I have been on hold several times today with the same company trying to get through. Each time I have given up because of necessary interruptions. The last time I was on hold I was walking around my kitchen, and when I looked outside I could not believe my eyes. There next to the Crocosmia Lucifer I spotted the first Gladiolus of 2026. I was out there earlier today and nothing was open, and then suddenly I see 4 blooms open. Amazing! I went outside and there are many gladiolus of this same color showing their colors now. I guess the rain we have been getting is fueling their growth.
I will try calling the company I am trying to reach early tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.
The USPS issued a new stamp yesterday. I read this in the news this morning, so I went to their website to check it out. I ended up buying a sheet of 20. I like the way the feathers are arranged to make the date 1776. This got me to thinking about some recent feathers I have found in my garden this summer.
About 2 to 3 weeks ago I was looking out my kitchen window, and I wondered where the hawks have been going these days because I had not seen any in a couple months. About 3-4 days later I witnessed a hawk visiting our garden. It was smaller than any I had seen before. I guessed it was a young hawk. You would think I would be a hawk expert by now, but I am not. I cannot determine whether the hawk was a Cooper’s Hawk or a Sharp-Skinned Hawk. The Sharp-Skinned is the smaller of the two, however, a young Cooper’s would be smaller than an adult. I was very excited when I found a feather in my garden that must be from the hawk I spotted. He has visited a few more times since the first sighting. I will show you the hawk feather with a dove feather, and 2 catbird feathers. All are from our garden.
Update on 7/9/2026 -- The hawk was back today. It was sitting on the old raised bird bath. A very heavy solid bird bath that looks like stone, though because of the worn look on the bottom of the bowl makes me think it is a composite of materials. I got a better look at this hawk through binoculars; and because of where it was sitting, I could judge its size better than previous sightings. The hawk has no red or rust coloration, possibly because of age. I also got a good look at its talons (claws) They did not appear nearly as big as other hawks I have seen. I also got a better look at its tail feathers, and they looked more squared off than rounded. I am becoming more convinced that it is a relatively young sharp-skinned hawk. The yard was clear of all other birds, so it is still capable of frightening the other birds. (Sorry, no pics) I would have to already be in the yard with my camera in a hiding spot to capture a good picture. Its visits are too irregular, and I am too busy inside to spend time doing this.
Here is a picture of a hawk hunting in our garden many winters ago. We have had several hawk sightings in our garden over the years. I work in a neighboring town at the middle school, and the mascot is a hawk! I see this as evidence that hawks see our area as a great habitat.
The reason I was able to capture this picture is because I already had my camera set up on our deck with a long lens before the hawk came hunting. It was pure luck, and as I recall it was my birthday, so I had taken the day off work. My husband and I later traveled downtown for some sightseeing, though I don't think anything we saw there was as exciting as what I saw at home in the morning.
I was planning on an indoor dinner celebration before the extreme heat arrived. I went outside early this morning to give water to areas in my garden. Already it was hot! I am so glad that I am not cooking outdoors today or tomorrow. All food will be prepared inside. I already have cooked a big pot of hearty seafood stew using a variety of vegetables with jumbo shrimp and catfish. I will be making a big fresh salad with lots of red including: radishes, red cabbage, red pepper, and tomatoes. Of course their will be green such as red leaf lettuce, cucumbers, and avocado on the side. My favorite salad dressing will be made using a Good Seasons Italian packet. I am getting ready to make for the first time Anthony Bourdain’s Rouille to spread on toasted organic sourdough bread.
The table is partially set. I put out the big pot with the seafood stew in it for this picture. More preparations will be done today.
We are a small family of three. It will be a small party. 🙂
I included a flower spotlight for today- Rudbeckia hirta -- Lion's Cub.
Closest flower to fireworks that I have blooming right now.
I hope anyone that might read this has a fantastic Independence Weekend!
JULY 4th Update: a couple food pictures.
Hearty seafood stew This salad selection is Laura’s. She likes radishsI like red cabbage.My husband has no one preference. He likes it all.
My indoor anthurium has 3 normal blooms and this unusual development. A Calathea rattlesnake leaf is in the top right corner
I will post a few outdoor flowers. The echinacea flower keeps coming back in the same spot year after year. It is one of my oldest perennials. The Crocosmia Lucifer is my second oldest flower in today’s spotlight. It has an abundance of flowers this summer, and last is a new gaura flower named Siskiyou Pink. It has long wand like flowers.
Today is Juneteenth and my official start to summer break.
My garden is showing off many colors this year. The featured picture shows a few.
I have many white Asiatic lilies and an abundance of Going Bananas daylilies blooming. The dark Asiatic lily is only one plant with several blooms.
I have several other flowers blooming now. Some are new additions and others have been with me for many years.
I am patiently watching some Sweet Purple asparagus beginning their first season of growth. I was so busy that I planted the crowns at the tail end of what is acceptable. I will not be able to harvest any until their 3rd season. (They are a perennial vegetable.) It is a learning experience for me. Across from them in another raised bed I am growing 3 types of beans: cranberry, lima, and goldilocks yellow. They are doing well.
I will end with showing you a cranesbill hardy geranium I planted in a big planter.
The picture is not the best, however since I already posted a picture of a beautiful annual geranium, I thought it would be nice to show a perennial geranium.
Here is another throwback. This one is from 2017. I have seen many catbirds so far this spring. They are very bold. I almost think I could train one to land on my hand
I was reminded that these were my thoughts on this day 7 years ago. It was a simple poem about the Praying Mantis which I used to see all the time in my garden back then. I have not seen one yet this season. The season is still young with summer around the corner.
Whenever it has been possible I have been working at garden improvement. I have been mostly focused on pruning and working on growing a few vegetables. The gorgeous Regal Geranium pictured above was an impulse buy. It is proving its worth these days. I have it potted on our deck and I can see it from my kitchen window.
We have a long weekend coming up after tomorrow. I plan to spend more time getting the garden in order. Hopefully, the weather cooperates, though we do need the rain, and I was so happy to hear the steady rain last night. We even had some lightning last night which was a blessing because it fixes nitrogen and will help the beans I planted the other day.
“Lightning drives atmospheric nitrogen fixation by using its immense heat and energy to split tightly-bonded atmospheric nitrogen molecules. These separated atoms instantly bond with oxygen to form nitrogen oxides. Rain then washes these compounds into the soil as nitrates, acting as a natural, plant-ready fertilizer. “
I don’t have much more to say today. However, I was inspired to post a picture of the beautiful geranium on our deck.
I decided to show the second picture I took. I don’t like it as well as the top picture, however, it gives you a better perspective of this annual.
I let my image generator create this lovely picture. The redbud tree looks very much like this one. It captured its color very well. The blue jay in the birdbath is a nice added touch. My mother was a proud Jayhawk (KU alumni), so it seems appropriate.
This has been a surprising spring with new discoveries and new visitors. Sometimes all it take is some loving attention to bring back former beauty. It is as if the plants and flowers sense my anticipation and want to live up to it.
As I have been going round and round trying to bring order to chaos, it occurred to me today that perhaps nature’s chaos can sometimes be better than my sense of order. The other day I noticed the redbud tree that started as a small seedling. It was given to me by a neighbor many years ago. I had complimented him on his lovely redbud tree and mentioned to him that it had been my mother’s favorite tree.
I had planted the little redbud seedling just beyond the birdbath in a corner of our garden. I watched it closely for a couple years as it struggled to thrive. I eventually stopped watching it as my own life needed attention.
When I saw it the other day I was surprised to see that it had grown up and now is about chest high. I missed seeing any blooms, and now it is showing all its lovely heart shaped leaves which are unmistakable. I was dismayed to see that my husband had piled yard debris right next to it, so I started clearing it away today. Last night he agreed to remove all the debris and take it away, and I am helping by making sure it is far away from the redbud. It is part of his mother’s day gift to me, and I made this request to honor the memory of my mother.
I hope all that might read this have a pleasant mother’s day, especially if all you have is fond memories.
These pictures posted above are old pictures from my garden when I grew Swamp Milkweed. They are a host plant for the Monarch Butterfly.
At my school there are several common milkweed plants by the school entrances closest to the staff parking lot. The common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) looks different than Swamp Milkweed (Aslepias incarnata). Both are host plants for the Monarch butterfly. Today as I was leaving school for the day I was surprised to see a Monarch butterfly on one of these common milkweed plants. It seemed odd to me especially since just the other day I posted about Monarch Pass. I cannot remember seeing Monarch butterflies in Virginia this early in the season. In my home garden I don’t normally begin to see them until the middle of summer. I pulled out my cell phone to take a picture but I could not get one before it flew away.
Today I wondered if Monarch butterflies are seen around Monarch Pass, Colorado. I also wondered how high the monarchs can fly. I read that they can be seen around the Monarch Pass area from early May through October, though this is not how this location got its name. As to how high they can fly, I read they “typically migrate at altitudes of 800 to 1,200 feet.” They are capable of soaring much highter. I don’t know how accurate this is.
movingforwardslowly 