Thank you, gifted photographer and beloved commentor Ozark Hillbilly:
Not really, but I try.
My eldest Sis had a beautiful Mimosa in her front yard that she was always fighting with the city about.
“Chop it down.” they’d say, “It blocks the sidewalk.”
“Fck You.” she’d reply.
After arguing it back and forth they would allow for some pruning (which she would never do as much as they told her to).
Two years later she would get another notice from the city: “Chop it down.”
The first thing I did when we bought this place was plant some Bleeding Hearts, her favorite. The second was this Mimosa.
I think the Flutterbys love it even more than she did.
Twenty-eight years and I still miss you, Peggy. You and I saw things others didn’t even notice.
***********
What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?
raven
The boss lady’s foot has healed to the point that she’s out of the walking cast and able to get back into the garden so she is quickly overdoing it!
germy shoemangler
this is good news and a definite improvement.
JPL
@raven: That is great!
raven
@JPL: She has also been sewing away and here is her basket of mimosa’s
I also should say right on to the Ozark! She made a bleeding heart handbag back in the day but I can’t find a picture of it.
JPL
@raven: That is gorgeous.
raven
@JPL: She go this really nice redbud thread painting accepted in a local show. She brought it home and our account came to go over our taxes and bought it!
raven
got
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Good news.
HeartlandLiberal
We got a mimosa seedling from a friend here in south central Indiana, and it produced two plants, right next to each other. The tallest is a foot high now after two years of establishing roots. We come from the deep south lo these many years ago, and always loved mimosas.
Lapassionara
These photos are lovely. I have only seen one butterfly this year, and my flower bed was full of blooms. I’m concerned that someone close by is doing the chemical nuking for mosquito control, and is ruining the insect population.
I have mulch to spread and some azaleas to plant.
Ken
@germy shoemangler: A few years ago the city reworked a section of a park, installing a “native plant” garden. Then they didn’t do any maintenance, with the result that the space was taken over by thistles, goldenrod, and other “weeds”. However I think I see more butterflies, and definitely more bees and wasps, with this new mix.
Mathguy
Our seven sons bushes, asters and assorted other plants have been in bloom the past two weeks. The butterflies and pollinators have been all over them, which has been wonderful to watch.
Rachel Bakes
I’ve been on an invasives hunt this year to the bewilderment of neighbors. Planting natives where we can and killing all the invasive plants I can. Finding new ones every day: porcelainberry is the latest. Too bad it’s so awful; it’s really beautiful.
delphinium
Nice photos and what a lovely way to celebrate/remember your sister.
JPL
@OzarkHillbilly: Your pictures are lovely.
zeecube
@OzarkHillbilly: beautiful tribute to your sister, M[mosas have a heavenly scent when in bloom.
Kristine
Lovely photos.
I’ve noted a butterfly 🦋 shortage here in NE Illinois. I always used to see Red Admirals. A few years ago I saw an absolute burst of them, and none since. I have had more Monarch visits thanks to the milkweed, which makes me happy. Lots of bees. The Rose of Sharon are finally winding down and the goldenrod are fading. Mums are in bloom. We’re in the middle of a lovely cool snap—highs in the 50s/60s and some nights dipping into the 40s. Soon I will need to set up the small tables in the dining area so I can bring in some of the containers at night. When the winter cold comes, the room gets a bit crowded.
WaterGirl
Ozark, what a lovely way to honor your sister. Rebels unite!
Raven, those flower pieces are stunning.
OzarkHillbilly
@WaterGirl: She was definitely a rebel.
satby
@Kristine: My favorite weather, pleasantly cool days and chilly nights perfect for sleeping! My garden is also winding down.
I’m going to try to convert my front porch to a greenhouse with greenhouse film (removable next summer to put up mosquito curtains). I won’t be able to keep the really delicate stuff in there, but I hope to extend my tomato season and put the potted roses there instead of the dark garage. But it’s rainy today, so not much is getting done outside.
Kristine
@satby: You’re getting the rain I got last night.
I’d love a small greenhouse. I could probably set up something on the deck but I would still have to bring the tropical bonsai and gerbera daisies indoors.
Steeplejack
Some background music for morning in the garden: “Harvest Time.” RIP, Pharoah Sanders (1940-2022).
satby
@Kristine: Yeah, my front porch is covered but gets good afternoon light once the leaves fall, so I figured the cold hardy stuff will do ok unless we get a polar vortex. But the delicate stuff can go down into the basement.
Plus, it will extend my “sitting outside on the porch” season too 👍
MelissaM
There’s a mimosa around the corner from me, a bit too north (I’m 5B) but still bloomed this year, but in August. I thought the polar vortex several years ago killed it, and part of it did die, but it’s so late to leaf out, and it’s still going.
What is the butterfly in the top image?
kalakal
Lovely mimosa. They’re such pretty flowers and those are really nice photos There’s a nice pink one a few houses from us, I admire it on my walks. Here ( w central Florida) the biggest bee/flutterby magnets seem to be blue porterweed and Uxorias. We always have milkweed for the Monarchs. Catnip for the swallowtail caterpillars seems to be Dutchmans pipe, which is pretty ugly plant with amazing flowers
OzarkHillbilly
@MelissaM: Blue Pipestem. They don’t usually have that solid blue patch to the extent that this one does, but there is variation.
satby
@OzarkHillbilly: Really nice OH!
Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)
Nice pics. Butterflies have been low in numbers here in SE Pennsylvania too. Great spangled fritillaries are nonexistent for the 2nd year in a row. I’m worried about them
@Kristine: Red Admirals are a species that is known to be irruptive with wild population swings and migrations, so they should be back some year soon.
The Butterflies are:
#1 pipevine swallowtail
On pink Zinnia is an orange sulphur* (a.k.a. Alfalfa butterfly)
On the orange zinnia is a skipper**, a female Sachem
** the group of butterflies with pointed clubs at the end of their antennae.
eclare
What a sweet tribute to your sister.
WaterGirl
@OzarkHillbilly: It takes one to know one. :-)
J R in WV
Does any tree have blooms any where near the beauty of mimosa blooms? So beautiful in low second generation woods around here, where they have gone native to some extent. Of course they are late summer bloomers while the redbud and dogwood bloom together in the spring. So it’s hard to balance which are better, really.
And the butterflies are great!! Thanks for sharing!
Jackie
I read “somewhere” recently that monarch butterflies have been put on the endangered species list.
Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)
@Jackie: That was a declaration by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature not the US Gov’t.
Monarch butterfly declared endangered amid declining numbers
StringOnAStick
I converted our backyard entirely to a pollinator garden over the past year; 1/3 natives and the rest planned to have blooms from very early to very late. The West Texas Grass Sage (salvia reptans) is just starting to set buds and it’s usually the last thing blooming, or at least it was in CO; now that we live in central OR, I guess we’ll see how it does since it definitely is fall with morning’s in the 40’s and street trees rapidly changing color.
Today I will finish setting the basalt chunks I collected into the last bit of path edging needed before the guys come to pack a layer of decomposed granite as the walkway material. The rest of the front yard is in process: all sod removed and a few yards of soil to be delivered, then 4 pallets of lichen covered boulders and cobbles to build natural looking raised bed areas. Next spring I’ll plant lots of native shrubs, plants and a few non native bloomers, and a few areas of tufts of the local dryland native fescue as the “lawn”, which will require weedwhacking once a year, no more mowing. I’m trying to be one of the vanguard of no-lawn yards here in this high desert. We’ll sell the electric lawn mower next spring.
kalakal
@StringOnAStick: 👍
Kristine
@Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!):
Thanks for the info! I hope so because I miss them.
dibert dogbert
1st butterfly looks like a Pipe Vine Swallowtail.
A Mimosa is a field tree. Best seen far from the house. It has three messes to clean up every year. Flowers, leaves and seed pods.
The previous owners had planted one near the pool. A constant mess to remove from the pool. Cut that sucker down!!!