Fall Feeding Frenzy

Painted Lady butterflies have been migrating through my area, and they are hungry! They love Joe Pye weed.

The Painted Lady rests.

Bees and butterflies share the same space.

Still popular are the Cosmos flowers.

The native asters attract bees as well.

The garlic chives have attracted the butterflies and just about every kind of bee, including honey bees. I wonder how that honey will taste.

Below is my new favorite photo. I didn't notice the frog until after I took the photo. Seredipity!

All photos copyright Linda Larson 2017

Bees, and wasps, and a frog friend

My year of the bees continues. They seem to like Cosmos, Joe Pye weed, and oregano.

When I was working on the mulch between the beds, I noticed some agitated wasps. Turns out, they have nest tucked under one of the boards. You may be able to see one wasp make its way into the nest opening, in the middle of the board at ground level. What to do? I certainly didn't want to get stung, but yet I'm committed to pollinators this year. So I've left them alone. I work around them, and they leave me alone, too. In fact, I've noticed fewer cabbage caterpillars this year. Once we get a hard freeze, they'll be gone. I can wait. 

And here's a tree frog on my compost bin. I've been busy so I haven't had a chance to stir the compost like I should, so he has a feast of flying food.

Mushrooms after rain

No, I won't eat these because I don't know what they are (and I'm not a big fan of mushrooms anyway--it's a texture thing). For size, the green leaf is about four inches. I tried to look these up online and realized how little I know about mushroom, other than they look cool. In the final photo, you'll see evidence that someone is eating the mushrooms (and corn and acorns). 

Bee Theme Continued

Several years ago, when we first moved out to the country, I planted some seeds called "mallow" and were labeled wild flowers. Now I see that they're considered weeds, which proves to be true since I dug them up years ago and yet they return. So I've embraced them, and it's a good thing, too. Today they're covered in bees. So I've included the photos below. I think the final photo is a honey bee from a neighbor's hive. 

Day lilies in my garden

I've got a few day lilies, and they thrive in my Minnesota garden, even with partial shade. Those classic day lilies that spread and spread, becoming monstrous and sprawled? I love them. They are growing at the edge of the woods, defining the border and giving it a pop of color in mid-summer.

The newer day lilies keep to themselves a little better. I've got these tucked on the opposite edge of the woods. They're at the end of their blooming time, but the foilage looks good the entire growing season. 

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and Bees, Too

Yesterday we visited new Bee Center at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The interactive displays were interesting and great for all ages. I learned some new things about bees and pollinators. Of course, we visited other areas, too. One of my favorites is the clever Japanese garden. That's yours truly in the second photo.

We also explored "Amazing Spaces," which are variations on a theme of tree houses. My handsome hubby posed for this photo. 

We had fun exploring. Look for twelve tree houses in all. Here are a few more photos...but not too many. I don't want to spoil the surprises.

Happy Fourth!

Happy Fourth of July! The summer of the bees continues. The above photo is a recent one of chamomile flowers. The photo below is chives from a couple of weeks ago. (Even though it's enjoyable, summer teaching means less gardening and blogging time.)

Here's a look at what I've planted in some of my pots around the garden. I've got alyssum, salvia, and dianthus. It's a good mix of colors that I've repeated for effect.  

And here's a look at Sugar Magnolia Snap Pea. The purple pods are easy to see for picking. The vines are full-sized, so I've had to pull out the tallest stakes. I might grow these next year just because of how pretty they are!