Summer Surprises In The Backyard

This morningI found several new day lilies which will bloom in a few weeks. Some wildflower seeds I planted in the spring are growing and the Chinese Morning Glory shot up overnight. I love this stuff!

The Week Before The Fourth of July

It happens every year in my backyard. This week, the one just before the Fourth of July, is full of anticipation. The flowers have all appeared on the cucumbers and summer squash, meaning that it will not be long before we are enjoying its fruit. The pond is at its optimal, meaning that baby fish will be born soon and the tadpoles have turned to frogs.

A number of years ago my granddaughter and I began to hybridize Day Lilies together. The first of those efforts have come in the past 2 years but this year the largest number of brand new blooms will appear. I love how this brings me back to when she was just 4 years old and I taught her how to do cross the pollen. She was a natural! So even though she is now 9 1/2 these blooms bring back to the time when she was at my house more frequently, before school and sports and dance and acting and friends and Girl Scouts were a part of her life.

I look forward to this morning, a little bit later. It is 5:23 on the east coast of the United States as I write. It won't be long until I am taking in this morning blooms. The next month is very exciting in the yard!

Here Come The Daylilies

They bloom at 3am.
We see them when we get up, earlier than normal because they are there!
They make us forget the summer heat and humidity for a little bit as we gaze on their beauty.
Beauty for a day but always in our minds!

Toads

Since I was a little kid I was fascinated with toads. I grew up in Bellmore, Long Island. My cousins grew up in Levittown. Levittown had an abundance of toads for some reason while we never aw any in the backyard of our house there on Martin Avenue. Now out further east on the Island in my yard, they are here. It makes me happy to se God's creatures living in my yard.

Toads are such cool creatures! Once again this morning one of them has come in from his night of hunting. He is in the cucumber patch right next to the glider I am sitting in. He is burrowing down in the soft moist earth for his "night". He has looked at me a few times but has not moved.

Pleasant dreams my friend.

How I Judge My Yard

A Master of Master Gardener in my neighborhood told me, "I make it a point never to judge someone else's yard. How they garden is their business."

Funny as I am sitting here on the glider with my iPad this morning it hit me. There is always a lot of work back here needing to be done. I don't judge my yard how how pristine it looks. The fact is there is always weeding to be done, there is trimming, etc. that is waiting.

One of the way I judge my yard is how much wildlife I get in it. This place is for the birds! So reads a plaque my daughter gave me several years ago. The birds love it. We have a frog that has been with us for years now. He lives in our pond. This morning a bunny ran through. I am waiting for the box turtle to emerge. Toads love it here.

I figure it this way. These guys were here long before this area was developed for human beings to reside in it. If they are hanging around back here I am doing something right!

The Morning After The Rain

I love to walk through my backyard the morning after a rainy day. Before the sun comes up and a cool breeze blows through. This is how I pictured the cool of the day in Eden.

The plants look full and green, weeds are easily pulled out and the birds sing sweetly in the trees. This is such a beautiful part of the day for me.

The Toad Chorus

They are at it again. The toad mating season is here and our friends are once more filling up the night with their songs. When We put the pond in back in 1995 we began to attract the toads to come around it and sing their lungs out.

At first we thought it was a distressed bird for their cry resembles that. When we did find it was indeed toads we relaxed and enjoyed the concert.

Each night for the next few weeks they'll he performing out in the backyard. It is. Most wonderful sound.