On my Bluebell Woods blog I was talking about the wild things during this summer heat. I have dishes out all over my garden that I try to keep full. The above is a glass ash tray I got at a garage sale several years ago. The Mourning Doves like to drink out of it. I keep it fresh. The ones around the garden I fill with the hose once a day.The bird baths stay full.
I know they say to not water the plants when the sun is high, but I like to do that for the small creatures, Imagine for the bees and small things to be able to take a sip here at a flower.

Or shake of the water to take a shower.

Keep the water filled up as long and as often as possible please, the critters do come to rely on people when things get rough and its a privilege for me to do so.

I said in my other post about people leaving dogs in cars. I don't care if they leave the window cracked or whatever, it must not happen. If you see a dog in a car on a hot day call the police. If they don't have time to show up then get the dog out any way you can, if possible send someone to the store to notify owner that the dog will be removed if they don't get their butts outside. I know I can not tell people to break windows or kidnap peoples dogs and I am not saying that but only that its what I would do.

Hummer......

Every evening I go outside for a few moments. I see the same faces......well the same critters ....pretty much the same every evening. Tonight I got a surprise, I could not believe my eyes. I dont know why, we have hummingbirds around all the time. They don't generally hang out in my garden though. I saw one last year. It almost hit me in the head.
Well as I was trying to get a better picture of the butterfly I see each evening, I got the above picture. He didn't sit still long enough for me to get a real good picture but I will be watching for him now, you can be sure of that.
This is the other picture but its still not good.



In the sort of light I was dealing with he was in shade most of the time. He sat in the apple tree but the branches were in the way, I moved around for a better angle but he was done and off he went. Maybe tomorrow?

Garden Bugs............

This is some sort of bee, not at all sure what but it is there every day busy about it's own business. It is carrying pollen back and forth, I can see that.



There were all kinds of little bee's buzzing around today. The garden was pretty much alive with all shapes and sizes. They love the Bee Balm and the Blue flowers.
This Butterfly visited for a short time.........I could not get her to open up but she sure enjoyed the Butterfly Bush.





This guy was flitting around outside the back door. So I went and got my camera and took a few shots. Not a pretty background but he is still handsome don't you think.



So here is a spiffed up version of my picture. These are all mine so I can do that.



I kind of like it...........I call him Red Dragon.

Common Beauty.......

The above is just a small part of the seeds from a Parsley plant in my garden. I edited it down to one small part of the original. Its so beautiful. Photography and art allows us to view things from a different perspective. I love that about it.
This small Sunflower grew from a seed that a bird dropped. It is an unexpected beauty.



When you look close at larger flowers you see the smaller flowers within.



The blossoms of fruit are beautiful close up.


Close up of the fruit is also beautiful in its own right


Then there is an opening rose bud in my garden. Its yellow with pink blush, so pretty with rain on its petals.


...and a close up of those rain drops......beautiful isn't it.

Rosebuds....................

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day
To-morrow will be dying.
Robert Herrick


( A new bloom from my garden)

I suppose this is very true. Sometimes in life we do miss opportunity by thinking too much about something. Then when we decide in favour of the idea, the opportunity will have passed.

Blue Jay family.............

So how do I know the male from the female Blue Jay? Hmmmmm. Well this is the little family that nested under my kitchen window. They better be grateful that I kept the cat at Bay because its been hunting Chipmunks. I hate that about domestic cats. They are not hungry but they love to hunt. She was an inside cat but now insists on being outside. All cat lovers will know that once a cat decides something the human is not likely to change its mind.
Anyway............the Blue Jay family thrives.............so far.

Back off Brother


The Blue Jay is a beautiful bird. Noisy, quarrelsome and rather a coward. Well, lets see......they fly off at the slightest move on my part but a Chickadee for example will stay and stare me down.

So what's for lunch?



Hey, Try that one down there



What did I do....why isn't you speaking to me. Yes I ate it how could you tell, but there's plenty more honest.


I think we have a mum and dad and one baby..........but I am not sure. I have seen these 3 together but as they all look alike its hard to say if there are more. They make enough noise for a whole tribe.

Kids around the garden............

Well we have the fish. Three out of four have made it thus far and are seemingly thriving.


They seem to get along and play together. I don't really want to add to them now in case I shift the balance and loose them all. As I have done before.
Meanwhile the poodles have not wanted to go out because its too hot and humid. Here they are deciding if they should go up the garden or go back inside.


The Chickadees dont care who is outside. If they want a snack then snack they have.


The BlueJays though are cowards even if they are big.



The Mourning Doves will stick around as long as possible and get their goodies



If we go outside the poodles want to be right with us............they dont often venture off unless they are out there on their own


I found some Johnny Jump ups in the grass, why wont they grow in the garden where they belong? Now I cant get that bit of grass cut because I don't want to loose them.





Then we have the squirrels.............not so exciting but all we have that allow themselves to be seen.



Then we have Tristen. He wreaks havoc on my garden but I know he also loves it out there so isn't that what its all about? A great place for a little boy and poodles to explore. For him to learn about nature and respecting birds and animals.

Big Bunns........

Look who came to visit last evening. What a big bunny. Must be a boy? Do you think?




Seems a girl bunny would be a little more delicate. Maybe not............anyway this was a big bunny and I was so glad to see that he is still around.



The wildlife may eat plants, may chomp on trees but ya know what? I don't care. If that's what they need to stay healthy then I am more than willing to replace what they eat. The privilege
of having them visit is worth it for me. Especially for deer, who have come in the past but I have never seen so far. Oh what I would give for that to happen. A couple of years ago a doe and fawn were in our gardens, Bud next door saw them. Phil next door but one saw them too and put up a deer crossing sign haha. Not fair. I didn't get to see them but they ate my Hosta's. Could at least have posed for me.
We have also had bear in the area. I mean two streets down. Was not lucky enough to see him either.



I suppose it might be a bit of a shock to go outside and see this sitting on the back lawn or at the bird feeder but hey............I would love it. This picture taken a couple of blocks over.

Hot July.........

July in the garden, its been so hot, so humid that I have not been working outside at all. That means that weeds came from nowhere. I really only have one or two varieties of weeds that I do not allow. One is those little ones that spread so quickly and look like shamrock or something with little yellow flowers. I have no idea what they are. Well its time to get out there and pull them. I have had sprinklers on every day and as we did get a shower last night I gave that a break today.
Yesterday I got a few pictures that I will share now. A few shy pansies hiding under some other stuff caught my eye.

I made some collages of the rest.




The daisies are looking good.





So many pretty flowers..........this year things are filling in and certainly looking better than other years. I tend to loose interest at this time of year and let things go.
I don't really have too many Fall flowers. One of these days I will have to think about that.
For now, I enjoy having a look in the evening or morning before it gets too hot.


The front path..............


The daisies by the garden archway.

Dream Garden.............

What would your dream garden be like? I think about that sometimes. Mine would be something on the order of The Secret Garden. I like to think of a nice stone wall surrounding it with a gate. A gate with roses growing up it, a very old gate.


My gate would of course open into a meadow. Within the garden itself would be a rose garden, not a formal rose garden but climbing roses. Climbing over the stone walls and terraces.

I love pink roses...........'

The garden would have secret places, places to sit unseen and read a book and listen to the birds. It would have very old stones and old mossy troughs of water for the animals that would come and visit. It would have barrels with water for frogs and birds to sip from.


There would be old steps going up into higher places and down into shadowy pathways.


There would be winding paths through high flowering bushes and into secret corners where one may find a swing on a big old tree hidden from view.




There would be hidden pools to sit and watch the goldfish and dangle fingers in



There would be formal walks with vines and terraces for the evening strolls at twilight and the divine scents of the flowers

I love the very old rocks with moss and flowers draping down from them. The feel of those ancients under the hand, cold and damp but with such a memory as we can never imagine. They saw the beginning of time they did........and maybe if one closes the eyes and open the mind we may just get a glimpse of that.


quiet places to just sit and be quiet.



(Thanks to all the photographers whose pictures I have borrowed)

I am linking this with A Delightful Life