Dog daze

The light has changed and the humidity won't stop, so it must be August. My granddaughter goes back to school August 8(!) It just doesn't seem right to not wait until after Labor Day.

The Profusion zinnias are doing their thing, along with the nodding onion, so the front of the house doesn't look so plain now. I love zinnias, but I'm going to try something else next year.

Almost everytime I sit and gaze at the backyard, I see hummingbirds, mostly at the penstemon (which is just about done). Goldfinch are enjoying the coneflower and sunflower seeds.

I'm disturbed by the lack of butterflies this year. Perhaps it is just an anomaly. Fingers crossed.

Name that tune

Several years ago, I tried the bird identifying app Merlin and was not impressed. But I decided to try it again. It is much better. While I can visually identify most of the birds in my backyard, their songs frequently escape me.

It's no surprise that most of the birdsong in my yard is from sparrows. Merlin also picked up a black-capped chickadee's staccato cheeps; I located it in the (dead) tulip tree, feeding on bugs. Merlin identified the hawk I hear so frequently as a red-shouldered hawk. Mystery solved.

Of course, that is assuming the accuracy of the app. Ideally, one would visually confirm the link between the bird and the birdsong. A photo would be even better. But I'm lazy and don't want to move from my lawn chair. Or I just can't sight the damn bird. Or so many are LBJ's (Little Brown Jobs) and are difficult to tell apart.

My SO and I took a bit of a hike at Fox Island. Many (MANY) years ago, I participated in a ground water study there, which gave me an opportunity to view the wildflowers over several seasons. My tiny brain has not retained the names of those wildflowers, but we enjoyed them nonetheless.

I have a tendency to plan a project, purchase the needed supplies, then never actually complete the project. Yesterday I actually accomplished one: adding nonskid strips to the garden shed ramp. When wet, the ramp is slick, even moreso when covered with snow or ice.

The black strips were easy to install: remove backing and press. The narrow gray strips were a nightmare. The backing layers separated. My thumbnails are sore from trying to pick at the backing (I eventually resorted to using a box cutter). We'll see which ones last the longest.

This must be the year of the hydrangea. All over town, shrubs are dense with bursting blossoms. My own 'Limelight' hydrangea has joined in.

It looks like it will be a banner year for goldenrod as well.

Below is a photo of the morning sun. I took the picture because the sun was red, but it didn't translate onto the image. Too bad, because it was stunning.

While on the topic of photos, Dropbox no longer is working between my devices, probably because I have been using the free version which apparently is no long free, or free for only a limited time. How best to transfer photos from my phone to laptop now? Well, today I discovered I can link those two devices. It's not as simple to use as Dropbox, but it works fine.

Nuts to nutsedge

A weed is a plant that is growing where you don't want it. Yellow nutsedge is such a plant. It likes damp soil, so pops up in the lawn near the edges of the driveway. And now it is rampant in the rain garden.

It's Latin name is Cyperus esculentus. Nutsedge is also known as nut grass, chufa sedge, tiger nuts or earth almond. I've read that is is native to the Middle East and I've read that it is native to Indiana. Regardless, it has spread around the world. In some countries, it is used for livestock feed. Some people eat the tubers and/or make a drink from them. Ducks and wild turkeys feed on it.

I don't have any ducks or wild turkeys in my yard, so its value to me is minimal. I contemplated letting it grow in the rain garden, but decided that was inviting trouble. There are herbicides that target nutsedge, but they may damage turf grass and other nearby plants. I'll keep spraying it where I can, pulling it where I can't spray, and mowing it in the lawn.

A bargain

I took a sample of the skeletonized leaves from my 'Perfect Purple' flowering crab to the Purdue County Extension office. To have a member of the Master Gardeners examine them cost nothing, but I coughed up $5 for an expert to take a look and provide advice. They confirmed that yes, it is the apple-and-thorn skeletonizer, a.k.a. Choreutis pariana and provided several choices for treatment. What a deal!

While we were at the extension office, we took a stroll through their gardens, which consist of the usual suspects. A bonus is many are labeled, so if we were stumped over the identification of a plant, we just had to find its tag. Very helpful.

This planter design was new to me.

The past few days have brought morning fog, which highlights spider webs. At least I think they are spider webs. They could be a fungus. If I see them tomorrow, I will take a closer look.

The photo above highlights one of the things I don't like about the Packera aurea (Golden ragwort): the stems that remain after pruning the flowering stalks. I'm at the age where I don't like to do a lot of bending over, so I cut these back the best I could. Pulling on the stems, even when they look done, frequently results in uprooting the whole plant. In the sunnier areas, I plan to interplant one bed with a short variety of coneflower, another bed with a short variety of rudbeckia. That should at least disguise the stems.

We were lucky to receive almost two inches of rain this past week, which of course brought out the mushrooms. Perhaps these are a variety of Gymnopus?

I noticed that one cell in the mason bee nest is occupied, hopefully with mason bees. To read about their life cycle, visit this site.

The dead tulip tree is now a "wildlife tree" or snag. The other day, I observed a pair of sparrows stripping bark from one if the limbs, presumably to expose insects for the two youngsters that were with them.

The nextdoor neighbors have been making good use of their above-ground pool this summer. I'm almost tempted to get one of my own. Almost. It would have to come with a "pool boy".

Noises, noises, noises

When my children were young, I read to them a lot. One semi-favorite was called Noises, Noises, Noises, I believe. It was about an elderly couple. He complained about all the noises while she told him the solution was to eat his roast beef and wear his mittens.

Not a very interesting premise, but I could not help but think of that book while doing yoga on the deck last weekend. There were the manmade noises - airplanes and a medical helicoptor overhead, motorcycles and other traffic, the air conditioner cycling on and off, lawn mowers - and natural noises - the wind in the trees, birds (especially a wren and a hawk), Clio panting in the sun, and CICADAS in JUNE.

I have not seen any June bugs, but there is a plethora of Japanese beetles this year. The good news is they seem to be limiting their damage to the Virginia creeper. The vine is all volunteer and tolerated for its fall color. I'm not sure there will be anything left to turn red come autumn, though.

What eats Japanese beetles? According to the Web, birds like starlings, grackles, crows, robins, catbirds, cardinals, and meadowlarks. Also insects like spiders, assassin bugs, and predatory stink bugs. I wish they would come dine in my yard.

Something is skeletizing the leaves on the 'Perfect Purple' flowering crabapple as well. One online source suggests that this is caused by the apple-and-thorn skeletonizer, a.k.a. Choreutis pariana. The Midwest is not one of its usual territories, however. I may take some samples into the co-operative office and see what they say.

When I take the time to just sit and observe my yard, I see goldfinch in the beebalm and coneflower, hummingbirds tasting nectar from the blossoms on the penstemon and honeysuckle vine, young sparrows trying oh-so-hard to fly, rabbits hiding in the northern sea oats. Not very many butterflies, but for some reason dragonflies. Go figure.

Design flaws

When the Sanctuary Natives guy replaced the ailing ninebark, he took a look around the yard to see how things were doing. He was a bit surprised to see that the 'October Skies' aromatic aster in one bed now has a baby brother growing next to it; he didn't think that would happen. Now that the weather has cooled and I have been handweeding, I see that the aromatic asters are rampantly reseeding themselves. Argh! An online search validates my findings, with the recommendation that one prune the plants once the blossoms are done.

Two of the asters apparently don't get enough light and splay instead of growing more upright - the better to spread their seeds. I wrapped a bit of hardware cloth around them to prop them up (now they are shaped like sheafs of wheat), but I'm considering replacing them. (BTW, the blossoms of the aromatic aster are not aromatic; instead, its the leaves, which smelled wonderful while I was wrestling the plants into their new confines.)

BUT I feel bad about altering the landscape design. Or I did, until I read this article in the New York Times about the High Line in NYC. Piet Oudolf designed the High Line, but after fifteen years, plants grow - and outgrow their space. Ten horticulturists care for this urban oasis, trying to maintain the original vision as much as possible, but adjusting where needed.

Which brings me back to my yard. I'm allowed to make adjustments of my own when something is not working out. I will try to do it carefully and deliberately, instead of willy-nilly like I have in the past. Besides those two asters, the hairy beardtongue is not very happy in its somewhat shady location, so maybe I will move that and find a replacement. The status of the butterflyweed is also questionable; I've never had much luck with it.

The bluebird parents are busy feeding their young. A (presumably male) wren keeps singing up a storm around the wren box in the backyard, while I don't think anyone has taken up residence in the one in the front yard.

We've had rain (yay!) and cooler temps, so I've been working away on the weeds. Better get back at that chore while the weather holds.

Under the (heat) dome

The past week has been HOT. It's not so bad when there is a breeze or when there is a cloud cover. But when there is sun and no breeze? Ugh. And HUMID. And DRY - no rain. Tomorrow's high should be 80, which will feel chilly. There may be rain, which would be a relief.

My day used to start with coffee and news, breakfast, then dog walking. Then it shifted to coffee and news, dog walking, then breakfast. This past week each day started with a token dog walk, then coffee and news, then breakfast. Once we reach the driveway, Clio turns to go in because she is DONE.

I'm still a bit flummoxed about how few bugs there are this year. The bee balm is now blooming, which is attracting bees, naturally, but not as many as other years. I wonder if our crazy weather has thrown Mother Nature into disarray. Maybe that is why the robins did not eat the serviceberries this year - bad timing.

The coneflower I planted last spring is blooming, and so tall I can't see the rudbeckia behind it. Goldfinch love the coneflower seeds; we'll see if they show up. I'm losing faith in what's "normal" in the backyard gardening world.

I'm behind in weed control while I've been busy watering all the newbies (and a few oldies). Speaking of which, I'd better get to that right now.

Word of the day: foliaceous

I've complained here about how my native plants are not very showy. By that I mean that there isn't much color besides green, green, green. It turns out that green is not green is not green. There are shades of green and textures and shapes that, when combined, create interest.

Foliaceous means resembling or pertaining to leaves. Mother Nature is very foliaceous. (Photo by my daughter while we kayaked at Chain o' Lakes State Park.)

And so is my yard. You just have to look with fresh eyes.

I finished transplanting the seedlings. Well, sort of. Some Profusion zinnias went in empty spots in the beds in the front yard, some volunteer zinnias moved from a container to the coneflower bed, a dozen or so Profusion zinnias went into the containers, the amaranth is now in a bare area on the south side of the house, and the leftover Profusion zinnias are now in a bed along the driveway at my SO's house. All that remains are the wild strawberry and wild petunia seeds in the refrigerator that I have been ignoring.

Two of the 'Amber Jubilee' ninebark were replaced this week, as they were more than half dead. They never developed roots. It's a mystery why one is doing fine but two did not.

My neighbor's lawn treatment guy has been a bit too generous with the pellets he spews about. Enough landed under the 'Perfect Purple' flowering crab to kill one catmint and seriously damage two others. I talked to the neighbor and she talked to the lawn treatment company, but I decided to be proactive and protect the replacements. (Said replacements had been in a container, transplanted to the coneflower bed where they were seriously overshadowed, so they are happier now under the crab.)

It sounds like the baby wrens have flown the nest, while a new (or same?) pair of bluebirds is inhabiting the bluebird house. The coneflower is starting to bloom, which means it is summer. The weather certainly says so. We've had some delightful days, but a heat wave is on its way. All I have to do at this point is keep all the newbies watered.

It's a goose parade!

While walking the dog the other day, I witnessed this multi-family gaggle of geese marching down to the neighborhood pond. There are at least 25 of them, maybe three sets of parents. This is something Canada geese do after hatching their brood - they combine families, the better to protect them.

The butterfly weed is starting to bloom. I'm keeping an eye on the plants to see if any caterpillars start munching on them. They need to get more fully established before becoming a food source. Not that I've seen many butterflies so far this year.

After my kvetching about the lack of wildlife in my yard, the other day I spotted the first hummingbird of the season amongst the penstemon. And I've seen goldfinch as well. If the robins don't eat the serviceberry, though, I'm going to harvest it myself.

What's that noise?!?

On our way back from a quick trip to Milwaukee, we stopped at the Chicago Botanical Gardens. The parking lots are surrounded by trees which are full of Brood XIII cicadas. And they are LOUD. Inside the gardens themselves, things were relatively calm, although some shrubs and small trees were covered with netting, presumably to protect them from the cicadas.

The previous time we were at the CBG, I came home all excited about the experience. Now - meh. It's not the gardens' fault. I think my interest in expanding my garden exposure has abated. My own yard is enough.

Despite my efforts to attract the birds and bees, there isn't much wildlife activity in my yard. The serviceberry fruit is abundant and dark purple, but the robins don't seem interested. There is no fruit on the chokeberry shrubs, probably because they bloomed too early for the pollinators. Despite the honeysuckle vine and penstemon blooming, no hummingbirds have appeared yet, although it is a bit early. And the bee population seems lower this summer.

The winterberry holly is blooming, but one might not notice it as the blossoms are so small. Last year the bushes next to the house produced no fruit. I have both male and female plants; I wonder if it is a pollinator problem.

At least the wren box sounds like it is full of (noisy) babies.

My house has lost power twice in recent weeks, once from a squirrel in a transformer, today from something else. I've been getting estimates for a whole house backup generator. Holy cow - are they expensive! I like the idea of having automatic backup, but the price is giving me pause. I will get one more quote, then decide.

Feels (almost) like summer

Some mark the beginning of summer with Memorial Day. The weather is almost there, but some cooler temps are in store for us this coming week. As I age, I find it more and more difficult to work under the sun. This morning was overcast, though, so just right for getting some things done in the yard.

I like my older honeysuckle vine but not how it is out of control. Hopefully, these trunks from the arborvitae will help corral it and send it up instead of out.

For the younger honeysuckle vines, I proactively set up trellises to keep them in check.

One other climber, the Clematis Paniculata which is still in a container, is being trained to climb up the pergola. (No pic, because the whole setup is rather chintzy looking.) The plant received a top dressing of composted cow manure today, to keep it happy.

And then there is the climbing rose. I've been looking for a trellis to arch over the gate in the fence, but it has to be at least six feet wide and six feet tall, which is expensive. While spraying weeds behind my privacy fence, I noticed the neighbors behind me had installed a trellis made from concrete remesh (or something like that) for their new climbing roses. So now that is on my shopping list.

Yesterday I managed to get the rattlesnake master into the ground before the sun came out from behind a cloud. This morning was overcast, so I tackled the beds in the front, cutting down spent ragwort flower stems (the hedge trimmer works well for this) and hand weeding. The Penstemon hirsutus (Hairy Beardtongue) is blooming there, along with the Heuchera richardsonii (Prairie Alumroot), which the bees are loving.

The Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' (Rough Goldenrod) I planted last year is doing well, still in tidy clumps. The aster I planted in front of it did not survive an onslaught from bunnies. I'm debating on whether to replace them. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any reference to the variety.

The serviceberry (a.k.a. Juneberry) fruit is ripening, right on time. The robins will be loving these shrubs in a few weeks.

The spiderwort is blooming well, mostly early in the day. Later on, it closes shop. The rain garden has been closer to a water feature this spring, and I'm not sure the plants that have been under water are going to survive. I'm wondering if some Siberian iris would do well there.

And to close out this post, my trio of suns. They are made from metal, and I purchased them at the annual home and garden show. The first on is on the front porch, the second one by the dining room window, and the last one on the back fence. I particularly like that last one, as its look changes with the changing light.

Have a great weekend!

Fox Island

Two years ago, a derecho came through this area. For those who don't know, a derecho is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that here caused a lot of damage. Fortunately for me, the worst hit area was south of my house. Unfortunately for Fox Island, a county park and nature preserve, the storm did a LOT of damage.

The park had to close indefinitely. Donations and volunteers were requested, to help with the clean-up and restoration. Now, two years later, the park is about to open. And since I donated some money, I was invited to a pre-opening hike last month.

The bulletin board in the nature center tells the story. The company that removed the trees did so in exchange for the wood. New trees have been planted, and the park is starting to heal. But it will be generations before it fully recovers.

Where there was once countless trees there is now next to nothing.

The sandy soil did little to keep trees upright.

I have a bit of history with the park. While self-employed (many, many years ago!), I participated in a ground water study, hiking through the preserve to measure the depth of the water in strategically placed wells. Those wells cannot even be found now. I have cross country skied at the park, surrounded by winter-bare trees that are no longer there. It's all very sad.

While we are catching up, here is a photo of my Christmas cactus blooming in April. The plant was a gift, and the year after receiving it, I did manage to force some winter blooms from it. But I haven't been a very good plant owner to this thing, have debated over whether I should put it out of its misery, when it creates this rather large blossom. Go figure.

I don't think I mentioned my attempt to overseed a swath of quack grass in the backyard with grass seed and clover last month. It's really hard to tell if it is working, and I have been remiss in keeping the patch watered. I'm going to mow the area today, and we'll just have to wait and see.

As promised, here is a pic of a spiderwort blossom. It is recovering from being transplanted quite nicely.

Yesterday I planted the impulse purchases from Riverview Native Nursery. These include Queen of the Prairie, Michigan Lily, Purple Meadow Rue, Spotted Joe Pye. They all went in next to the rain garden. I hope they tolerate my heavy clay soil. I also picked up a couple of butterfly weed plants at the nursery, to round out the ones out front. Those are now installed as well. Now all that is left are the rattle snake master plants, which was what I went to the nursery to purchase in the first place.