Hummingbird Clearwing Moth July 23, 2009

The hummingbird moths have been visiting the garden often. They really enjoy the petunias. You can see why they are called "clearwing" moths, as you can see the pink of the petunia through the wings. I am looking out of my window from my computer desk and see one on the garden phlox.

Walking in the Garden July 23, 2009

Portulaca is a very heat tolerant plant

Garden Phlox - very fragrant

Moth on marigolds

Blackeyed Susans - such a bright yellow, like a ray of

sunshine

"Victoria Blue" Salvia - I love the color of this flower

and enjoy the blooms all summer with a little deadheading.

Allium

Moth (?) on Butterfly Bush - I haven't seen but two

butterflies this summer but I have lots of these very

small brown moths, if that is what they are.

Angel's Trumpet

I love the Angel's Trumpet because it blooms at dusk and has a wonderful fragrance. This is the fourth year the same plant has returned. It has over 50 blooms and buds. I deadhead at least 10-15 blooms every morning. If the blooms are left on the plant, it will drop the bloom and develop a large round prickly seed pod. On a cloudy day, the blooms will last until noon. I also have the climbing one called Moonflower. It is not blooming yet. I can't wait because it is climbing on my deck post. The large moths are attracted to the blooms at night.

Surprise Lily (Magic Lily, Resurrection Lily)

I didn't get to enjoy the first blooms of the surprise lily because of my trip, but three more have bloomed since I have been home. They are so pretty. Thanks Linda!

After three tries, I finally have a surprise lily coming up. Would you believe, today is Thurs. and I am leaving town for a week on Sun. I can only hope that the first one will grow really fast so I can see it bloom, but I am probably dreaming. Out of the 3-4 planted, maybe one will hold out until I return home.

More rainbows while watering the garden

Wednesday's garden

The Chaste Tree (vitex agnus-castus) has been exceptionally pretty this year. Chaste Tree and False Sunflowers

Cosmos

"Victoria Blue" Salvia

Four o'clocks

Frog in the garden July 15, 2009

I don't know what kind of frog this is. When I researched it on the internet, it looks like a Northern Leopard Frog (some are green and some are brown).

Flowers Blooming on July 15, 2009

Alliums, Angels Trumpet, Asters, Beebalm, Black Eyed Susans, Blanket Flowers, Bunnytail Grass, Butterbly Bush (white and purple), Butterfly Weed, Canna Lilies (red), Celosia, Chaste Tree, Clematis, Coneflowers (purple and white), Coreopsis, Cosmos, Crocosmia (red and yellow), Daylilies, Dianthus, Feverfew, Forgetmenots, Four O'Clocks, Gaura (pink and white), Gooseneck Loosestrife, Hens and Chicks, Honeysuckle "Goldflame", Hostas, Hydrangia (blue), Lantana, Liatris, Marigolds, Petunias, Phlox, Pink Oxalis, Plumbago, Ponytail Grass, Purple Foundain Grass, Rose "Flower Carpet", Rose "Knockout", Rudbeckia (False Sunflowers), Sage “Blue Hill”, Salvia "Maraschino", Salvia "Victoria Blue", Salvia (purple), Shasta Daisies, Sweetshrub, Tomato (yep, in the middle of the flower bed)

Close Encounter

While standing beside my bird feeder with my camera trying to take a picture of a hummingbird, I was surprised to see this finch (?) eating sunflower seeds without any concern that I was very close. I believe it is a young bird that has not yet learned to be afraid of humans.

Flowers July 5, 2009

Raindrops on canna lily leaves

Butterfly bush - purple in front and white in back

Plumbago

Collage of Zinnias

Butterfly weed

Butterfly weed buds

Spring brings new birth

July 2 ... For a couple of days the young bluebirds have been peeping out of the house and chirping. I believe they are about to fledge. Hope I get to see it.

On July 4 while sitting on the deck having coffee at 6:15 am,

I was lucky enough to see this bluebird as he made his first flight into the "real world".

I discovered these cardinal eggs in a leyland cypress

when I saw the birds going into the trees. I have a row

of cypresses and it is a favorite place for nesting and

roosting for many birds. I just happend to look out the window and this young

robin was sitting on the porch. I took the picture through

the window.

Cardinals nesting in a cedar tree at the edge of my yard

First butterfly of the summer 7/4/09

Squirrel Antics

Squirrel drinking from the pond - he had half of his face in the water. The arbor with a plate of birdseed was close to the bluebird house that had babies in it. Mom and Pop Bluebird did not like the squirrel so close, so they buzzed him and pecked him on the head. The squirrel decided to take the seed and lay on the platform below where the bluebirds couldn't get to him. He would sneak up and get a seed and quickly crouch back on the ledge below to eat. Eating seeds from a sunflower head.

Another favorite place to eat is on the driftwood.