Keeping Up!

So, as in typical Minnesota style, May had a cool turn until this week.  So appreciative of the sun!  The plants are on their steady march, as are the weeds.  I've discovered if I can get at the weeds early in the season, April/May, it just makes it less daunting throughout the season.  I've limited myself to the weeds in the beds, not the lawn, unless it is a spectacular intrusion of thistle or some other large intruder!  Our dandelion lawn is for the birds and the bees.  Speaking of birds and bees... the birds have been plentiful and varied, the hummers are back!  The bees, not so much.  I'm hoping the cooler weather has just slowed them down a bit, and not an unnamed chemical company's desire to destroy the natural world.
Fred and Ethel keep returning to our pond but I don't think they are going to set up housekeeping in the yard, good thing because I'll probably put the pond pumps in today, don't think they'd appreciate the ambiance.
Our quaking aspen is getting its revenge for removing it by sending up leaf shoots off some super big root extensions, yikes!  Had to use the shovel and dig out over 12 feet of roots!  We are also removing the rest of the small rock stepping circles that I thought was such a clever idea at the time.  They did work out ok for the most part, but some had collected a lot of soil and provided a haven for dandelions and crab grass, so we are replacing them with paver rocks, just a few more to go! 

great start!

Off to the native plant sale tomorrow, see if I can squeeze in a few more appetizers for the bees and butterflies!
Greenie

columbine

columbine

woodland phlox-chattahoochee

bachelor button

siberian wallflower

wild geranium

crimson clover

flax

violets

peas!

crimson clover and violets

spurge

Conspiracy Theory

So a few things conspired against me this summer.  First my tailbone met up with a rock( inattentive mowing) then our basement had a run in with water, and finally, my ankle took an unexpected turn.  Things are slowly getting back to their previous selves, hopefully better with the basement.  Because of the basement problems I spent a lot of time removing some plants and lots of mulch from behind the house, but this gave a clear vision of the problem with grade and pitch.  Unfortunately, it stalled my fine tuning of garden plots and stalled my enthusiasm of reporting the rest of the summer in the garden.  It was a very good summer and even now near the end of October there are still some flowers blooming and the trees are fabulous!  I'll just show the photos, seriously that is always the best part of this blog/journal.

Greenie

Earlier than Ever- Spring brings color!

another purple tribute

pasque perfection

before the rains

white throated sparrow

duck love-in the purple rain

Fred and Ethel- doing a dance

Goldfinch love

Eli and Ricky- a touching goodbye

Spring actually started here in Minnesota about a month ago, with temperatures in the 70s, we watched as the Juncos, stayed.  I like the Juncos, cute birds, but it is always a good sign of Spring when they move on further north   They didn't move on though, until last week!  I even saw one yesterday, but that was understandable since this week's weather was more like what it should have been a month ago. The weather is crazy, so Minnesota. 
It has been a week of cold, purple, rain.  On a sad note,  our sweet Richard the lion heart left us two week ago for the rainbow bridge, and last week our singing Prince left Minnesota too. so I am melancholy.
Our resident ducks, Ethel and Fred returned about three weeks earlier than last year, and they have been returning to the yard more frequently too.  This may be the year they stay and raise a family, which would be fun and challenging!
Today the sun is back, so it will be a scramble of activity today, and probably sore muscles tomorrow.
One thing I will do today is collect more dandelion leaves to make pesto.  I made a dandelion quiche the other day and it was pretty good, and we have lots of organic dandelions, lots, and lots...good for the bees too!
I didn't overdo in the yard, just moved a few strawberry plants and picked alot more dandy leaves and buds,  and I made the dandy pesto, really pretty good.  It has a bit of spicy heat at the end but not overwhelming.  I would make it again.
Greenie

Bert and Ernie or Berta and Ernietta?

Just a quick post on the monarchs arrival on 7-15-15.  I checked them in the morning and could barely detect the wing, and when I checked again around 3pm they were out!  It is really amazing.  We had some stormy wet weather that day but the sun was coming out so I set them outside in the sun to help dry their wings.  After a couple of hours I opened the coop, and Bert didn't hesitate.  He flew straight up and zoomed over the evergreens, gone in seconds.  Ernie took a bit longer and hung around for awhile.  Today a monarch was in the yard, laying eggs... here we go again!  These will be the 4th generation monarch that heads back to Mexico.

Ernie on left, empty chrysalis, Bert

Ernie drying wings, slight tear on right rear.

Ernie ready, set, go!

another rest in the evergreens

Greenie

Some Like It Hot!

Like it or not, Hot is what we got!  I do like a few days of really hot weather-I think it is necessary to remove the previous winter's cold from the bones!  Plus it is fun to see plants grow right before your eyes!
The garden is growing- some areas better than others, and as always I find areas that need a tweak here and there!  It also seems like the bug population is bigger than usual, and I'm getting new insects.  This is usually not a good thing.  I've discovered a new bug I call the ladybug on steroids, but she's no lady, it is a milkweed leaf beetle, and all I've seen it eat is the plant.  The milkweed stem weevil is also pretty destructive to the milkweed plant- she lays eggs in the stem of the plant.  So it's easy to see she is in the yard, not always as easy to find her.  I've always had a kind of "live and let live" attitude about bugs, but not this summer!  They are destroying the brussel sprouts, weakening the milkweed, invading my apples, and chewing on my grapevine.  I've overcome my squeamishness, and I'm committed to squishing!  I encountered a new insect today, and didn't even realize it was an insect until I looked at the photo on my laptop.  I'll see if the U of M extension service knows what is-good bug or bad bug?  It is a pretty cool looking bug.  The good news on the insect front is about all the bees in the yard, big bees, tiny bees, definitely hungry bees!  Bert and Ernie should be emerging soon!  Greenie

cool looking insect! Bee on top.

tiny bees on prairie clover



wasp or bee? on butterfly weed

large Bumblebee on Monarda

Bee heaven

another pretty face



porch vines

Bert's closeup



The Clueless Gardeners - A Garden Blog: How much milkweed can a woodchuck chuck?

The Clueless Gardeners - A Garden Blog: How much milkweed can a woodchuck chuck?

The Older You Get, The Faster It Goes.

The older you get, the faster it goes, especially a Minnesota summer!  We are heading into July, and my goal is to really enjoy the garden.  Everyday I'm reminding myself that it is not about all the weeds, and the variety of bugs eating my plants.  It is about the big picture!  We are providing a haven for bees, butterflies and birds, with a few tasty treats for us.  That was my goal, and it has been achieved.  Working on the visual makeup of the gardens, and the perfect mix of food plants for our friends, and what works best in what area of the garden, will always be a work in progress.  Of course the weeds will continue to be happy about our non chemical yard, and so will all the other creatures!
July's bounty will be savored!
I'm raising Bert and Ernie in the house in a pop up butterfly hutch.  I believe the next stage will be happening soon!  I did find more monarch eggs outside on the milkweed, but when I went back to check, it was all gone.  Glad I found these two to bring inside!  We saw just one other monarch last week, but I haven't found more eggs. 

 

 

Bert-the biggest

Strawberries slowing down now- good crop this year!

Eclectic vines collection: Hyacinth, cucumber and bean

Ernie- trying to catch up!

 

The peas are aplenty!



Seems early for the red lilies, and lots of phlox this summer

 



disco ribbons to repel the birds from the cherries

Back of house filling in with milkweed, grasses, sage, ninebark, wild petunia, Echinacea....

slowly coming together...

decisions...

Hyalophora cecropia.  Largest North American Moth-no mouth!