I have been a bit obsessed with bees in the gardens, mainly because no matter how closely I work near them they have never tried to sting me and I appreciate that ! Also there is a bit of a sad fact concerning insects in the gardens . I have seen next to no butterflies.
Yes I was able to find one Black Swallowtail caterpillar .. we had not seen the "mom" who laid the eggs on my withering dill plants. To make it a sadder story, "Harvey" here, escaped the luxury home I transferred him/her to .. and ? we never found a trace of him/her ... I have day dreams that suddenly a butterfly will appear in the kitchen and we can release it out the deck doors .. yup .. probably not going to happen.
I can't stop taking pictures of bees.
This top one got a bit wet (probably from the sprinklers) but she dried out well eventually and they do love Joe Pye Weed !
We have had some wicked heat and drought but the sprinklers help get most plants through it.
This year I let Autumn Brilliance serviceberry grow as much as it wanted , after years of flat topping it.
Pee Gee hydrangea and Berry White have bloomed very well this year. I seriously could not tell you how many hydrangea I have without doing a head count. A couple of years ago I went absolutely mad buying them at fantastic prices.
We had some amazing clouds a week or so ago .. I don't often catch them so these are really special to me.
The girls look like they are a bit perturbed with me taking their photo or was it because I said to smile for the camera ?
I really don't know if I will be posting more this year .. I have hit a rough patch and it has knocked me back .. I am very guilty of neglecting my gardens as well .. I hope to get over that because before I know it the Spring bulbs will be here and I will be in full panic mode !
10 comments:
Beautiful cloud - and bee - shots, CGJ! There's no shortage of bees here either, thankfully. Before the temperatures soared under the current heatwave (now in day 9), I took a few photos of bees I found sleeping in various flowers early one morning when our marine layer was still in place keeping things cool. I so wish I could grow hydrangeas like yours but they're goners upon arrival here.
Those clouds are extraordinary! Amazing color as well.
Hydrangeas are great, aren't they? What has surprised me is that despite all the heat and much less irrigation, the hydrangeas here, the long-established ones, look as beautiful as ever. They may be tougher than they look!
Rough patch? Sorry to hear that. Take care of yourself and get through it as best you can. Best wishes for a smoother road ahead.
I wish you well and a recovery from your rough patch. I am also concerned about the lack of butterflies - I've seen a few viceroys but only two or three monarchs and none in my garden. Bees aren't as numerous, either.
I am so sorry you aren't 100%. I'm having trouble with motivation.
The clouds are lovely.
There is controversy about bringing caterpillars indoors.
Thankyou for the posting of these beautiful pictures. Your photos and words have always given me joy and inspiration. Hope you will be feeling better soon and up to task for planting fall bulbs and continuing to delight us with your garden photos and stories. Your cloud photos are stunning. I too am an avid cloud watcher.
Well, gosh, we will miss you if you don't post for a while. Sometimes you have to take a break, though. I had to do so during the later days of planning for the garden Fling in June this year, since I was on the planning committee. But I hope your break won't be for too long. Beautiful, beautiful images. Hang in there, and enjoy your garden.
Hello Ann and thank you so much ! Yes sky watching is a favorite of mine even though my "mother of all trees" is blocking a huge section of sky (I never thought that tree would grow so LARGE ! LOL) I have to get sorted and ready for bulb planting .. hard decisions to make about some of my plants and shrubs, but I have to be ruthless about editing the garden to make it easier to maintain. Thanks for stopping by !
Beth hello there ;-) I think some decisions are in place now and I shouldn't be so stressed. Now it is up to me about garden issues and getting them sorted. I can't imagine how busy you must have been with the fling organizations. Yup ... sometimes you forget to actually enjoy your garden when you are working in it .. I have to stop and literally smell the roses ! LOL
What a wonderful post, filled with my favourite thing. Beautiful blooms, bees, stunning clouds and beautiful kitties! I do hope your caterpillar turns up. xxx
Joy, your photos of the sky and clouds are amazing, dear. I also love your hydrangea and your cats look at me with a question: what do you want?
Hello SB and thank you ! as for Harvey the caterpillar ... that was some magic trick he played on us ... I'm still hoping for a butterfly appearing in the house ? LOL
Thank you so much Nadezda ! Yes the girls look like they are asking "what is it you want ?"
My hydrangea are gorgeous so they wrap up the season in a wonderful way for me.
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