The afternoon began with Ranger Bob finding my book with flowers from our garden. It was requested by one member, Alicia.
He said, "Why didn't you tell me you published this book?" He walked by it several times, but spotted it today. I negotiated with him to take it home as a gift. He also has Creation Gardening and told his supervisor at work, "You have to read this."
We went out on the porch and Christina joined us.
Next we had that HUMMINGBIRD MOMENT. Butterflies and hummingbirds were joyously flying around the garden and then - one hummingbird stopped in front of us and did a little square flight pattern two feet from each one of our faces, as if registering our faces in the safe directory. Perhaps it is named Curated Humans: Trustworthy and Calm.
We had three species of butterflies flitting around - the Monarch served as the star attraction, followed by the Diana Fritillary, the Arkansas State Butterfly. The third one looked like a Monarch but was yellow rather than orange.
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| State Butterfly, Arkansas |
People sometimes react as if I am starring in a movie about really quirky professors, but I keep saying, "The hummingbirds and butterflies will come out in late summer. Everything in the garden is aimed at that."
Eight-fool tall Joe Pye Weed, purple flower heads swaying in the breeze, may influence people to be wary. However, one neighbor said, "They are growing at the conservatory. Now I live in one."
Joe Pye's vanilla fragrance is now very strong, mixed with Bee Balm mint - and Clethra. That little shrub is so ordinary until the blooms and leaves give off powerful spice and sweetness aromas. I grew it several years before I realized how special Clethra was.
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| There is nothing like Clethra. |
Bob thought long and hard about Monarchs traveling thousands of miles to California and Mexico. "How do they know how to navigate that trip?" I said, "God's Creation - they are engineered to do that."
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| Creation Gardening: By Him Were All Things Made |
