When everything goes just right, it is quite the show. Even when things don't go just right which is more often the case, it is still quite the show. This year there was a vicious hail storm and the last few weeks have been deadly dry. It is time for some rain.
The Tall Flower Meadow at the end of season peak attracts all kinds of visitors. By late afternoon it audibly hums. For a few days every year I see some of the more rare visitors.
I have milkweed, two species, and not once I have I seen a monarch caterpillar. I have Milkweed Tussock Moths eating my milkweed.
I see monarchs in September. They are just passing through and stopping at the local diner to fuel up for their long journey.
I have bees and flies and wasps and beetles and all kinds of bugs milling about the wild flowers and hardly ever do I see honey bees. I saw one yesterday. Just one. It's a big meadow. Maybe there were two. I don't know why I rarely see honey bees. I would assume they have escaped cultivation and gone wild.
We do fine with out them.
If everything goes just right the asters will come into strong bloom while the rest of the wild flowers are still going. The asters have started. Some have shriveled up into dead sticks before they had a chance to bloom. Not many fortunately. It is time for some rain.
Not bad for a dry spell though.
This morning it was gorgeous. This afternoon the skies bled water in torrents and the meadow promptly fell down. I did ask for rain. I muttered it better rain all morning long. It rained hard.
Tall things flop when wet. I wandered out briefly and saw a little stem breakage. In abundance that can be handled. Most of it will stand back up, leaning perhaps, but not down for the count. The frost will do that.
I did ask for rain. The asters were drying.
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6 comments:
Lucky you getting bees, monarchs and most of all rain...
Hum a few bars of "You cain't always get what you want" and you just may get what you need...
Lisa that may be the only bee and monarch I see all year. The rain was good. Now I wait for things to fluff back up.
Barry you are in a musical mood. Muttering seemed to work ok.
I went back to your April archives to see the meadow in comparison to that last photo you posted above. Just stunning what you've done.
A single monarch passed by my gardens the other day and quickly disappeared. Next year I'll plant milkweed.
CC the difference between the barren time and the time of vegetation is very dramatic, and to think it all happens and is done in six months. The monarchs don't seem to want to breed up high. You may have better luck getting caterpillars on milkweed than me.
We don't see all the visitors but they are there. Wish I had more.
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