Sweltry, Muggy, & A Stifling-Sizzle

Well...where are all the crazed Republicans that like to preachify: "Global Warming is a fictitious hoax propagated by those bleeding heart liberal hippies" this summer? Man oh man is it hot. I'm surprised anything is blooming this month...but the beauteous Sunflower never lets me down. The finch are starting to stalk the yard; they know a feast is coming. I have some sunflowers already drying up & dropping their seeds! This is the earliest ever for that. Usually they keep their bloom until September. The west side of the backyard is looking very over-grown & rag-tag.I can't bring myself to clear it out as there are 3 nests of bunnies living in it. However, this a.m. I saw a rascally GROUNDHOG waddling into the brush. I'm thinking these creatures are taking advantage of my good nature. When I see a Water Bison charging out of it....I'm going in with my weedwhacker ammo!!

All Shook Up...

It's probably a good thing that I don't have electricity in my potting shed, or I'd be out there all night. Here are my comely Elvis Pez dispensers silhouetted against the shed's window on one dusky day... (my first gift from my D.I.L.!) My flowers love to hear his music! (second only to B.B. King, of course). I do too.

First Sunflower of Twenty Ten

We had a torrential rain yesterday that coaxed my first Sunflower bud out into full bloom! This is the charming Lemon Queen...it's a branching variety & boy do the bees love to visit this flower. I'm participating in the Great Sunflower Project: (www.greatsunflower.org) so we can track those buzzing lil dudes on this specific Sunflower. Let the counting of bees begin!!

The Dinette Is Open

Mmmmm.....Nectar! Fellow diners slurping up the nectar amongst the Coneflowers.

My Most Prized Sprout

Sweet Sweet Wee Holden came to spend the night recently. While here, we putzed in the yard for a spell. He's a natural gardener! (loves to get his hands dirty, doesn't mind water in his shoes, & spontaneously squeals & runs in the grass). Instead of smelling each bloom, he had the most fetching habit of blowing on them or plucking their heads off. It also took him about 37 seconds to realize that he could water the flowers faster by turning the watering can upside down instead of sprinkling. He was the most splendid creature in my gardens that morn.

Lupine, Up Close & Personal

I honestly didn't really plan on it, but most of my blooming flora are PINK right now!! I like to think it's Karma: all in honor of the newest little girl papoose that is still a bud herself (insert a heart here, tee hee)

Lupine!

Here is another "new" flower this year: She's really taking off for a first year flower. The leaves are as appealing as the petals.

Echinacea (aka: Cone Flower)

This cool flower is one of the hardiest perinnials ever!

I have a zillion & 1/2 purple ones, but found this lovely pink one late last autumn down in Tennessee. I wasn't sure if it would survive the winter, but it did. I cannot wait to see the outcome of this unique bud . Hopefully, it will be as prolific as the purples & will soon spread all over creation.

June Twenty-Ten!

Good grief...I haven't posted anything for months & months. (and months) It's time to get with the program; I want to look at my photos in the midst of Indiana Winter & remember the purtiness of Spring & Summer.

One of my most favorite flowers (besides the SUNFLOWER, of course) is this Poppy. The fragile leaves always remind me of Mare's paper cupcake liners. The flower is such a botonical oxymoron: Paper thin delicate petals surrounded by a thick prickly thorny covering, leaves & stem!