The tree frog tadpoles are coming along and the older group have begun to leave the pool one by one—I submerged a number of old pots with algae growing on them in amongst the rocks and they have cleaned them thoroughly—Daily feedings of fish flakes and mini pellets keep them well nourished!

Highly recommended read—A biographical journey through depression and ideation with nature as teacher and healer—Lessons for us all—

From June, these sunflowers are mostly done now and the finches and cardinals are enjoying the seeds—I’ve already got seeds started for the next round to be planted out in a few weeks— #sunflowers #summerflowers #garden #seedstarting

The second half of summer can be an in-between time when some flowers are fading or done & fall bloomers are yet to do their thing—Lightly cutting back or otherwise deadheading can extend the show and tidy up—In the garden now: bellflower, phlox, bronze fennel and eryngium— #flowers #garden #blooms

I couldn’t let the tree frog eggs languish in the birdbath or the water bucket, so here we are a few weeks later— #treefrog #tadpoles #nature #amphibians

Love these beautiful oaks!—

The tiger lilies in bloom—They can be aggressive but it’s easy to control them by pulling up the small starts made by falling bulbils— #lilies #tigerlilies #bloomscrolling #inbloom #inthegarden #summerflowers

Lilium leichtlinii in bloom—So very lovely—Hoping to collect seed later for sowing— #lily #inbloom #summerflowers #inthegarden #yellowlilies

Excited to have come across an Eastern Hercules beetle—The largest beetle in the Eastern US— #herculesbeeetle #beetle #nativeinsect #insectftiend #nature

Prairie coreopsis raised from seed a friend passed along—Rather than deadhead, letting these go to seed so I’ll have more next year—I believe this one is either biennial or a short-lived perennial—we’ll see—Fabulous blooms— #coreopsis #nativeplant #Inbloom #inthegarden

Hot orange-pink coneflower raised from seed & Rudbeckia gigantea with Helen Von Stein lambs ear as a cooling counterpoint in different beds— #echinacea #coneflower #rudbeckia #inthegardwn #inbloom #gardening #flowergarden

‘Rusty Chestnut’ gladiolus starting to bloom—Unusual, lovely color— #gladiolus #inbloom #springflowers #inthegarden

Bumblebees busy on eryngium (sea holly) and hollyhocks in one of the beds— #bumblebee #eryngium #hollyhock #garden #inbloom #pollinators #flowers

Korean Bellflower on the East side of the garage—This one white with purplish speckles— #bellflower #campanula #koreanbellflower #Campanulatakesimana #springblooms #inflower

In the garden: white phlox, coreopsis with a happy bee, sulfur-yellow achillea, and lastly, purple larkspur with feverfew— #garden #springblooms #phlox #coreopsis #achillea #feverfew #inbloom

Spigelia marilandica blooming in one of the front beds—A lovely native species— #spigelia #native #nativespecies #springblooms #inthegarden

What’s up, peanut?-/ #peanutcactus #cactus #inbloom #cactusbloom #desertplant

NOID oncidium blooming on the deck— #orchid #oncidium #inbloom #tropicalplant

Walli, the Lady of the house— #cat #tuxedocat #kitty #ladyofthehouse

The peonies are blooming— #peony #peonies #inbloom #inthegarden #springflowers

Bearded iris ‘Thornbird’ and ‘Autumn Circus’ in afternoon sunlight— #beardediris #irisgermanica #springblooms #inthegarden

One of the rhododendrons in bloom under the old cedar by the driveway— #rhododendron #inbloom #springflowers #inthegarden #gardenlife

One of the dendrobiums in bloom on the back deck— #orchid #dendrobium #inbloom #tropicalflower

Last evening—Completely unedited except a slight cropping—Amazing— #sunset #eveningsky #redskyatnight

A lovely NOID iris in the fading afternoon sun by the garage—This spikes on this one get over 3 feet—Heavenly scent— #beardediris #irisgermanica #yellowiris #springblooms

Epimedium in bloom under the crepe myrtles—Happy Easter— #epimedium #inbloom #springflowers

‘Crimson King’ bearded iris blooming in one of the newer beds by the blueberries— #beardediris #irisgermanica #springflowers

A swallowtail enjoys the cherry blossoms— #swallowtail #butterfly #pollinator #cherrytree