This Isn't So Ducky

My son and I rode out to the Morse Lake reservoir today. I had read in the news about the water levels being low, due to our lack of rain this summer. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I'm sure for those who live on the lake it is bothersome to have levels this low. I've been here many times when the water was up to the wall, completely covering the rocks.One evening, about two years ago, we came to Morse Lake. My children were sitting on the floating dock with their feet in the water, when saw something move in the water beside their feet, it was baby water moccasins, lots of babies. Two men were fishing and we saw them trying to kill one where they were. Honestly, there were little snakes all over the place. It was so creepy, like something out of my worst nightmare. In fact today was the first time we've been back since that happened. I don't like snakes at all.
Thankfully we didn't see any snakes today. It was so beautiful, very relaxing and peaceful. The breeze was blowing and it felt wonderful. I can't imagine what it would be like to live in one of these homes and garden with this kind of view.

I could have stayed a bit longer but fifteen year old boys get a little bored sitting and staring at the water.

Butterflies

This butterfly looks like an American painted lady.

Black Swallowtail
Just about every swallowtail that I have seen has had battered wings. I'm not sure why.

I believe this is a silver spotted skipper. I had my window open and I reached out to photograph this one. Most of the time the butterflies flit around from flower to flower so fast they are hard to capture, but this one stayed nice and still for me.
I'm sure if my neighbors saw me with my window open and my camera sticking out the window they would probably think I'm nuts or that I'm spying on kids at the playground, (there was no one at the playground when I was doing this). I am a little self-conscious about doing it, but I'm having fun and that's what matters. This is why I'd love to have a private back yard where I could hang out of the window and take pictures if I wanted to and not have to worry that my neighbors might wonder about my sanity.

Hummingbirds

Today I had quite a bit of activity in my butterfly and hummingbird garden. The feeder is right in front of the window. I had already removed the screen so I could see better and get clearer pictures, but today I opened the window so I could get an even closer look. I sat on the floor and waited. It wasn't long before they started coming.
The one with the ruby throat is so fast, he is almost impossible to photograph. I'm still not real pleased with the quality of these pictures and I need more camera practice to get clearer pictures, but this was fun and such a thrill to be within inches of these beautiful creatures.
If you click to enlarge this picture you can see the tongue of the hummingbird. It went around the feeder drinking from the crack instead of the flower.

Yesterday the cat was sitting in the window watching the hummingbird activity. One of the hummingbirds kept coming right up to the window to look at the cat. They were actually face to face several times. I wish I had been able to get a picture of that; it was quite amusing to watch.

August Blogger Bloom Day

One of the good things about blogger bloom day is that it is helping me to remember the common names of my plants and I'm also trying to learn the botanical names as well. I am terrible with names, and were it not for this blog I'd probably be content just to stick the plant in the ground and enjoy the flowers without much concern for the name.


The zinnias are the star of the show right now. I was late planting the seeds due to the weather and they are just now beginning to bloom. I planted several varieties and don't remember what I planted where and I wish I did because some of them are doing well and some were a complete flop.

A few of my grasses are beginning to bloom, this is the fountain grass that I enjoyed so much last winter.

The purple cone flower is still blooming but I think it's just about done. I don't dead head these since the finches eat the seeds.

The Swizzle Zinnia is still going strong and is definitely a winner.

I planted lavender this year and it's just now beginning to bloom.

This petunia was growing in the Liriope at the mailbox. The purple wave petunias are struggling with the heat and with my sporadic watering, but they are still blooming. The purple lily turf blooms are an added bonus since I'd forgotten that they bloom.
Every once in a while I still get a lone clematis bloom.
This flower was a surprise for me today, I almost missed it because it was nearly hidden by larger plants. It is a delicate lovely flower and I'm not sure what it is. I think it might be one of the miniature hollyhocks that I grew from seed this past winter. They didn't do well and I vaguely remember sticking the remains in the front flower bed.

The miniature roses are still blooming, but they are being eaten by the Japanese beetles.

In the front bed the impatiens are blooming as are the coleus. Until the heat set in, I had been pinching off the blooms of the coleus so they would become more full, but they are all blooming now.

Here is the list of my blooms:

Moonflower Giant White Calonyction

Mums

Coleus

Purple Wave Petunia

Miniature Hollyhock (?)

Dianthus

Impatiens

Spirea

Zinnia

Coreopsis
New Guinea Impatiens
Hosta
Purple Cone Flower
Salvia 'Purple Rain' and Red
East Freeland Sage
Superbells
Portulaca
Verbena (pink and purple)
Lantana (four assorted varieties)
African Daisy

Roses
Balloon Flower (White)
Gerbera Daisies
Russian Sage
Veronica Speedwell
Anise Hyssop 'Golden Jubilee'
Purple Fountain Grass

Giant White Moonflower

I grew moon flowers this past winter and I am just now getting blooms. I was hoping they would bloom while my mother and dad were here, but they left this morning and wouldn't you know it, the first blooms opened this evening. They are large white beautiful blooms. I had no idea when I started these in February that they would take so long to bloom. I'm not sure if I will grow them again since they are taking over the arborvitae, ( and everything else) near the trellises. My dad teased me and called them kudzu, which is a very aggressive vine taking over the city of Tuscaoosa and a large portion of the south. I had not thought about it until he mentioned it, but it does look and behave like kudzu. I'll have to do some reading on this to make sure it will not drop seeds and become invasive.
The gerbera daisies are still blooming. I've enjoyed them immensely, I wish they were perennial. I also need to research this and find out how to propagate them or possibly overwinter them.