Summer Sun for July

Mid summer, and it's hot and sticky in Ohio. Not really a surprise though, this is a pretty normal summer here. I know many parts of the country are suffering from major heat waves, but we've escaped that so far. Humidity we have in spades, and they tell me it's from "corn sweat". Ohio has over 3 millions acres in corn this year, and I guess it gives off plenty of humidity. Who knew? 

You can probably guess that it's monarch season by now. I've had a few already, featured here last month. Since then, more monarch mamas have discovered my milkweed patch, so now I'm seeing more action. Below you see a batch that I found all at once, on one small planter, 18 altogether. Whew. And wouldn't you know, the same plant got hit again yesterday, so tonight I'll bring in some more. So far I've released 4 butterflies.

But monarchs aren't the only butterflies I see here in the Nest. I love them all! As much as I love my monarchs, I get so used to seeing them that my camera will quickly turn to capture the other types.  

Red Admiral

Monarch

Hummingbird moth at rest, rarely seen not moving! 

Red Spotted Purple

8 Spotted Forester

Viceroy 

Tiger swallowtail 

Silver spotted skipper

But there are other critters to be seen here. Do you recognize the first photo below? Yes, it's a small snake skin, found near my back step. Shortly after seeing this, I spotted a small snake under the shrubs. I'm not afraid of snakes, but I could be startled by them! If they'd eat the mice and voles hanging around, they're welcome here. You can also see about 20 goldfish living in my little water garden. And this big ugly beetle is a green June bug. I left him alone to enjoy my hydrangea. 

I can't resist showing off some of my containers again this month. But I did try to only show those not already featured, or those that are significantly changed. The group photo showing off patio containers was actually staged to show many containers at once, for a garden photo contest. 

Summer heat brings the veggies on strong. Yum! Look at all the goodies we've been enjoying, peas, carrots, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers and tomatoes. 

When the heat and humidity aren't too bad, I stop at area parks to see if the summer wildflowers are putting on a show yet. They're starting, but will be better in a few weeks. Blacklick Woods is one of my favorites spots for wildflowers, and Dawes Arboretum is a good place to see a more manicured garden area, plus colorful trees in the fall. 

Blacklick

Blacklick

Blacklick

Blacklick

Dawes

Dawes

Dawes

Dawes

But back home, as I predicted, the zinnias are blooming for July. Zinnias are my favorite summer annual, but only a few varieties are offered as plants, so I start them from seed. That means they are much later to bloom than traditional bedding plants. I planted a wide variety of them this year, trying to stick to my yellow theme, but wasn't entirely successful. In my defense, some of my zinnias did not turn out as advertised. The Green Envy zinnia seeds included some red ones, and the Oklahoma Salmon zinnias turned out to be in shades of red, pink, and orange, and only one was salmon. They're lovely, but it was a disappointment. The salmon ones are my absolute favorite! 

Green Envy

Thumbelina

Thumbelina

Queeny Lemon Peach

Queeny Lemon Peach

Queeny Lemon Peach

Isabellina

Queeny Lemon Peach 

Oklahoma Salmon

Cut and Come Again 

Zowie Yellow Flame 

Canary 

Green Envy with a red zinnia intruder

Green Envy 

Yellow Profusion 

And now we come to all the rest of my July flowers. It's a mixed bag, as usual. 

I've spent so much time outside this month that I haven't done many crafts, or done much cooking. I did finish up these fairy house stones, and they now live on my own patio. They just delight me, and I may have to paint some more for myself. I did take the time to cook a big batch of garden vegetable soup. I wanted to use up the last of the garden tomatoes in my freezer from last year, so I used as many homegrown veggies as I could for this soup. Best soup I ever made! I also redecorated my tray into a bee theme, and filled my favorite vase with goldenrod. 

And so the steamy month of July comes to an end. Stormy July weather brings interesting skies to my front porch, and you'll often find me out there at day's end. Sometimes I capture a sunset, but sometimes I'm just watching the clouds go by. It's a peaceful way to end the day. Thanks for coming by to visit the Nest! Hope to see you here again in August.