Perhaps it's just that it has been such a rainy year, but the summer seems to be waning already if the tattered wings of this monarch are any indication...
And yet, there are signs of new winged life yet to be...
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Ruby Meadowhawk on Poppy
Last year two little poppies showed up in the garden strip along my garage near the downspout. I think they are breadbox poppies. I suspect the seeds blew in and washed down the drain to find themselves planted there, as they aren't anywhere else in the yard. They are such sweet little flowers and this year they've delighted me with more. This female ruby meadowhawk dragonfly seems to love the seedpods and can be seen there regularly these days.
Incidentally, if you enjoy the photos that I take of my humble yard and would like to see what I might find in yours, please don't hesitate to contact me about doing a custom photo shoot of your gardens. There are so many precious vignettes to capture who knows what I might discover for you. (You may want to keep me in mind if you, or someone you know, is having to move away from a beloved piece of land...wouldn't it be lovely to take a custom book or wall art of those memories along?)
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Ruby Meadowhawk Dragonfly
The Ruby Meadowhawk is one of the most common dragonflies in the meadows and fields of northern Illinois. This is the female, more russet in color compared to the more truly scarlet colored male. They are also among the more tolerant of intrusive photographers.
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Garter Snake
One thing to be said for neglecting my overgrown gardens is that it allows the other residents of our acre to thrive relatively undisturbed. I know there are a lot of people out there who don't really enjoy seeing snakes, especially large ones like this creature, but I've always delighted in seeing them.
They are beneficial in the garden, almost exclusively eating insects, while not doing the least bit of damage to plants. Larger individuals may also east small rodents, frogs and toads. I did see one eating a full grown toad once. It was horrifying and fascinating in equal measure. With the myriad of tiny toads still romping around the yard (along with a nice crop of frogs), I'm sure our resident snakes are getting a diverse diet this year.
This one was quite mellow and tolerated my presence quite a long time.
I'd actually seen a couple this day and Scott thought he might have seen some tiny ones dash through the grass (they are very fast, and about the size of large earthworms). One more reason to pay attention out on the lawn.
Amazing what an eco system a lawn is when you don't chemically treat and let it be the mix of grasses, ground ivies and low lying weeds nature insists on. While it isn't exactly a putting green, actual grass lawns have come to look so unnatural to me that I actually prefer the 'mowed weed' look. And the critters seem to prefer it, too.
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Echinacea is Loved by Birds, Bees and Butterflies
Echinacea is a favorite of butterflies and gold finches
Echinacea, or purple coneflower will happily take over your yard if you let it and more and more I find myself content to let it. Mostly. Well, on weeks like this.
The same plant that enjoys widespread use for treating colds and flu, butterflies and bees love it as well. And apart from it's medicinal uses, it makes for wonderful long lasting cut flowers. It can get droopy if dry or in sun too blazing but it perks up after the heat of the day has passed.
Why has it taken over my yard? Because gold finches absolutely love the seeds. I can't bear to cut the spent flowers when I see a flock of yellow birds feasting on them so, of course, that means the plant is happily seeding itself in my garden.
And let's not forget the importance of helping pollinators who seem to be declining everywhere. In fact, Sir David Attenborough, President of Butterfly Conservation, has launched the Big Butterfly Count and encourages the planting of butterfly-friendly plants like Echinacea.
It's up to every single one of us to make sure that the spectacle of mid-summer butterflies remains a much anticipated highlight of the season rather than becoming a long-mourned memory.
– Sir David Attenborough
All this to say that if you would like to add some of this beautiful plant to your perennial garden, own a shovel, and live anywhere near me (DuPage County, IL), I will always have plants to share. Make a note of it.
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Bet You Didn't Know This about Chicory
Wild chicory along a bike trail
Every year around this time, my husband must endure my seemingly endless refrain, "I just love those flowers." "Oh, chicory! I just love that color!" "Did I ever tell you how much I love chicory flowers?"
It's just how it is with me when I fall in love with something. These happy little periwinkle-colored flowers are now dotting the landscape along roadsides and bike trails and in local prairies. It is an edible plant, with leaves similar to dandelion and also having a reputation for being good for the liver.
Also, like dandelion, the leaves become bitter as they mature, so best to harvest them early. The flowers are edible, but can be bitter. The roots are used as a coffee substitute (you may be more likely to see that in the Southern U.S.)
Now for the part that I'll bet you didn't know...
The roots can be dug and planted in a dark cellar, and the plant will grow small pale leaf heads: we know this vegetable as Belgian endive; it is the same species as roadside chicory (Cichorium intybus.)
Have you ever seen what grocers charge for the weeds we pull out of our yards? Amazing.
I do let it grow in my garden, although it mostly sets itself up along the roadside and on the edges of our black raspberry bramble. It seems determined to bloom so I've even seen plants that have set up in our 'lawn' and get mowed send out blooms in the grass. I haven't ever tried to prune it to encourage bushiness and more concentrated blooms, but I'll bet that would work if you find some in your garden bed and want to keep it from getting overly leggy.
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Breakfast and Robins and Robins for Breakfast
Sooo...the week that just passed did not afford many opportunities for me to take photos here, not that there wasn't news to report. Time to get back on the blogging horse and so I thought, while my husband and I were eating a breakfast of zucchini crepes and honeydew melon outside, that I would try to get a photo of the robin's nest just over our heads.
Here it is. That is mom's tail hanging over the edge to the right.
And just as I was taking the camera from my eye a hawk swooped in (Cooper's, I think...possibly sharp-shinned) and this is what happened...
It happened amazingly fast...
We were dumbfounded, watching the robin chase the hawk and hearing the pitiful cries. After some minutes she returned and sat in the tree above the nest when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something fall. The cottonwood is already dropping leaves and twigs like crazy but I knew this wasn't a twig. Something had fallen into the black raspberry bramble.
I raced down to see and in the leaves beneath I found a baby. A hungry and seemingly unharmed baby, quite a long way from it's nest.
We do have an assortment of old nests stuck in flower pots so I scooped the baby up and placed it in a nest, in a pot, in a planter, just beneath the branch where its nest was.
And now that question that I never quite know how to answer. Let this baby become part of the cycle of life as it clearly was about to do before I scooped it up or...???
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Bee Balm
Also known as Monarda, Bergamot and Oswego Tea, you can see its wild version in bloom in many prairies and along bike trails right now.
Wild bee balm
It is edible. This member of the mint family has a strong flavor that is best used sparingly (a spicy, almost oregano flavor with minty tones). It is related to the bergamot that is used to flavor Earl Grey tea. In fact, you can use it as a substitute in recipes like this intriguing one for poached pears using Earl Grey tea. Flower petals can also be added to salads.
Whether or not you choose to make culinary use of it, one thing is for certain: bees and hummingbirds love it. It does have mint's tendencies to spread, and in damp conditions can get mildew on its leaves, but with so many cultivars to choose from, it can make a very fin addition to perennial and cottage gardens.
Red bergamot cultivars are a favorite of hummingbirds
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The Green Heron
Or, as we call it in our house, the "little green hero", has been a fairly regular visitor to the marsh. The nickname got started when I had sent an email to my brother-in-law and happened to make mention that we had one walking around in the yard. My niece, peeking over his shoulder, didn't see the 'n' and asked, "What's a little Green Hero?"
Ever since then, that is how they are known. Kids have a way of getting into your head like that.
Recently we had not one, but two of the fairly reclusive birds chatting each other up all day on the marsh. Of course, getting photos was not easy because I was concerned about scaring them away, so you must accept yet another apology from me as I continue to work through the problem of capturing marsh images for you without intruding on the animals. I heard one calling again this morning as I woke up, so perhaps they have established a nest nearby. We are well within their common breeding range.
If you would like to learn more about these lovely creatures, and to see actual high quality photos of them (they really are quite beautiful), be sure to visit their Audubon field guide page.
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What is That Strange Mini Volcano in the Yard?
The crayfish (or crawdaddy if you live in the southern U.S.), is a small crustacean resembling a tiny lobster. The crayfish spends most of its time in the chamber at the bottom of its burrow so is rarely seen. Only at night does it become active bringing soil to the surface. It feeds mostly on decaying roots and buried plant matter, but sometimes eats worms or insects. Some species live alone but others are more communal.
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