I have been trying for weeks to get photos of my frog friends.
I have to walk very slowly and talk to them softly.
They watch me carefully as I move around the pond.
I step on one stepping stone at a time and pause.
I raise my camera against my torso so there is no arm flapping movements.
I do this over and over. I am able to get closer each time.
They wait longer and longer before diving into the pond to disappear.
I got this shot yesterday.
I think I am finally trained now.
FLOW
We have been watching the water recently.
It has been putting on a show. The show is green.
I sit and watch the green shifting and moving along the shore.
We debate whether it is algae or pollen.
My vote is for pollen.
It is small and uniform.
The sample my neighbor gave me in a jar should have grown exponentially by now if it were algae.
It is fascinating to watch.
Come for a swim?
Flow
It was nice to see that Sylva took butterflies into consideration in their plans.
There was an official Monarch Waystation along the main drive through town.
The flowers were lovely. Plants were labeled.
There was even a display explaining the Monarch Life Cycle.
Sylva, North Carolina is my kind of town!
Flower
Tiger Splendens’ bulbils are getting ahead of themselves this fall.
They seem to be preparing to jump from the mother plant.
Many have enlarged and grown roots while still clinging to mama.
I had noticed that some bulbils seemed to be nibbled on.
I wonder if the mama alerted her babies to bail out early?
Plants do communicate with other parts of the plant and neighboring plants.
I will be placing these in shallow pots of peat.
These are the grandbulbils of my first Tiger Lily.
This mama plant was a baby in 2018.
Bulbils grow up so fast these days!
Grandma Flow
Fall mornings are the perfect time to find dew diamonds.
You must carefully time your hunt.
The dew left on the leaves and flowers must settle and condense a bit.
Then you wait for the sun to creep over the horizon.
The sunlight turns each tiny drop into a prism.
You must be at the proper angle between the sun and the dew.
You must find the diamonds just as the sun does.
The sun steals them quickly, you see.
I am rich!
FLOW
I love my vines. I have tried many types. These two are keepers.
Red Cypress Vine/Ipomoea pennata stays small and is easy to train to any trellis.
It resows itself. Its feathery leaves are lovely.
The red blooms are gorgeous in any light.
My other favorite is Love in a Puff/ Cardiospermum halicacabum.
Its flowers are tiny white with yellow centers.
I love the puffy seed pods which contain three seeds.
Each black seed has a white heart on it.
I have heard this vine can be a pest below Zone 6, but it behaves itself here in North Carolina.
These two get along well together on our lamp post.
Flow
This tiny plant is a trickster. It looks like silver little rosettes from spring to fall.
Eventually it elongates into cones that are tall and will have tiny flowers on them in October.
There are several forms of Orostachys/ Chinese Dunce Cap. This one is O. boehmeri.
It likes full sun and dry conditions.
Flow nearing Fall
This plant throws its parts around. No nearby pot is safe from a well tossed arm.
When this plant arrived from Logee’s, I sent back a complaint that the pieces were not even rooted yet.
Their short response was…It does not matter. Now, I know why. No roots needed. Neglect necessary.
Something must have signaled this Huernia zebrina /Lifesaver Plant to bloom now.
Each pot, no matter its location, is blooming.
Its blooms are too perfect to seem real.
It thrives on neglect with full sun and very little water.
This may be the perfect plant for you “Black Thumb” folks.
FLOW
I have tried several new varieties of tomatoes this summer.
My favorite has been this ‘Golden Pear.’
The vine needs a lot of support because it is covered by fruits.
The chipmunks love them also.
Flow
floweralley 