The August Garden

I'm still here, in case you've been wondering. Life's responsibilities and unexpected events (which always take priority over blogging) have left me with very little time or energy to compose a real post of any kind.

But, right now I find I have a minute or two to spare and a desire to share some photos of the beautiful flowers in our garden...because flowers have a way of making me smile, and I hope they'll do the same for you.

Esperanza 'Bells of Fire'

Giant Milkweed, also known as Crown Flower

Brazilian Buttonbush

Fennel

Salvia 'Indigo Spires'

Are you smiling yet?

Wildlife Wednesday :: Happy Camper Butterfly Garden

Last Saturday I spent the morning sitting out by our little butterfly garden at the travel trailer on the banks of the Colorado River in Matagorda, Texas, snapping photos of the garden wildlife that came my way.

A Sickle-winged Skipper was the first to arrive.

Soon there were two flitting from flower to flower.

Every garden needs a spider...or two. 

The milkweed is full of aphids and a bit ragged looking, but that didn't stop this Queen from laying her eggs. Hopefully the new leaves at the base of the plants will grow quickly and be enough to feed the hungry caterpillars that will be hatching soon.

Deep within the milkweed jungle, I came across a grasshopper. He was just hanging out, but I imagine he'll probably snack on some of our plants. I don't expect he'll do too much damage all by himself.

A cute little Dun Skipper stopped by for a sip of Gomphrena nectar. It must be quite tasty considering how popular it is in the garden right now.

Our RV park management has neglected to mow the grass for a few weeks. And though I'm not thrilled about that, it's probably a lucky thing for this newly emerged Queen butterfly. 

I didn't find her empty chrysalis, but I suspect it's attached to a blade of grass nearby, since this is where she stayed for most of the morning before flying away.

And just when I had decided it was too hot to stay out any longer, a Checkered White showed up. It made the rounds from lantana...

to zinnia and other flowers in between. 

On the zinnia are ants and some unidentified bugs under the petals (mites? yikes!)—just another bit of wildlife in our pesticide-free butterfly garden.

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Today's post is my contribution to Wildlife Wednesday—a meme, hosted by Tina at My Gardener Says..., that celebrates wildlife in the garden on the first Wednesday of every month.

Look at It This Way

Two photos of the same flowers taken from different perspectives.

One facing the setting sun. This is probably my favorite.

The other facing the rising moon. Also lovely, but different.

It all depends on how you look at it.

Have a great weekend!

Photographed at Seabourne Creek Nature Park, Rosenberg, Texas.

The June Garden

Welcome to our garden! Here's what's blooming right now...

The Crape (or Crepe, if you prefer) Myrtle tree is just starting to bloom. We don't prune ours back like many people do. We prefer to let it grow naturally, only trimming back the deadwood when needed.

The Knock Out roses are nearing the end of their second flush, though there are still a few fresh flowers and some buds, too.

The flowers of the Esperanza look like yellow bells, which is what many people call this plant.

A new addition to the garden is 'Sweet Tea Southern Charm' Flowering Maple, an impulse buy at a market day sale. I tried to walk away from the loveliness of this apricot-orange flower, but I just couldn't do it. 

I finally got around to planting more Tropical Milkweed. I placed a few large stones around the bases to keep the chickens from uprooting them and it has worked...so far.

More coneflowers were added, too. There can never be enough coneflowers.

The Turk's Cap is now as tall as I am (5 feet, 4 inches). It takes me 16 normal-sized steps to walk completely around it. That's big, but it will get bigger! 

It's loaded with blossoms, each one holding a puddle of sweet nectar, which is good news for pollinators. It's a favorite of the hummingbirds that migrate through our yard and for that reason, a favorite of mine, too.

Celebrating Pollinators

Strike up the band.

Toss the confetti.

It's National Pollinator Week! 

Let's hear it for the beautiful butterflies!

Three cheers for the hardworking honeybees!

Hip, hip, hooray for bees of all kinds!

Let's sing the praises of the little hummingbirds!

And plant flowers for them all!

After all, we're the ones who reap the benefits of all they do.

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Click here to read more about pollinators and National Pollinator Week.

Also, thanks to Tina at My Gardener Says... for her very informative post on Pollinator Week.

Garden Giant

There's a GIANT in our garden, y'all!

It's a GIANT sunflower, a Mammoth Russian to be exact. There are two, actually, but one never grew as tall and is already bent over from the weight of its seed head.

Here's the seed head of the droopy sunflower. You can almost tell how heavy it is just by looking.

But the GIANT... the GIANT is really tall...taller than the edge of the roof...higher than the mounted satellite dish. I estimate it to be 12 feet tall!

When we were in Oklahoma, a storm with very strong winds hit here. We expected to find our GIANT on the ground when we got home, but it held strong—it's sturdy trunk stalk must have saved it.

The flower is so high up, I had to use my biggest zoom lens to get a decent picture.

Its face is turned in a northeasterly direction toward the roof, which isn't ideal for our viewing pleasure. If we plant sunflowers next year, I think we should find a new location.

Our GIANT is a beauty.

From it's golden flame petals...

to its swirly green center...

it's a GIANT standout in our garden.

The Beauty of a Flower

A few weeks ago the coneflowers began to bloom in our trailer garden.

Fresh and lovely, they begged to be photographed.



Though stunning in any light, I was very pleased when the clouds briefly parted and the evening sun shone down on their faces.

Two weeks later the same flowers are holding their own, even among the young upstarts. Their petals may not be as fresh, but their centers are raised higher...and their beauty endures.

The May Garden

The Knockout roses are finishing up their first flush of the season. I spent some time one evening snipping away the spent blossoms and they look neat and tidy now.

This is Bee Balm, but imagine it's a photo of a neat and tidy bed of Knock Out roses.

We allow the chickens to forage in the garden and I think they've been a real help in keeping the weeds down. But because they turn the mulch over so frequently, it's broken down quickly and we've had to add more.

Bee Balm again...but you can imagine a freshly mulched butterfly garden, can't you?

The real challenge of gardening with chickens is figuring out how to protect new plants from being dug up by all their scratching. I bought new milkweed and purple coneflower several weeks ago that need to go in the ground, but I've been holding off until I could come up with a good plan. I recently read that adding large stones around the base of new plantings will help. I think I'll try that and maybe add a wire cage for good measure.

You guessed it...Bee Balm...imagine whatever photo you think should be here.

The best of the flowers right now is the Bee Balm. It's been a literal bright spot in our garden during a week of clouds and rain. It teased us with buds for weeks and then...boom...an explosion of color!

Bee Balm...no imagination necessary.

Smile, it's Monday!

Lucky Ladybug

Ladybug on Cilantro Flowers

I didn't keep a close eye on the cilantro and it bolted. Its tiny white flowers are so pretty though, that I think I'll let it go to seed and maybe a new cilantro plant will sprout when this one is finished. The bees are loving the flowers and a ladybug dropped in for a visit, too.

According to folklore, seeing a ladybug that has less than seven spots means there will be a good harvest for the season, but seeing a ladybug with more than seven spots means famine.*

I'm glad this little ladybug is a lucky one.

*Source: Ladybug Facts and Legends

Myriad Botanical Gardens

We visited Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City last Friday with the kids. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day!

A view of Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory (arched glass building) at Myriad Botanical Gardens.

There are gardens to explore outdoors, but we headed straight for the conservatory due to a chill in the air and the fact that I was suffering from a cold and a very bad case of laryngitis.

Along the way, we walked by flowerbeds filled to the brim with tulips, pansies, and daffodils.

Once inside Crystal Bridge Conservatory, we were surrounded by huge tropical plants and wrapped in a warm blanket of humidity.

I took a couple of pictures of some of the pretty blooms...

 but forgot to read the signs to find out what they are called. I blame my cold for that.

We really enjoyed seeing the Zebra Longwing butterflies that flitted about the conservatory. They were the most active in the upper levels where it was the warmest.

John found one that was freshly emerged from its chrysalis just outside the conservatory entrance door. He has a good eye. I would have walked right past it.

I was drawn to the pretty orchids that were displayed in the big circular window that overlooks the gardens and the city.

There were a few critters on display as well. John is showing Myles the Veiled Chameleon. I think Myles would like to have one of his very own. Future gift from Geep and Birdie??? Just kidding, parents.

I remembered to read the marker for this flower. It's the bloom of the shaving brush tree. Perfectly named.

By this time we were at the tip top of the conservatory. Here's a shot looking down through the tropical foliage at the tiered waterfall.

As we exited the building I had everyone pose for a parting shot among the flowers. We all enjoyed our time together at Myriad Gardens.