Pentas, the only summer flower I really love. OK, well there's morning glory but that doesn't really peak until September here.
So here's the coolest news from the garden! We planted some milkweed early in the spring - and we had to take it out due to the unfortunate exposure to a particular chemical (you know you have a great nursery if they recall milkweed for the sake of the caterpillars). A good friend managed to get her hands on several plants recently and she gave three to me (you know you have a great friend when she shares her milkweed stash with you). I finally planted it earlier this week when the temperatures were more tolerable. Anyway! We haven't seen a single monarch in our yard since the spring migration. They didn't even make an appearance when our vitex was blooming, but not two days after I planted the milkweed we spied one in the backyard. But the milkweed is planted discreetly in a pot and doesn't have a single bloom on it. Intellectually I know that the monarchs have to have some means of detecting where the milkweed is, but to see this actually happen right in front of our eyes was just incredible. How in the world do they know where to find it? So fun!
The last summer tomato, eaten yesterday. I pulled up our tomatoes last week. They had a severe infestation of spider mites and I never really fight that. There's only so much you can do for spider mites and I would prefer to keep the plants chemical free and just replant in the late summer. The bell peppers are still thriving. Farewell tomato season. You wore me out.
Other notes: I've only seen one hummingbird this season. Usually we have them regardless of whether we put the feeder up or not. Not this year. Weird. Also I spied two rather large caterpillars on my morning glory vines one night and by morning the vines were completely defoliated.
Happy Sunday friends!
So funny how different our growing seasons are. We're eagerly awaiting our first tomatoes. They're just starting to get a bit of yellow in the green.
Posted by: MelanieB | July 19, 2009 at 01:53 PM
Fabulous photographs. Congratulations on the milkweed! We are looking forward to planting tomatoes again as the weather gets warmer here.
Posted by: sarah haliwell | July 19, 2009 at 09:03 PM
Wow, Jen...Like Melanie B, we're waiting for the first tomato of the season! And boy, oh boy, will we have a bumper crop. Hubby planted 20 plants...grape, roma and a variety of heirlooms...including a yummy yellow!
Don't you just love nature? How amazingly God has ordered even the smallest of His creatures? We have an abundance of milkweed around the farm, but I'm still in awe at how, every year, the monarch caterpillars find their favorite snack. Last week, we saw our first caterpillar...
Posted by: Kimberly | July 20, 2009 at 05:51 AM
It really is amazing, isn't it? When the first monarch swooped into our yard immediately after we planted the milkweed, I was speechless.
Posted by: Lissa | July 20, 2009 at 07:13 AM