Motley Monday - August 7, 2023

 Once again, a Monday of random things.  

The leaf-cutter bees are filling the bug house (although bees are not bugs) again.  I missed when last year's emerged.  I love the variety of colors the bees use. They've been cutting out of forsythia and wisteria this year, which is new.  Usually they go for the four o-clocks.  

Yes, wisteria.  I did try to get rid of it.  It wasn't possible to dig out all the roots in January, 2022.  I stuck a big heavy pot of soil on top though, thinking that would do it.  Funny thing to think!  Left is then, right is now.  I didn't want it since the seeds are toxic to dogs.  It is also invasive, and not recommended, which I did not know.  I only knew I loved my grandmother's wisteria, and it was sold at the local nursery.  Shouldn't be. 

The corn poppies and love-in-a-mist are gone, replaced by gladiola and four o/clocks.  Usually there are many, huge four o'clocks, but there are only a few smaller ones this year.  

Brandywine is starting to ripen... at long last.  This is reason enough to have a vegetable garden!  All I have left are the tomatoes, having torn out the rest. 

Here's a close-up of a carpenter bee on narrow-leaf milkweed.

And some dead artichokes I thought looked kind of pretty, in color and mono.

Have a nice week.