Monarch

Flowers are blooming and butterflies are visiting.

From the kitchen window I caught a glimpse of a monarch butterfly on the swamp milkweed.

Thursday morning I saw the first monarch caterpillar I have seen in the yard in a long time, chewing on the swamp milkweed flower, as far as I could tell.  However when I went back in the next hours I could not find it.  I am hoping it made it to safety….

We have a lot of hungry juvenile robins, as well as juvenile starlings and a lot of other birds in the yard.  I read that soldier bugs are predators for monarch caterpillars, though maybe that is when the caterpillars are tiny, not huge, like the one above.

We have had grackles in the yard this week, visiting the bird bath.

A noisy blue jay has started visiting the yard this week, checking on the acorns on the Chinquapin oak, which are still tiny.

On this day the bird bath was almost empty and not very clean, after a large group of starlings had a pool party.  The blue jay did not take a drink or a bath…  I have to change the water frequently in this hot weather.

I really enjoyed the raspberries this year, but I think they are all eaten now!

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Blooming on the 4th of July

It is hot and flowers are blooming!

This is the first big purple coneflower that really opened up.  It is in the sunny part of the garden that we do not mow.  The coneflowers in the shade are still getting their pink petals.

In the back of the last picture you can see the three false sunflowers that are blooming.  Can you see the little monarda blooming in the background?

One little monarda bee balm is blooming among the weeds.  Maybe others will get going.

From the patio I enjoy watching the goldfinch in the meadow.  Here she was eating grass seeds.

A few days later the goldfinch was working on the coneflowers.

Nearby the Shasta daisies are still looking good.  In the background is blue hill sage, or if you prefer blue hill salvia.

The zinnias are getting going…

This garden is near the patio and is cheery.  I need to deadhead the gaillardia, frequently.  The red hot pokers made an appearance. The spike speedwell will need to be trimmed back before long.

Red hot pokers in front of Miscanthus ornamental grass.

Coleus

Yellow marigolds

Agastache ‘blue boa,’ false sunflowers, and butterfly weed right by our patio.

Juvenile robin and coreopsis tickseed

Coreopsis ‘zagreb’

Swamp milkweed

Lady’s mantle, though not a great picture.  On the left is blue fescue grass.

Prairie verbena grows next to dragon’s blood sedum.

My son, with false sunflowers and butterfly weed in the background.

Fireworks:  On 7/3 I went to bed early, as usual, and I had just fallen asleep when the fireworks started, which I had forgotten about.  I turned out the lights and opened the shades and saw a yard full of fireflies lighting up in the dark in nature’s own fireworks!  I enjoyed watching them for a while, then read a good book until the fireworks died down.  I do enjoy watching fireworks, but only make the effort to do it every few years.