I was looking back through some photos, and I thought you’d all like to see some before and after of the Edible Alley
That first picture was taken in mid-May. The second just last week. That’s only abut 4.5 months worth of growth! Amazing.
Now that the tomatoes have started ripening…
They aren’t stopping! I bring in a basketful every day. And as many of you predicted – it looks like they are Roma tomatoes. Certainly NOT the grape tomatoes they were supposed to be!
I’ve found quite a few that have been munched on…
But there’s definitely more than enough to share with a few night-time raiders.
I am absolutely thrilled with my first attempt at growing squash vertically.
The ladder has proved to be a fantastic support and I have several squashes in various stages of development.
I picked and ate that smaller one on the right the other night and it was delicious! The other ones need more time, but I’m definitely looking forward to enjoying them!
I continue to enjoy shooting around my yard with the long lens.
The squirrels are in full gathering mode, and there are quite a few walnut trees around us. This is a pretty common site, but it never fails to crack me up.
And these two look like they are sharing secrets.
The cardinals at the townhouse were quite social and easy to get pictures of. But the ones here have been exceedingly elusive! But I finally got both Mr. Cardinal…
and Mrs. Cardinal…
They’ve been doing a lot of singing together lately, and I love seeing them in the yard together.
The bluejays are the easiest to get photos of…
Just fill that peanut ring and they appear!
Dave does not enjoy the noises they make, but I think they are delightful!
And while it’s not the best photo…
I did manage to snap a hummingbird! These guys LOVE to come around when I don’t have the camera handy. And they move so fast, even if I do, it’s near impossible to focus on them before they move again!
It thrills me how good the camera is for getting pictures of tiny creatures.
This pretty little spider was making a web on the flowers of one of the new hostas. He almost looks like he’s made of glass.
From grasshoppers…
To crickets…
To praying mantises…
To tiny butterflies (Checkered Skipper)
To black-bummed Carpenter Bees
The camera lets me see them in a way I never could with the naked eye.
We are already closing in on mid-September, and I’m very consciously aware of the big grey sweater I should be working to finish in time for Dad’s birthday in December…
But in the evenings, I just can’t seem to muster the energy to work on it. Since I didn’t have a new cross-stitch picked out after finishing my “chicken butt”, I’ve decided to delay starting a new project, and try to use the weekend time I’d be cross stitching to get some knitting done.
But I still couldn’t get myself to pick up those needles. I decided what I need was something to rev those knitting engines… something quick, mindless… but fun!
Queue self-striping sock yarn!!!
I’ve got a small stash of Felici in the closet, so I pulled out a colourway I’d bought particularly for my brother. It’s called “Gone Fishin”. As you can see, Lemmy “helped” me get a start on it Saturday night.
Then Sunday, I got a good chunk done while on Monarch watch
I’m almost ready to start on the heel, and so far, I’m loving every stitch of it!
Hopefully this gets the knitting engine nice and warm, and ready to tackle the rest of that sweater!
A neat thing happened last Thursday… I was bringing my big wheelie garbage bin back from the curb after the truck picked up our garbage, and I noticed something swinging just under the handle.
I stopped pulling the bin, set it upright, and took a closer look.
I couldn’t believe it! Another monarch chrysalis!!! And the truly amazing part is that our garbage is picked up and dumped by a big mechanical arm on the truck. It’s not a gentle ride – but that little thread he’s hanging by is super strong!!!
Naturally, I was thrilled to have found another one. The second one on the siding had yet to emerge, so now I had an extra chance to see it happen.
By Friday, the one on the siding had turned dark
It was a work day for me, which wasn’t ideal for butterfly watching, but I checked on it every half an hour throughout the morning. Nothing happened. They usually emerge around mid-morning, but Friday was much cooler (15C/59F), and when the temps are cooler, apparently they wait until afternoon to emerge.
I checked on it as often as I could while still getting work done. Nothing, nothing, nothing, then I came out at 3 pm.
And I’d missed it again!!! By quite a bit this time. Her wings were already fully inflated, and she had moved from hanging on the remains of the cocoon. And see that red smear down the siding behind her? That’s a mix of bodily fluids that they expel, usually about half an hour after they emerge. It looks concerning, but it’s a natural part of the process.
As with the first one, I decided it would be best to move this one away from the catio and the Mighty Monarch Hunter.
About an hour later, she flew away. While happy to have helped another Monarch into the world, I was sad to have missed the event… again! But I still had one more chance with the garbage Monarch!
When Sunday morning came, and I saw that that one had turned dark…
I wasn’t going to miss it again, so I grabbed a chair…
… and I settled in to wait (more on that knitting tomorrow). And wait. And wait.
by noon, I realized this one was going to be another afternooner – even though the day was fairly warm. I set the knitting aside and did some repotting of my house plants, all while keeping a weather eye on the garbage can.
And finally, around 2 pm, it started to happen.
The initial emergence happens quite quickly – probably just a minute or two. Then the monarch just hangs from the chrysalis pumping blood through it’s wings and gaining the strength to fly.
I was so happy to have been able to capture the moment at last. After this, Dave and I popped off to the hardware store to get a few things and grab a bite to eat. It was about 4 pm when we got back, and the Monarch had moved from the chrysalis and was getting ready to take the first flight.
The first flight was a little shaky, and the poor dear ended up inside my open bag of potting soil!
I gave him a hand out of there, and got him settled on the butterfly bush…
…. and continued with my potting. About half an hour later, I went back over to the bush to check on him…. and he flew right to my chest.
He climbed up the strap on my dress….
… and he flittered on my shoulder for about a minute before finally flying off for good – over the fence into the neighbours yard. Perhaps saying goodbye before he left?
It was a magical end to a truly wonderful experience!
As I was touring the garden to get pictures for yesterday’s post, I realized just how many different Tickseed’s I’ve collected. And admittedly, all but two were bought this year! I do seem to have gone a little tickseed crazy
Also known as Coreopsis, they are a wonderful plant that starts blooming in early summer and goes right to the frost. You don’t have to deadhead them to keep them blooming, but I try to. You get more blooms that way and the plant looks tidier. They aren’t super tall, making them perfect for the front of a border where you want a big pop of colour. They do get nice and dense, and are really easy to split up – so you can spread them all around the garden or share them with friends!
There’s some debate weather those pink shades will make it through winter. Apparently they are newer hybrids and aren’t as winter hardy as the reds and yellows. I’ll give them a little extra mulch and keep my fingers crossed, because boy are they pretty!
I think September might be my favourite month in the garden. Especially in the catio
Everything has had all summer to grow, and it’s lush and thick and there’s still so much in bloom!
That big mass of purple you see in the middle are the Smooth Asters.
Next year I have to find a better spot for it because it’s just too big for the catio yard. It’s tall. If it was properly supported, it would easily reach six feet. I tried to get it stake up in the mid summer and I only half managed it. So now I have this wild, waterfall effect, with purple flowers flowing EVERYwhere!!!
Just amazing!
Out front is the New England Aster. It’s almost as tall, and the flowers are a little darker shade. I’m not sure if it will be quite as impressive with as many blooms, but it’s pretty none-the-less.
Both Asters are native plants, so that’s an extra bonus.
Outside the catio, the two mums that flank the gate are showing off.
Mums are amazing when they are in full bloom
My favourite one is inside the catio. It’s blooms are bigger, and they are a little slower to go crazy
But I just love the mauvey-pink shade!
I got new one as well…
A lovely rusty-red. It’s just hanging on the front porch for now, but I will find a permanent spot for it out from before too long.
The front porch boxes have been switch to fall as well.
The small mums did so well last year, I thought it was worth a repeat.
Elsewhere, the Susans are putting on a solid display.
I’ve got them in just about every part of the yard because I love them so much.
But also contributing to the show are the False Sunflowers.
I especcially love te way the ones out back mingle with the blanket flowers
And yellow is a common theme in the September garden
The sneeze weed is as cheerful as ever.
And these beautiful Crocosmia are shining bright above them.
But not all that glitters is gold…
The Toad Lilies are starting to bloom in all their speckled glory!!!
I’m looking forward to savouring every day of September this year!
I can’t remember if I ever told you how I first learned about butterfly bushes. It was back in about 2006… I was working as a cub reporter for a community newspaper, in a little southern Ontario town called Port Colborne. It was a quiet day at the paper office, and I’d finished all my writing. I decided to go for a walk with my camera and see if I could find anything to take pictures of for filler pieces.
I’d walked for a about an hour and was on my way back to the office when I came across this large, flowering shrub on someone’s front lawn. And it was absolutely covered in monarchs! There had to be at least 30. I was amazed. I snapped dozens of pictures (sadly, I don’t have any of them any more).
When I came back to the office, I was showing everyone (Everyone being the receptionist, the ad salesperson and my editor) and noted that I’d have to find out what kind of bush it was. That’s when the receptionist said “Oh that’s a butterfly bush”.
I thought she was kidding at first, but… she wasn’t. I vowed that I would plant one one day! And I did, though it wasn’t until about eight years later when we moved to the townhouse in Stoney Creek. And the butterflies came, though I’ve never seen as many as on that bush in Port Colborne.
And of course, when we moved here, I got more. Five in total so far!
They are clockwise from top left: Buzz Lavender, Black Knight, Royal Red, White Profusion and Queen of Hearts.
White Profusion is the largest by far. It’s just outside the catio, and is taller than the fence, which is something like seven-and-a-half feet tall. It’s probably five-six feet wide, though I’ve never actually measured it. And boy does it bring in the butterflies.
This beauty is a Painted Lady. It’s a mid-sized butterfly, and this is the first year I’ve seen them here.
This one is also new. It’s a Hackberry Emperor. It’s a fair bit smaller – more on par with a Cabbage White.
It reminds me a little of the one on my recent cross stitch project.
It’s been a great year for new butterflies. This one is a Great Spangled Fritillary
We’ve had the smaller Fritillaries here, but never one this big – almost the size of a Monarch.
The Red Admirals have been incredibly abundant this year.
I always thought they were an early season butterfly. They were always one of the first butterflies to arrive, along with the Cabbage White. But I rarely saw them past June. But not this year. I went out the other day and there were no less than SEVEN on White Profusion. And that doesn’t include the other ones that were flitting about elsewhere in the yard. I’ve recently learned that there host plants are nettles, and there are certainly lots of them around here, so I’m guessing that’s why there are so many. I’m certainly glad for it. I’ve found that Admirals are among the “friendliest” butterfly, more likely to land on me than the other butterflies.
This little guy is an Eastern Comma.
If you look very closely, you’ll see a little white “C” on his side – that’s where he gets his name. The other side of his wings are orange, but sadly, I didn’t get that view.
Last year we had dozens of Skippers, but this year they are a far rarer sight.
The one on the left, I think is a Dusted Skipper, while the one on the right is a Silver Spotted Skippers are generally very small – the Silver Spotted is the largest I’ve seen, and it’s about half the size of a Cabbage White.
And even though I haven’t had them in the numbers I saw in Port Colborne, the Monarch make a respectable showing
It’s not unusual to see three or four in the yard at a time
The Red-Spotted Purples are another common site in this garden.
Oddly enough though, the Red-Spotted Purples tend to prefer the Black Knight bush.
Same with the Eastern Swallowtails.
So needless to say… if you want butterflies to come to you yard, I can’t recommend a butterfly bush enough.
Just maybe plant it away from the paws of any ferocious felines…
It might be hard to see, but he pulled a monarch right off that branch and ran away with it. I’ve since chopped all the branches growing through the fence to help curb the carnage. But he is a determined hunter…
Like most of you, we are suffering under a hot, gross wave of humid weather. It started on the long weekend, so other than waiting for the monarch to hatch Saturday morning, and mowing the lawn Sunday evening, I spent it all indoors.
I mostly spent time working on a secret project (sorry, can’t share anything at this time), but I did carve out an hour or two to make two more blocks for my red and cream quilt.
I absolutely adore these blocks and this fabric line. It’s part of the Moda “French General” line. They put out new prints in similar colours each year. The quilt underneath the blocks is also made with French General fabrics from several years back. This one will be much bigger though. When I finish all the blocks that is.
I’ve got 10 done, with 16 total planned. So there are six left to make. There’s no rush to finish this one, but I would like to have it done by the end of the year.
There wasn’t much stitching left to do on my chicken… just a couple of words that tie it all up with a little bow…
Yup… Guess What??? CHICKEN BUTT!!!!
AHAHAHAHAHAHA. Makes me laugh every time I look at it!
Of course, after I took the picture, the fact that it’s not centred was really starting to bug me. I was not going to rip it all out…. so I decided on a little fix…
A happy little sunshine to shine down on that cute chicken bum. It’s still not centred and nothing short of redoing it all will change that, but I can live with it now.
And now… I’ve got to find something new to stitch…
Wandering Cat Studio 