Signs of autumn

In a few days, the high temperatures will hit 90+ again, but in the meantime I am going to pretend that autumn is on its way. The yard looks like it agrees, as summer blooms become less vibrant and the fall ones start to come into their own.

Wasps seem to outnumber the bees, at least on the goldenrod. I plan to use the flowers from this plant to dye yarn, so I'll need to harvest early in the day and shake off any bugs that are hiding out. Don't worry - there will be plenty left for the insects.

The fruit on the flowering crabs and winterberry is turning.

And in anticipation of Halloween, new flamingos have been added to the collection.

Under the "out and about" category, my SO and son and I visited the local botanical conservatory this week. I don't usually go there in the summer - and now I know why: it's HOT in there on a sunny day! The tropical and desert displays feel like more of a respite during the winter months, but I wanted to see their pueblo garden display. Of particular interest were methods for conserving water: buried ollas and waffle beds. The "three sisters" - corn, beans, and squash - were planted together, another age-old gardening trick. And then there were those ever-popular southwest colors - terra cotta adobe and blue doors.

It's difficult to leave a garden of any kind without purchasing a memento, in this case three living stone plants. I wanted something that would not outgrow the pot for many years, and these "buttons" look like they fit the bill. Hopefully, I won't kill them. (The foliage and flowers in the photos are artificial.)

This year there seems to be a plethora of articles on deadheading and seed-saving coneflowers. The advice does not compute, as indicated by the comments that accompany the posts, most of which lean toward the "leave the seeds for the birds" and "coneflowers will reseed themselves" variety. Yes, the fading flowers are not very pretty but the goldfinch feeding on them are.

Dead and dying

There is not a lot happening in the yard these days. No rain, so I have been watering. Too dry to mow, although the 'Crimson King' maple tree in the front yard is dropping its leaves. (I mow leaves instead of raking them.) Yesteday was the first day of autumn, but the weather is not cooperating.

Dry or not, dog poop still needs to be picked up. While completing this task, I came upon a dead chipmunk, literally belly up. No apparent trauma, but then I didn't inspect it closely. It could have been the victim of two critter-chasing dogs, or maybe a hawk dropped it.

Then, while filling up one of the birdbaths, I noticed a young raccoon lying on the brush pile in the corner, dead. The dogs killed a young raccoon earlier, which I found traumatic - the thing screamed like a cat - but those two can't reach the area around the brush pile. Maybe an owl dropped it? Some vultures were checking it out the other day, but it's still there. I'm letting nature take its course.

(I am of two minds regarding the dogs killing trespassing wildlife. On the one hand, I wish they wouldn't. On the other, without their vigilance, my property would be overrun by vermin.)

That houseplant I showed you a couple of weeks ago, the one that supposedly needs very little care, made a liar of the seller. The poor thing looks a bit bedraggled. Crassula 'Buddha Temple' succulents are prone to root rot, but they *do* need to be watered periodically. I hope the good soaking I gave this guy revives it.

Not everything is dead or dying around here. The aromatic asters are coming on strong, attracting pollinators and even a few butterflies.

I haven't planted the new asters yet - the ground is so hard and dry - but I may not be able to wait much longer. Even though I keep them watered, they won't last forever in their current state.

Not so hot

I'm hoping last week was our last hot spell for the season. The forecast looks promising in an early-fall kind of way. This wonky weather has left me feeling off balance, like I can't count on things moving forward in a logical meteorological way. A single outfit doesn't last the day.

A little catch-up: a better photo of the goldenrod and a pic of the lavender colored aster that I think is smooth aster, a.k.a. aster laevis.

I had the landscape guys cut down a volunteer redbud that grew too close to the house, but it's ba-a-a-ack. I plan to try to prune it to a (mostly) single leader, to see if that helps keep it from becoming a nuisance.

Art fairs seem to be the hot thing right now. Some of them are meh, but my SO and I attended a couple of small ones yesterday. I could not resist purchasing this little fellow.

The seller couldn't tell me its name, but I think it is a Crassula 'Buddha Temple' succulent. Apparently, they require very little care, which is my kind of houseplant.

Have a carefree week.