Butterflies are free...or should be.

  Once again, I was stuck inside doing chores when my brain was saying to go out and breathe the fresh air!  At least I was able to throw open all of the windows and peer outside occasionally.  The sound of the birds singing and the sight of leaves blowing in the gentle breeze brought me some solace.  Through those windows, I did notice a ton of huge butterflies flitting about the garden.  It seems that the petunias, zinnias and butterfly weed interspersed with the tomatoes and bell peppers are a favorite stopping point for the insects.  Their brilliant colors added beauty to the garden.  Most were swallowtail butterflies of one sort or another. Their presence did make me feel a bit more trapped, though, as I could not be in the garden with them.  Their freedom to fly in and out made me want to do the same.

  Late this afternoon, I took Ms. Ez, the Bayou Dog, out for a walk.  She, too, has been feeling a bit of cabin-fever since I have taken on the job of reorganizing the craft room.  She has decided that she would rather be stuck inside with me than be outside by herself.  (She knows who throws that ball to her!)  Our hike took us through the garden and out the back gate.  I figured while I was traipsing about the tomato patch, I should check for any that were ripe.  A huge butterfly flitted right past my head and visited the butterfly weed.  It made me smile to think of how it was enjoying something that I had planted.  

  I was just about to leave the garden when a fluttering caught my attention.  Weeks ago, Michael and I put the netting across the tomato plants to keep the woodpeckers from eating any that were ripening.  I never thought of the danger this could be to any critter friends.  The net was touted to be "Environmentally and Animal Friendly!"  It is not. Caught up in the net was a gorgeous Swallowtail.  Poor thing!  It fluttered against the net for all it was worth but could not escape.  Well now, that would never do!  Even to the point of breaking a few of the plant's limbs, I pulled back the netting to allow the butterfly to escape.  Yep, butterflies should be free....and now this one is!  So folks, please take note if you use the bird netting.  Sometimes it can cause harm.  Go outside occasionally to check the netting.  Make sure that some hapless critter has not been caught up in the webbing.  Just last week, Michael rescued a gorgeous blue dragonfly and now the swallowtail had the misfortune of becoming snared.  Rescue those pretties, my friends!

What a welcome sight!

Celebrate! We had rain! Woohoo! After about three months of total dryness, we had a nice thunderstorm. The rain pounding on the rooftop was a most beautiful and welcome sound that I have heard in quite a while. Rain..what a relief from the dry heat that has been plaguing us recently. I can imagine just how wonderful the plants must feel just about now. Even though I have been trying to drag the water hose around each day and give them all drinks, I just know the rain feels much better. Rain! Now if it would just keep raining all night!!!

Earlier today, I was in the kitchen with a pile of tomatoes. It was salsa and ketchup making day! I spent the day, skinning, chopping and cooking tomatoes. After several hours, I had about two dozen jars of deliciousness on the dining room table. The tomatoes are the one thing in the garden that did not die in the drought and with nearly a hundred plants, it appears that I will be canning a good bit.

Just outside my back door, I have a large pot that has a single plant in it. This plant is an Asclepias Tuberosa. When I went out to the compost pile with a bunch of eggshells and coffee grounds, I noticed that this plant was blooming. I am so tickled to see the blossoms as I hope to be able to collect seeds to replenish my stock. My cousin, Helen, sent me the seeds several years ago and I try to save some each year. Last year, something came along and munched my seed pods so there were no seeds in storage. I was elated to see a plant sprout from last year's root. I did find that they will grow from cuttings, so a few will be stuck in a bottle soon! I really like this plant for two specific reasons..one being that butterflies literally swarm around it when it is blooming. This gives it one of its common names..Butterfly Weed! The other reason..it blooms all summer! It will continue to bloom well into late Fall and early Winter. The bright orange flowers are perfect in Fall gardens blended with Ageratums and Marigolds! Another common name for the same plant is Pleurisy Root. Supposedly the root of this plant is a cure for pleurisy and other pulmonary ailments. Now, I can not vouch for the veracity of this statement but it would be nice if it is a cure! But..that said..care should be taken with the usage of this as with all herbs. It is said that this root should not be used by women during pregnancy. It can lead to all sorts of problems even miscarriage. Personally, I plan on merely enjoying the beauty of the plant and the butterflies that it attracts!