As I walked around Marshview (the name I gave my home and garden) this morning, I spent some time around the last remaining flowers in the garden. The pumpkin flowers were full of bees. Native bumblebees do the best job of fertilizing squash flowers since they are able to vibrate the pollen free. Honeybees cannot do that. Native bees also seemed to be enjoying joe-pye weed and goldenrod flowers. The Russian sage, though not native, was covered in bees as well.
Late-blooming flowers are important to wildlife. This time of year, native bees need to prepare for hibernation and migrating butterflies need fuel for their flight south. Next year I want to plant some Blazing Star and Obedient Plant for the hummingbirds, but for now I have a hummingbird feeder on the back deck. I need to fill it every three days since it is very popular with the resident ruby-throated hummers. I have counted three that regularly visit the feeder. One hovers as it eats. One sits and drinks and drinks and drinks. The female is quite friendly and curious. When I sit on the screen porch, which is next to the feeder, she hovers on the other side of the screen and visits for a while.
The deer ravaged my rather small kitchen garden so there is not a lot to harvest this year. I stopped by the orchard down the street and the owner said ten percent of their peach crop survived the early hot weather in March followed by killing frosts in April. The apple crop was severely damaged as well. I will be making fewer peach crisps and apple pies this year.
This week I will be doing the final (I hope) weeding of the perennial flower gardens. I do not deadhead the flowers since local and migrating birds feed on the seeds as long as the seeds are available. I have gotten used to rather messy gardens.
That is what is happening at Marshview this last week of August. I think we are in for more of the same weather wise in the coming weeks. Warm day, cool nights, and a rainy day now and again. Perfect weather to enjoy Marshview.
