It’s been balmy!

Our roadside are prettier this year than I ever remember seeing them. It’s sort of like a super-bloom midwestern style. Heaping mounds of wildflowers in every color. I am not sure exactly why: I suspect all the recent rain has a lot to do with it, and possibly the previous three years of drought that could have killed off many of the non-native choker weeds, and maybe because the MN DOT has finally gotten on board with not mowing the bejeesus out of the roadside habitats in hopes of creating just this–one huge open-field wildflower bonanza.  One of the stars of this roadside show right now is bee balm–miles and miles of lilac-colored jester’s caps. I stopped to pick some today, and was quickly reminded why it is called bee balm: the flowers were covered with a buzzing, throbbing, cloud of bees (especially bumble bees). I reached in to pick my few stems without concern, knowing that the bees were far to contended with their balm than to worry about me.

bee balm (monarda)

love maple

This color combo stops me in my tracks every time.

amur maple samaras in july

Rain, rain, go away

It has been raining almost daily here since summer started. While we humans are simply tired of the swampy, sticky humidity of it all,  we do get to escape into air conditioned homes or offices when we need a break. It is the trees I am starting to worry about. Their roots have been sitting in fully saturated soil for almost two months. Imagine sitting in a bathtub for two months?  I get a weekly newsletter from the Minnesota DNR, they too are concerned about the “wet feet” of our trees. We seem to be whiplashing between drought years and flooding years. We are all on high-alert, looking for signs of climate change. But the truth is, extreme weather has always been a hallmark of the upper midwest. The question is…is this more extreme than normal? And by how much? It’s time to revisit the data.

mid-summer elm leaf and hibiscus leaf with raindrops

tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

Do you remember that barely blooming echinacea I posted almost exactly one month ago? This is not that same flower, but it is from the same flowerbed.  The last photo was a “just before” and this is a “just after” peak expression. The photo looks a little static (it was much more alive with a bit of breeze), but I do like the tired resignation of it. I feel like she is saying “I’m wiped. I’m going to take a break. The rest of you can finish up. Okay?”  She’s too tired to even pretend to hold out her petals any more, just wrapping things up while the bees gather the last of the nectar on offer. She did a really good job. Now it’s time to rest.

echinacea / coneflower

a new take on a familiar subject

As I have mentioned before, July is not my favorite month. But Queen Anne’s lace makes all the hot stickiness somehow worth it. I will never tire of capturing its extraordinary delicacy. The Queen.

Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)