! Lots of weeds in it, but I’m actually going to leave them because their roots are deeper and I don’t want everything to erode. This was a fuck-ton of work.
Almost dark by the time we finished.
I didn’t get a good shot because he wouldn’t stay still for even a second, but this big (big!) dung beetle flew in for a visit last night. I did ID him, but my computer is in the house and I’m on the patio. EDIT: I’m at my computer now, and he’s Dichotomius carolinus.
I had a self-heated lap rug last night.
This is actually Sunday morning. Mah grassz! Not perfect, and I ripped up a bit when I was removing the mesh, but much better than a big patch of bare dirt right between the patio and my flowerbed!
My little native honeysuckle is doing okay. The other one died and I thought for a while I’d lose this one as well, but so far, so good.
I might get a bloom out of my golden globe-whatever butterfly bush after all. I got it in a 4″ pot and it’s really “sprawl-y”, but I think it’ll be better shaped if I cut it back in spring.
Male Spicebush Swallowtail. There was a female on the other butterfly bush, and I think he was trying to get her attention. Kinda late, but at least I do have spicebush if they’re so inclined!
I’ll be very surprised if they actually materialize, but when I was watering my baby hardy fuchsias, I found these on one of them (the one that hadnt been dug up by whatever creature).
Also…I saw another Giant Swallowtail today. That’s three in less than as many weeks, for a total of four in my lifetime. Plus a Red-Spotted Purple, though he didn’t stick around because they’re not much for nectar.
Lots of flower photos today; the rain did a lot of good. Kinda mashed my cosmos, sorta mashed my Mexican sunflower and zinnia, but we needed it.
Still not red, but pretty.
544’s cardinal climber!
More of the deep purple ones.
Oak-leaf morning glory. Damn pretty weed!
One of the two pink agastache. I dont know which.
The other one. It’s got pink mixed with orange. Might be Tutti Frutti. If it is, that should make the first one Ambrosia Kudos. The red one hasn’t bloomed yet.
EDIT: Other way round. Pink is Tutti Frutti and pink/orange is Ambrosia Kudos.
Monarda fistulosa, which I almost didn’t plant here. I may be sorry when it tries to take over, but for now, I’m not!
FINALLY! Not that I don’t love the Snowberry Clearwings (I certainly do!), but I’ve wanted to see Hemaris thysbe for…since I learned of its existence. Hummingbird Clearwing!
This one already has its caption.
The hydrangea out front. Not bad, and at least I know what it is now!
Marigolds, saving the season. Were it not for these, I’d have big patches of bare ground (or weeds) where I had the purple tansy I probably won’t grow again.
Foggy days mean morning glory stays open longer. Charlotte ate these twice and set back their blooming, so I’m damned well going to enjoy them now, even if neither one is red!
Canna, however, is red. Beautiful golden red!
Rain salvaged the thunbergia, too.
Silly creeping phlox–it’s not spring! (I’ll take blooms wherever I can get them.)
I have a few more, but this post is getting huge, so I’ll make another. Besides, though I did start this last night, it’s actually Sunday morning now!
Finally, we got some goddamned RAIN! Not enough, but it’s supposed to rain tomorrow, too, so hopefully it’ll soak everything deeply enough. Anyway, since morning is the only good time to photograph morning glory…
After work:
Thank Christ for C’s marigolds. Without them, I’d have some serious bare spots in the Honeysuckle Horseshoe!
Finally! A bloom from my remarkably tall (though not 11′ feet!) Mexican sunflowers! Jesus, I thought they’d never produce a flower.
Just a Grey Stick bloom with beautiful, wonderful raindrops. As of 1713h, the soil is wet about 1.5″ down and it’s started to rain again. Yaaayyy–we need about two or three days’ worth.
It’s Wednesday. Sue me. I actually took a few of these this morning and a couple this evening. Whatever. 🙂
Globe gilia did bloom eventually (a few of them, at least), but I’m really not all that impressed. I somehow thought the blooms would be larger.
This is the canna lily on Tuesday morning. First bloom!
Twice-Stabbed stink bug. A pest, technically, but unless I see more than one or two at a time, I’m not going to do anything about them because they’re small and really quite cute. Plus…”Twice-Stabbed”. Cool name!
Here’s the canna on Wednesday morning. I took the picture early in the morning because the light was good for a glorious golden-red bloom. Holy crap these things are beautiful!!
Here’s the fence. I do keep E’s side pretty neat–I go over at least every other day and weave errant vines back through the fence–but I’m more lax about my side, and it shows. I still think it’s pretty, though.
The cardinal climber is really starting to bloom. If I were a MLB, I’d like this fence very much!
Two mallow blooms that I thought were pretty in the waning light.
I knew these leaves were some kind of bee balm, but I thought they were just the ordinary purple Monarda fistulosa that I’ve got growing everywhere. Nope–these are the spotted bee balm, Monarda punctata! I didn’t plant many of their seeds, but I will next year because they’re really quite lovely. Flowers aren’t showy, but the leaves are pretty, and I like the shape of the plant.
It’s actually Monday, but the air broke on Saturday afternoon, so I was too hot to give a rat’s arse yesterday.
Cute little Crescent (I can’t tell Northern and Pearl apart). EDIT: Apparently, I also can’t tell those two from the Silvery Checkerspot in the picture!
‘Soulmate’ really does smell like vanilla!
Air is fixed (thank Christ). He replaced the start-run capacitor. I don’t know why; it looks fine to me!
Random Onje.
Technically, I took this Friday, but it’s the only one for that day, so it’s going here. Crimson Crush.
The rest are today. I will definitely plant scarlet sage next year; the MLBs love it!
Cardinal climber on the fence with volunteer oak leaf morning glory.
A great day for flutter-guys, which made the hours I spent watering worth it.
I think this is Cloudless Sulphur.
This was the first of the two Giant Swallowtails I saw today. His hindwing was badly damaged (mostly missing), but im posting him anyway because he’s still beautiful.
Shortly after I was oohing and ahhing over that one, I saw another!
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Two in one day! Before today, I’d seen one in my entire life, over in A’s yard when I had no camera because I’d gone to visit T.
A beautiful Monarch girl (maybe two) came to visit, and I think she left some presents on my ‘Soulmate’ milkweed!
I forget which agastache this is, but its blooming, and I hope the MLBs like it!
Finally! Something from my lazy canna!
My first fully open yellow flower.
I think this will be Crimson Crush. Fireball is still lazy, but I think I’ll get a bloom or two.
Also, yay for my reluctance to pull anything I’m not positive is a weed! I couldn’t imagine what these leaves with the reddish bits were, but as I was looking for hummingbird plants this afternoon at work, I remembered the penstamon ‘Husker Red’ seeds I’d collected from my plants at 544. I googled “penstamon husker red seedlings”, and lo and behold, that’s what they are! Perennial, and won’t bloom this year, but if they live through the winter, I should have more 544 flowers next year.
Stuff
The mystery green tree beside the purple smoke tree is some kind of hydrangea, but I haven’t been interested enough to bother to find out what kind.
Grapeleaf Skeletonizer moth on…water pickerel.
All three of my Lowe’s hardy hibiscus, blooming at the same time. Mostly I took this so I’ll remember which one is which when I go to make a flowerbed around them next spring (probably…unless I change my mind before then).
Yellow flower, almost open!
Two of the mallow that I didn’t pull even if I did waver for a while, trying to decide whether they were weeds or something I’d planted. They’re lovely; I wish I’d planted more, but I didn’t know what the Japanese beetle situation might be like this year, and those bastards just love mallows!
Didn’t do much; wrangled the fence vines, deadheaded some cosmos and watered a few things that really needed it. Still, found a couple of friends.
Stilt bug orgy on the evening primrose.
Which finally has a bloom. Well, it did this morning.
Beardtongue, just because it’s pretty.
Cleaned my bathroom. Almost don’t want to use it; getting through the layer of Aussie Instant Freeze that had settled all over everything wasn’t fun!
Evening primrose.
