Walking Iten's Acres these days requires two things: getting up early and going out again late in the day. The reason, as all good Ohioans know--is it gets hot and humid in July! Stifling in the heat of the day--anti breathing. So, I take my walks early and late when it's not quite so hard on my old body.
It's not as if things aren't beautiful--despite the heat. The phlox have just started in earnest--pinks, whites, reds, purples and everything in between. They are a lovely flower that will last until frost, and they smell delicious. I can see why the hummingbirds and bumble bees love phlox time. Their number is down this year for some reason, but there is still plenty to go around, and they are scattered everywhere from the beds in front to the wild area out back. They will grow and flourish just about anywhere. And they are not intimidated by the heat.
The gladiolas too are July bloomers. Talk about a variety of colors. It requires some work on my part to stake them so that they don't fall over, but it's more than worth the effort. Too bad they can't survive Ohio winters because they love Ohio summers. They, too, are spread everywhere, although I have not yet tried them in the wild area itself.
My gardening angels have been busy. I've never seen so many coneflowers in the wild area. The angels have spread them everywhere. I assume that at least one of the angels is Goldfinch. I, also, have a couple of new batches of bee balm in the wild area. Who knows where they came from, and the angels are not talking. Nary a peep. I have a new batch of the yellow prairie coneflower as well. And for the first time I have some poppy mallow and royal catchfly. Both adding some red to July's wildness. No, I don't know why they're called royal catchfly. The catchfly is because they supposedly--I have no reason to doubt their publicists--are sticky and "catch flies." "Royal" I have no idea what that's about. I'm hoping that soon my cardinal flowers will join the red parade. Call the Acres Hummingbird Heaven then. Phlox, bee balm. cardinals, and soon after that Rose of Sharon and Hibiscus. Flap those wings a million times a second and enjoy my ruby-throated wonders.
One more quick tidbit, and I'll let you go back to your summer evening's fun. For the first time in my tenure at the Acres I saw a mink today. He was at the very back of the wild area going somewhere west. Gorgeous creature. He stopped and gave me the "what are you doing out here" stare and then, casually, disappeared into the brush. I hope the fish in Dennis' pond aren't on his summer menu. Maybe Bonnie's presence will keep him moving on. Though, I confess, I wouldn't mind seeing him now and again. The wild area has certainly lived up to its name this year: fox, wild turkeys, the doe and her twins, and now the mink. Hope there aren't any bears in Morrow County.
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