Things are looking up

During the so-called "dog days of summer" it's hard for me not to look askance at what's wrong with my garden.  I looked up the origins of that expression and found that, according to one source, the ancient Greeks and Romans believed that the period from July 3rd through August 11th was particularly hot and uncomfortable because that was when the Earth drew closest to Sirius, the "dog star."  Based on that description, it would appear that the "dog days" end today; however, the same source went on to state that, in actuality, Sirius doesn't rise until mid-August, which suggests we're not out of the woods yet. Nonetheless, I found several bright spots in my garden this week.

 The local pollinators are active.

Butterfly activity has noticeably increased since the Zinnias began to bloom.  I've seen a handful of different species but the only one I've captured in photos was the the Gulf Fritillary.

Bumblebees have suddenly become more prevalent too

Anna's hummingbirds are here year-round.  This one perches on the Ginkgo tree when resting, while keeping an eye out for intruders in its territory, which includes a nearby strawberry tree (Arbutus 'Marina').  Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' is currently getting a lot of hummingbird attention too, along with Grevillea 'Superb'.

The lesser goldfinches have been hanging around my cutting garden and I haven't been at all clear why.  I feared they were up to no good but I've chosen to believe that's not the case based on the following photos.

Using a telephoto lens, I stayed a suitable distance away in an effort to get a handle on their activity in the cutting garden when I'm not around.  I'd noticed a lot of ragged sunflower leaves.  When I examined the leaves after catching them on camera pecking at them, I concluded that they may be picking tiny insects off the leaves, battering them in the process.  I'm not sure of that, though, so I'm going to refill the feeders that usually stay empty during the summer months.

The dahlias I've been waiting for seemingly forever are finally starting to flower.

Dahlia 'Catching Fire' is the first to bloom

I've found buds on most of the dahlias but they aren't in a hurry to open.  This is Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda', classified as a late blooming variety, but then all mine seem to be late bloomers this year.  Granted, I planted the tubers about 6 weeks later than I did in 2022 due to the unusually cool temperatures that stretched into June.

Unlike the dahlias, my Amaryllis aren't keeping me waiting.

Stems of Amaryllis belladonna (aka naked ladies because the flower stalks appear after the foliage dies back in late spring) are suddenly popping up all over.  This is a true Amaryllis, not to be confused with the Hippeastrums commonly referred to as Amaryllis.  I have pink and white forms, although the white variety usually lags weeks behind the more common pink variety.

 

With some help from my husband, two of the three agaves that bloomed this year, Agave mitis 'Multicolor' and Agave vilmoriniana, are now gone.  However, I've held off on cutting the bloom stalk of Agave 'Blue Glow' in the hope of getting bulbils.

It appears my patience is bearing fruit, or rather plantlets.  At least 4 bulbils have formed near the top of the stalk of this agave, which isn't known for pupping heavily, if at all.  I'm giving it until at least the end of the month before cutting down the stalk.  The mother plant shows no sign of decline to date.  A neighbor had a similar experience and now, months after cutting the stalk on hers, another bloom stalk is developing from a pup poking out the side of her mother plant.  My plant also has side pups.

We even got a tiny bit of rain on Wednesday and again on Thursday.  It wasn't measurable but it brought down our temperatures.  As I walked the neighborhood in the late afternoon, raindrops kept falling on my head and I spent the twenty minutes it takes to complete two rounds of the area trying to remember the lyrics to the song from the classic movie 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' that came to mind.  If that reference hasn't triggered your own memory, you can find the lyrics in the following YouTube video.  Warning: it may take some time to remove the ear worm from your head!

For the record, I'd be happy to have raindrops falling more heavily on my head but that's not likely to happen until October at the earliest.  Still, the change of seasons, cooler weather, and the opportunity to get planting again isn't all that far off.  As the song says: "It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me."

Best wishes for a pleasant weekend!