An afternoon walk

Summer can be hot, humid, and somewhat oppressive; however, with a hammock and the sounds of birds, it can also be a slice of heaven.  Most of the little woods is still wild and full of vines choking trees.  Sr. has be hard at work to turn some of it into a park.  For my and my hammock's benefit, for sure, but also to take down the vines that are trying to kill the trees.  Where the vines have been removed, the trees are definitely showing signs of improved growth.

Trees in the wild parts being engulfed by vines.

Wild parts that are mostly impassable to people and filled with ticks!

Park-like area where I can hang with my hammock and the dogs.

Leaving some of it wild, however, provides food and cover for the rabbits that like to taunt the dogs.  Also provides cover and browse for the deer that like to visit.  Alas, it also provides habitat for the adorable but stinky skunks.

Flowers are starting to really come into their own this time of year.  Little yellow Rudbeckias are beginning to bloom around the edges of the woods.  Passion flowers are blooming among the weeds.  Queen Ann's Lace is starting to set seed.  And a few Honey Suckle blooms can be spotted here and there. 

Passion Flower.

Grows everywhere.

Queen Ann's Lace going to seed.

Unknown weed similar to Queen Ann's lace in flower form,
but much smaller and with different leaves.

Comfrey - hey, I actually planted this one!

Blooms about 1 1/2 inches across -
going to be an explosion of yellow under the trees soon.

Some say that the power lines are an eye-sore, but I have come to see them as protection from suburbia coming too close.  The tree line on the left is 75 feet from the middle of the power lines - the closest they can build on the neighboring property.  Our fence line on the right is 75 feed from the middle of the power lines - the closest we can have trees or other structures.  That means that, should the wild acres next door to us be sold, the closes they can build houses to us is 150 feet.    I'm hoping that is enough buffer to protect our little bit of paradise.

Loverly Weeds

Between school and work and trying to get some sleep, the garden has fallen into quite some disrepair, by human standards.  The weeds and the bugs are enjoying, however.  Mother Nature never sleeps.

Queen Ann's Lace going to seed.

Passion Flower Fruit and a random Morning Glory Leaf.

Rain 4 or 5 days out of every 7 has made this a horrible year for Cedar Apple Rust.  Some of the apple varieties have been hit worse than others.  Having wet, humidity holding weeds all around, doesn't help.  Cleared the weeds away from this one today.  It's the only one that hasn't shown signs of growing new leaves since the initial onslaught.  I hope I can save it.

Cedar Apple Rust damaged two year old apple tree.

Some of the apple trees got hit early on, but then recovered - difficult to see in this photo, but the tree below has regrown almost 100% of the leaves that it lost to Cedar-Apple Rust.  I know that better hygiene for the trees would help - and possibly some toxic gick spray.  So I will just have to  pay attention to who can survive this wet, humid, Southern world, and plant more of them.  Didn't have this issue in the desert!

Apple tree behind the weeds - recovering from Cedar-Apple Rust.

One good thing about having a diverse and semi-wild garden is that, while one plant suffers from too much rain, another just gobbles up the rain and goes crazy.  Wild black raspberries are springing up everywhere with strong, 3-5 foot arching canes - nice and healthy for next year's production.  Alas, they are invading, and I have been chopping them down at every turn.  I am keeping 3 of the healthiest stands, however.  So if I can remember to cover them at the appropriate time, I will get to eat more of them.  But harvesting song bird viewings is not a bad yield for a garden.  And the blooms are like clouds of miniature white roses.

Black raspberries - next year's harvest growing strong.

And then there are volunteers from plants grown on purpose in years past.  Nothing like a random Sunflower to brighten one's day.  Each year I say I'm going to plant them sooner, and plant more of them.  And I was saddened to think that I didn't plant any at all this year because of school and work and life in general.  And then Nature came along and sent me a few to cheer me.

Volunteer Sunflower for the Volunteer State.

So while the puppies stomped on many of the pepper plants, and rain and rain and more rain drowned the tomatoes and brought on early blight, the weeds entertained me today as I spent a hot, muggy, rainy, sticky, glorious day outside.  A rare treat, but now time to study - Managerial Accounting!  Ugh!

Autumn Fancy

An eclectic bit of this and that from the late summer garden...

Not sure why this little dew dusted critter was wandering around the basil.  All of its cohorts were munching on passion fruit leaves.  I moved it over, and he/she began munching.

This is the passion flower vine this type of caterpillar (cats) usually haunts.  Your run of the mill passiflora.  Runs wild here, but the cats keep it under control.  Hoping to harvest some seed when the fruits ripen.

Fresh bean harvest for a summer soup.  Italian Rose (red & white), various cow peas, and some white beans of unknown origin... because I am not so good at the record keeping thing.  Fresh beans in soup - totally different experience than dried beans.  So smooth and full of flavor.  Too bad the Italian Rose lose their speckles and turn to a pale pinkish tan color when cooked.  But still, jummy (short for "just yummy")!  I will certainly be growing more of those next year, and isolating them so I can save my own seed.

Italian Rose bean pods, Pink Eye Purple Hulled cow peas, and likely Hssiao yellow cherry tomatoes and Mini Bell yellow bell peppers.  Looks like a sunflower petal, also.  Something ate the petals on on of my sunflowers, so I harvested the rest of the petals from that one, and dried them to use in tea this winter.

More jummy stuff from the morning harvest in late August.  Roma VF toms from seeds that I've been saving (hoarding) for more than 5 years.