Hi Julie.  Happy Birthday!!!  I bet you never got flowers like these before.  

 

Years ago, Sharon gave me a cutting of her Night blooming Cereus.  It rode in the back seat all the way home.  Last year it started blooming, and this year it has bloomed twice.  This time with three flowers!!!  They started opening about 10 pm, and were fully open (this picture) by 11.  Each flower is bigger than your open hand, maybe 8-10 inches across.  And they smell heavenly!!  Wish we coulda had a party.  They closed up about 4 am: done......until next time.  

 

I wish you had been here.  Hope your birthday is HAPPY!!!  ❤️❤️❤️

 

This Hoary Mountain Mint is growing down on the Creekside Trail, but it's also growing all over the mountains and in fields. 

 

It is definitely a member of the mint family, with square stems and opposite leaves; and when you crush the leaves, you can smell MINT.  This particular mint looks as if the upper leaves have been dusted with white powder.   It blooms from July through October.  The small, purple dotted, whitish flowers are arranged in dense rounded heads.  See?

 

It is really easy to notice the plants at 25 mph, growing about 2-3 feet tall, right on the sides of the roads.  Be sure to look for it on your next road trip.

 

HAPPY TRAVELS!!!

 

Al told me he sat for 15 minutes to get this picture of a Fritillary on his Verbena hanging basket.  If you know Al, that is nothing short of AMAZING!!

 

What he was waiting for was the butterfly to land with its wings open.  I am so glad he waited;  this picture is gorgeous.  I thought it would be a nice way to start your day.  

 

Thanks Al, for sharing with all of us.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

These are some of our neighbors:  Ron and Buttercup.  They have other family members too, but these are the two we usually see when we're out on our evening cruise.  Buttercup is a 10 year old Pomeranian and weighs about 5 pounds (soaking wet!).  She has a funny little voice, just barely a bark, but friendly.  

 

Ron says she still has her Kujo, and can be a bit bossy when she needs to have her way.  

 

I'm not sure who loves who more.....but you can kinda see it in the picture.

 

I'd love to show your pets here on the blog.  Just email me a picture and a little story, and we can share stories about our "kids" and their antics.  

 

 

HAPPY DAYS!!!

 

Wow, this picture looks huge.  Actually this mushroom is about 12 inches in diameter, and grows right on the ground.  But you couldn't miss seeing it;  it sure grabbed our attention.  It is commonly known as Berkeley's Polypore.  Its scientific name is Bondarzewia berkeleyi.  

 

From Wikipedia:  Polypores and the related corticioid fungi are the most important agents of wood decay, playing a very significant role in nutrient cycling and carbon dioxide production of forest ecosystems.  Huge responsibility there.

 

My National Audubon Society field guide says it is edible when young, but as it matures it becomes tough and intensely bitter with a rank odor.  Yeah, No thanks.  It also says that they often attain a span of 3 feet and weigh more than 50 pounds.  That's a lot of decomposition!!!  

 

We had so much rain in August, the mushrooms have been popping out all over.  And we have had the privilege to see some in the wild.  

 

 

HAPPY HUNTING!!!

 

 

 

While I was in my garden, talking to Sandy Bradley on the phone, this Tiger Swallowtail visited the Passiflora and had a snack.  It stayed long enough for me to get a bunch of pictures.  You can see how big they both are, about 4 inches across.

 

Tiger Swallowtails will find nectar in all the flowers in our garden:  Marigolds, Passiflora, Zinnias;  but when it's time to lay eggs, the females will go to the Tulip Poplar and Wild Cherry trees.  These are the host plants, providing food for the caterpillars.  The caterpillars will stay on the host plants until they are ready to cocoon.  When they emerge as adult butterflies, they will feed on nectar plants.  Nectar plants are just about everything that's blooming:  Echinacea, Black eyed Susies, Marigolds, Poppies, Cosmos, Coreopsis, Joe Pye weed, New York Ironweed, etc.......

 

I'm so glad I let the Passiflora grow.  This Tiger Swallowtail is too. 

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is Max.  He did NOT drive up here by himself.  

 

Sal came to share Happy Hour on the porch, and Max came along for the ride. He sat up every once in a while to make sure Sal was still here, but mostly he was content to sleep in the Jeep.  

 

Just as a warning:  don't approach the Jeep;  Max thinks it belongs to him.   Good boy, MAX.  

 

 

LIFE IS GOOD!!!

 

 

 

We saw these mushrooms the other day while collecting Chanterelles.  Seek told me they are Trumpet mushrooms.  OK.

 

I just looked up Trumpets in my mushroom book, and yep, it's true.  The picture in the book is almost an exact copy of this one.  It says:  vase-shaped and related to Chanterelles!!!  And they are fragrant.  Didn't notice that.  Now I need to go back there and smell them.  

 

Edibility?  The field guide says Choice.  What does that mean?  Your choice to eat them or not, or does it mean choice like cuts of beef.  I need to think about this.....I am not crazy enough to eat anything I can't identify POSITIVELY.  Besides, these aren't all that tempting.

 

So, don't worry about me:  I am a bit curious, but also EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Here is a good reason to take your walk early in the morning, while it's still foggy.  

 

We were approaching the top of Five Forks Drive, the last big climb on our loop walk, when we saw this.  Love it!!!  Got our picture, took a breather, and continued on.  Home by 9 o'clock.  

 

What a beautiful way to start the day.  

 

HAPPY HIKING!!!

 

We were admiring Rosalie's zinnias, looking for deadheads to gather for seeds, and this Spicebush Swallowtail came to visit too.  

 

I can never tell from the description in the book which is the male and which is the female, (this one is definitely one or the other) but I am sure it is a Spicebush Swallowtail, also called "Green-clouded Swallowtail."  See the greenish cloud?  

 

Another way I know that this is a Spicebush Swallowtail is because there are a bunch of Spicebushes down on the Creekside Trail, and we've seen their caterpillars down there.  Spicebush is most distinctive in early spring when it's blooming.  I'll get you a picture then.  

 

Meanwhile, I love seeing butterflies in my garden, and all around the neighborhood.  They feel like flying flowers.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!