The Plants
This is the image that inspired this post's title:
The swamp milkweed pods have popped, revealing the seeds with their silky fibers. I wonder if I'll see some volunteer milkweed plants next spring?
And if you remember the bin for weeds, here it is filled:
Supposedly, two weeks of darkness and baking in the sun should deactivate the seeds. We will see what this looks like at the end of the month!
The Animals
The wildlife continues. Here is a bee on my Blue Giant Hyssop:
The bees have really loved that plant.
I wish I had pictures of the hummingbirds. I was eating in the yard with a friend this past Friday -- socially distanced in the good weather -- and saw at least two, possible three of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds that make it to Minnesota. I haven't had a satisfactory picture of them yet.
One showed up about five times to a feeder near the house yesterday (Monday), but still, I wasn't in position to get a good picture.
But the most unusual visitor was this:
We believe it is a Red-Tailed Hawk, which is common to our area. I even heard one on Friday, when I was outside having lunch. But I think this is a juvenile, because it lacks the red tail feathers (it flew into a tree after this, and we could see that lack). Normally, if we've seen a hawk, it is up in the air; a couple times, we've seen one swoop through the yard. And there was one memorable time where a hawk sat on the kids' swingset and ate some small animal. So who knows what we will see next?
What's Happened Since Last Time?
Not too much. Some weeding -- you saw the bin -- and mostly keeping up with the birds. Most of our focus has been on a basement improvement project, and we've been moving things around down there to expose the foundation walls. Our house was built in 1930, and the concrete block walls aren't good at keeping moisture out, especially if there's heavy rain.
We're getting drain tile installed, from inside the basement. This approach means the contractor guarantees the tile for the life of the house. It also means that the garden isn't disrupted at all. However, we do have to put up with some jackhammering in the basement this week, while they excavate the trench for the drain tile and sump!
In other news, I did put tomato cages around my Winterberry Holly plants; the female bushes were being eaten by deer!
What's Next?
There is always weeding of course. I suspect we will need to get another black bin to hold more weeds.
I need to get some of those metal half-circle supports, because some of my plants just flop around. They probably do better in huge fields with lots of plants crowded together.
And I should start thinking of any plants I want to put in the ground in preparation for the spring. Summer is coming to a close!
Post a new thread about this blog entry:
