The Late Summer Slump

Hi everyone,

I promised some prettier pictures of butterflies instead of just caterpillars this week. So here they are!

I was really proud of this shot of a buckeye on my butterfly bush. The Buckeye state has finally produced. I was beginning to doubt there were any buckeyes in Ohio. How strange is that? The light caught this little guy just right, and he was showing off those pretty spots for me.

The Monarchs have also come around in full force. I tried to get an awesome picture, but I have to settle for a little fuzzy on the wing. That's the problem with butterflies. They hardly ever hold still.

The caterpillars are a little easier to handle in that respect. Here's a picture of one of the tiny monarch caterpillars on my milkweed.

All in all, the butterflies seem to be enjoying the garden at the moment. Here's the problem, I'm not.

It's been hot and dry, turning the clay soil into rock. I've been waiting for a good storm to come and soften up the soil so I can weed, but the weather isn't obliging me at the moment. Consequently, the weeds have come up, and I can't get them out.

I'm also fighting plant fatigue. I'm not fatigued, but the plants are. The lilles are done with their show, and now I've had to cut down the dead stalks and leaves. The petunias are hanging in there, but some of the parsley looks really ratty. The butterfly bush is doing its best to maintain its bloom, but some of the other perennials like the bee balm and cone flowers just seem done.

I have to go in and fill in now with some late summer bloomers and some fall bloomers, but the weather is hot and the ground is hard, and I have to somehow fit plants into the budget. It's very frustrating.

So here's praying for some rain. My poor garden really needs it. So, for all the gardeners out there, what are some of your favorite late summer bloomers?

Happy Reading!

Jess