Something to cool you off….

Nothing like some lovely summer flowers to help you find a smile and a breeze on a hot July day….

This balloon flower is simply begging for a butterfly or bee to come visit, don’t you think?

My bee balm is suffering in the heat but the bees and hummingbirds still love it….

Chicory is also commonly called cornflower and is one of my favorite plants of mid summer….

It seems so fragile and delicate but it grows in some pretty tough places. Yep, that’s concrete you see beneath this plant. It is growing between a sidewalk and the road and in my town you see them everywhere right now. They especially cheer me up when they are waving at me while I wait for a traffic light at a busy intersection.

And of course, who doesn’t love Queen Anne’s lace? It also grows just about anywhere and quite frankly I think it would like to take over my yard. I do leave some of it here and there and this flower head is one of the largest I’ve ever seen–about 5″ across!

Although day lilies have certainly naturalized everywhere they are a cultivated, not a wild plant in our area but I was playing with my camera in the garden this morning and liked the way you could see the pollen on this so thought I’d include it.

Stay cool, everyone. And stop to smell the flowers!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I’ve been very remiss about posting the last few weeks while catching up on office work during all this rain. I did get out briefly with my camera last week and got these shots.

Some lovely arrowwood in bloom. This plant is fairly pervasive on Cape Cod.Jack-in-the-Pulpits are not uncommon but they are often overlooked because they are so well hidden beneath the big umbrella like leaves that shade them. They may be mostly gone by now. Unfortunately their big bloom time was during all the rain.
Bullfrogs don’s mind a bit of rain. They don’t mind a lot of rain either, especially if there are frequent enough breaks for flying insects to be up and around. Bullfrogs aren’t picky eaters, though and will eat just about anything that moves if they can fit it into their mouths, even other frogs.The omni present and ivasive multiflora rose has just about finished blooming along all our roadsides.

The blue eyed grass is one of my favorite little plants. It only blooms for a day and is so subtle and sweet.
Let’s hope all this soggy weather ends soon! Summer has begun.
Please check my website here for my summer schedule of outdoor art classes and nature tours for families.