This butterfly fluttered through the garden a couple of days ago, one of the few we've seen this year. It's been a terrible summer for butterflies, at least around here. Normally we see peacocks, commas and red admirals and I've seen none of those in our garden this summer. We've had some common blues, some cabbage whites and this one, a gatekeeper.
Normally, when our butterfly bushes are in bloom, we get lots of butterflies. This year the flowers came and went. I wonder if the spring was too wet and/or too cool? I'll be interested to see what this year's UK butterfly count reveals.
I walked Olga through the neighborhood housing estate yesterday morning and she had the good fortune to meet up with her pals, Harry and Spencer. (Harry is the lab, I think.) These dogs used to get so excited when they saw each other, and now they wag tails and give leisurely sniffs but there's no more leaping around.
Aside from the lack of butterflies the garden is doing well. We've moved on to our late summer flowers, the inulas and anemones, and I'll post some more pictures tomorrow. This (above) is the foam flower, or Tiarella, that I moved from a flower bed where it was overwhelmed by the other plants. It looks so much happier in its pot!
I sat out yesterday and read another hundred pages of "The Woman Who Lost Her Soul." I must say, it's getting better. Maybe once I was able to vent those complaints yesterday I could move past them. I'm still not promising to stick it out to the end but the likelihood is growing.
Dave is off to Michigan and Indiana today on his annual trip to see his parents and attend Drum Corps International (DCI) finals. So I have the house and dog to myself for the next week. Hopefully I won't starve!
I don't think that the Gatekeeper comes this far north..it is a beauty. My buddleia has been butterfly less like yours.
ReplyDelete3 Buddleias here and the butterfly count is One - a Peacock on one of the hot days. Where are all the Red Admirals that usually swarm all over the dark purple Buddleia?
ReplyDeleteVery sad.
The garden must be so organic to attract natural lives. She lives to a good age. Sure she has a colourful life.
ReplyDeleteWhat an excellent obituary!
ReplyDelete"She loved to drive and eat"... I wonder what they will say of me? "He loved to lie in in the morning and later left cheeky comments on other people's blogs". Yup. That sums me up nicely.
ReplyDeleteLois had simple pleasures. RIP
ReplyDeleteWe've had few butterflies, just the occasional monarch and tiger swallow tail. I think the long cold spring affected them.
ReplyDeleteI looked up that book online and was able to read the first couple of pages, not a fan of his writing style.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely shot of Olga with her friends.
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/tampa-fl/lois-bell-11902426
ReplyDeleteI found her video tribute touching.
I haven't seen very many butterflies this year either. frittilaries and a few sulfurs, some pipevine swallowtails earlier. but the cosmos are getting tall again this year (they did not last year, blooming very early) and so I hope when the migration occurs this fall I will see more.
ReplyDeletea week with the house to myself would be a luxury.
I would love the IDEA of a week to myself, but I also know that I would be bored and lonely after about one day. Well, maybe it would take longer if I also had to work that week.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your week! You should just relax and read and rest as school will be starting soon, right?
ReplyDeleteI checked out the link that Debby left to Lois Bell's obit and she looks like a lovely woman and I hope she had a happy life.
The dogs, that is how I great my friends , too, no more leaping about. That is one of the best obits I have read- here's yours IF you ever die. "Steve Reed' went peacefully in his sleep , He loved plants, and now he is one"...
ReplyDeleteHave a great week alone in the house- I always love that opportunity. You are kitchen creative - beans on toast will bail you out.
I can sympathize with Olga. I have more than a few friends that I just "sniff and move on" these days as our paths have diverged.
ReplyDeleteLove that obit! That butterfly is beautiful and Olga and her pals make a cute photo. I can't wait for this heat to taper off. I want to get outdoors again. All of your beautiful garden photos are making crave a long walk.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of Olga with her friends!
ReplyDeleteMaybe the butterflies are just getting a late start due to the odd summer weather. A friend in mid-Wales said she's just now starting to see butterflies and bees. She's been sharing photos of them on her spectacular dahlias.
That IS a great obit -- and I always love a good one. I hope your butterflies return. It's been hot here, too. Have a good home-alone week!
ReplyDeleteI've not seen many butterflies this year and have been wondering if it was the intense heat. Love the obit. That's a a good photo of Olga and her pals.
ReplyDeleteEach year is different for bugs. We like to see their population and visits go up . we worry when populations go down.
ReplyDeleteDrive and eat, hmmm. I love to eat but driving, nope. Come to think of it, I haven't seen many butterflies this summer, only a couple Monarchs. There was a good sized rabbit eating grass in my front lawn this morning though.
ReplyDeleteOlga, the pack leader.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading a lot of obituaries the past few years and I appreciate the brevity and wit of that one :)
ReplyDeleteP. S. I gave a fuller explanation of my comment about Frances' postcard over on yesterday's post!
ReplyDeleteOlga seems totally uninterested in those other two dogs but perhaps she'd already had her sniff and been sniffed. Love the brief but cute obit.
ReplyDeleteGZ: It's sad to see a buddleia with no butterflies!
ReplyDeleteSue: It's not just us, either. Monty Don on "Gardener's World" says there's been an unusual dearth of insects this year in general.
Roentare: We do have a very strict no-chemicals rule.
Mitchell: Right?! Tells it like it is.
YP: Well, exactly. Why not talk about what we really like to do, as opposed to where we were born or went to university?
Bob: As do we all, really. Except possibly Donald Trump.
Boud: Something definitely did. Apparently it's a phenomenon this year.
Pixie: Interesting that you could get it online! The internet is amazing.
Debby: I will take a look at it! I admire your curiosity in searching that out.
Ellen: It's a huge rarity here. Dave almost never goes anywhere on his own.
Bug: I've always been good at entertaining myself, so I think I'll manage. But ask again in a few days!
Ellen D: Yes, school starts in the middle of next week!
Linda Sue: Ha! I love that! I may use it! Yes, beans are a standard for me in Dave's absence.
Ed: Ha! Yeah, I suppose it does happen with people too, doesn't it?
Sharon: Yeah, I'm sure it's a drag at this time of year. We're getting closer to fall!
Kelly: Could be, but that's also bad because many of their nectar plants have already bloomed. The buddleia is all past its peak.
Jeanie: Obituary writing is a skill, and they did a great job making that one a conversation piece!
Susan: Maybe heat there and cool dampness here? I have no idea.
Red: Especially when it's part of a larger trend, as this seems to be.
Margaret: I never see rabbits, I suppose because our garden is so urban and enclosed.
Andrew: Ha! They do follow her around. I guess she's the novel presence, since Harry and Spencer live together. (And they're both boys.)
Jenny-O: Ah! I read your explanation and yes, if you consider that first sentence as two separate clauses I can see how it would make sense. You could be right!
Catalyst: Yes, there had already been a lot of sniffing by the time I got the camera out!
I have zero energy today. My goal for the day is to get the little plants I brought from Roseland into pots. I can't seem to gather the motivation.
ReplyDelete"She loved to drive and eat." That is awesome.