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| This sunshower is from Wikipedia. |
Yesterday I went to the car, long after an earlier burst of rain, so the sun was shining brightly. I wanted to get something from the Icha-boat.
Rain fell hard on me in the bright sunlight - a sunshower. That confused my distracted mind. I looked at the roses - they were dripping with rain. The eaves were shedding rain too. And I was wet.
More rain may fall today, so the garden will be in good shape for yanking maple and oak trees, and for transplanting some Raspberries and Blackberries to the Wild Garden. I thought their rampant growth would be modified a bit in the shadier areas, but if not, the birds will get additional food and perches. Blackberries are growing like the latest Fuller Seminary fad - on the opposite side of the house, which is sunny and somewhat watered. I used the branch clippers to cut some Blackberry canes that were basking in the sunshine on driveway. No wonder they are so prevalent in the State of Washington.
I am re-setting the Sunny Garden:
- Hot, dry, sunny, and grassy in its primitive state.
- Soggy and sluggy last year as Straw Bale Garden and the Rose Garden for Mrs. Wright. I moved those roses to the main rose garden - the entire front yard.
- Tomato and Raspberry garden this summer.
- Butterfly Garden next year.
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| Coreopsis - Almost Eden |
When I visited the Coreopsis Jungle at Almost Eden the other day, several types of butterflies, two types of bees, some wasps, and Flower Flies were feeding at once. Soon, perhaps today, I will take close-ups and a video of the activity.
Fall and winter will give me a chance to decide on the best plants for the Butterfly Garden. As Jessica Walliser observed in a recent column, we should aim at the larvae and the adults at the same time. Like most beneficial bugs, Butterflies have different needs at the larval and adult stages. The famous Ladybug is voracious at both stages, but in many cases, the adults need pollen and nectar while their newly hatching babies dine on flesh of aphids and pest caterpillars.
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| Socrates was sentenced to drink Poison Hemlock tea, portrayed by the French painter David. |
I had a tribe of baby Ladybugs on my Poison Hemlock, but I chose to cut it down rather than explain to my wife and daughter-in-law that I was growing the last drink of Socrates in the garden. The plants were impressive, but so are Hogweeds, which were grown by the rich in England.
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| Giant Hogweed - above - is in the same carrot family as Poison Hemlock and Wild Parsnip. Hogweed also attracts beneficial insects, but I prefer the less obnoxious Queen Ann's Lace. The linked plants should be avoided, but Queen Ann's Lace can be identified by her hairy legs (hairy stems). |
I told a reader, "When we want to visit beautiful gardens, we go to the front yard, the backyard, or Almost Eden. Sassy loves to walk over, because she has so many places to explore with her nose while I admire the plants and insect life."
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| A mass of Coreopsis flowers is irresistible to bees, wasps, and butterflies. |
