Caterpillars, Critters, Cakes and other Things

Well, I have not posted in over a week which for me is unusual. I have been busy with my annual cleaning/organizing/ painting frenzy :). Plus I have been playing cribbage online, something I have not done in a long long time. I love the game, any cribbage players out there? I play on pogo.com, I used to play on the zone.com but they quit offering cribbage a couple of years ago. And I have been making candles, so I guess I have all kinds of reasons for my lack of posting. As I mentioned in a previous post I brought my Brugs inside because it was so windy and they were getting knocked over all the time. They scented my house for over a week, which was wonderful. The Blackswallow tail caterpillars are gone, I hope they have spun the chrysalis and are safe for the winter but if they did, I can't find them. It is hot and humid again, which I hate, I want some fall weather. I included a picture of a molasses cake I baked and a couple of pics of the four legged kids just to share.

We are going to Wisconsin tomorrow for apples, cheese curds and picture taking, I think it is a bit early for optimum fall color but we have other plans for the next two weekends so it is this weekend or the last weekend of the month. I hope to have some fall pictures of the Mississippi to post.

Brugmasia

My Brugs are in full bloom again................YIPEE, I love these flowers. Since I took these photos last Saturday, I have brought them inside for the winter, it had been so windy and they were getting blown over, it will be too cold for them soon anyway. I put the plants in the basement by a south window with a grow light close by, I will water them until they are done blooming, then I will slow down with the water until early next spring. The fragrance in the house is almost over whelming...........wonderful, wonderful scent.

Black Swallowtail Caterpillars

After seeing a "garden for the senses" at the Omaha Zoo last fall I decided to plant one this spring, I have really enjoyed it. I planted all kinds of herbs, scented geraniums, a jasmine plant, cayenne pepper and some ornamental grass. I planted parsley and fennel with the hope of getting some butterfly eggs and it worked!!!! Our grandsons spent this past weekend with us, we were outside looking around, I was pulling leaves from the plants in my garden for the senses for them to smell, I was getting the "that stinks" remarks when my oldest grandson discovered the caterpillars of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly, I was so excited, of course we got the camera right away. My grandson took these pictures. I think they turned out really well.

I have been debating about bringing one of the caterpillars inside to watch it turn into a chrysalis, I found instructions online, but have decided I would rather leave it outside. I wish I could have gotten a picture of the butterfly itself earlier in the summer but I could never get a good shot.

Bee, Boxer and Cavalier

Just wanted to share a couple of pictures of my gardening buds.

Sunday Blooming Sunday

Iowa Blue Sky

It was hot, muggy and very windy today, it just finished raining, the temps are supposed to get into the 40s tonight, I sure hope so, I am ready for some cool fall weather. My hardy hibiscus are still going strong, the last thing to pop out of the ground in the spring and one of the last to quit blooming in the fall.

September Peach Rose

This is in my humble opinion a beautiful and perfect rose! This is the first year I have grown tea roses in many years, I will say I have enjoyed them, I wonder how many will make it through our winter.

The weather has warmed up here again, but it is starting to look like fall in Iowa, I am seeing some trees starting to turn. It is almost time for our annual trip along the Mississippi for picture taking, apples and cheese curds. This year we are going to stop in McGregor to try and find an old cemetery where my great grandfather is buried. I have only seen pictures of him, two pictures to be exact and in both pictures his shirt sleeves are too short for him, I have the same problem, it was the first thing I noticed in the photos. He is my mother's grandfather, my husband calls that side of the family the fighting Irish, no truer words were ever spoken :).