One Inch of Rain During the Ascension Service

 Butterfly Weed pods

We were drinking coffee on the porch when Ranger Bob said, "What's this?" He was looking at the caterpillars on the Butterfly Weeds. We are just about ready for the long-lasting orange flowers, pictured below.

Butterflies have their favorite food at the caterpillar stage. People associate the Monarch butterfly with the Milkweed plant, and Butterfly Weed is a colorful cousin of the Milkweed.

I wish it were the Butterfly Monarch Weed, so I could talk about my orange BMW. "My 2002 Voyager" is not much of a conversation starter.

 Butterfly Weed is a long-lasting cousin of Milkweed.

Our area is expected to have rain many times over in the next week. I have seen similar predictions vaporize, but yesterday was a good start. The little red area on the radar map turned into rollicking thunderstorm during the Ascension Day service, giving us an inch of rain.

How did I prepare for the week of rain?

1. I planted the rest of the glad bulbs in the Blackberry garden. Those are the Triple Crown variety that edged around the corner and took over the laughable Silver Queen corn patch. The squirrels stripped the Silver Queen down to the stalks when we were gone. I offered to harvest berries for Mrs. Ichabod if I can beat the squirrels to the fruit.
2. I watered the new Joe Pye and the new Veterans Honor roses, because predicted storms often blow through without dropping much rain.
3. I took the one-pound bag (don't judge me) of Borage and scattered some through the Rose Garden. I may grow it among the Blackberries too.
4. I cleansed (pruned - see John 15) the roses for the altar, adding some Pink Neon Spirea.

Borage for Bees and Courage

Borage (related to Comfrey) is a tiny and rather dumpy plant known for its edible pink and blue flowers. 

We are just starting to see bees on the Spirea and Cat Mint. The best times for insect observations is a sunny afternoon with no gentle breezes. Hummingbirds also appear in the Rose Garden for relaxed viewing. 

Borage flowers will increase the bee and beneficial insect populations. We all love the big, showy flowers, but the best beneficial insects concentrate on the tiny flowers and the massive food kitchen of the Sunflower. The Sunflower is not one big flower, though we tend to imagine that, but a massive complex of tiny flowers and extra nectar outlets.

A bumblebee on a tiny Borage flower is quite a sight. The insect dwarfed by the Sunflower is massive on the Borage.