And now, for something completely different....

Moving along........



A lot of the next photos in my albums are of other plants, and my pets.  A LOT of the daylilies are not labeled in the albums!  I cannot get close-ups in the blog's image selection program, either (some were taken with their garden labels, but the thumbnail shots just don't show them clearly).

How about a day of critters I've seen in the gardens?  We are just about at the end of last summer's photos, I suspect.  (Although I seem to have quite a lot from previous years, still!) I have gotten some interesting shots of buggies over the last 2-3 years.  Skip this page if that thought "bugs" you.  

Some kind of moth.

                                   A dragonfly with gorgeous, black, lacy wings!

Oddly enough, this is one of my favorite, non-flower, garden shots!  It's of two different kinds of pods, insect or spider on the left, and daylily on the right.
My caption for this is: "I see you hanging around here a lot...."

               
A butterfly,possibly a Monarch.  This was taken in 2012.  I don't recall any Monarchs in my gardens last year!  That is a bad sign.

OK, yes this is a buggy, but....
No, it isn't a buggy.  Exactly. 

It's the cast-off exoskeleton of a cicada!  

It was stuck onto that leaf, HARD, by the way, and I had no idea what this sucka was.  Posted it on Facebook, and an old school chum came to the rescue with the identification.  Apparently, these things are quiet in the soil (?) and come out as adults after several years.  Their adult life span must be pretty short.  I'm not sure what stage this is, if it shed this part for another form.  Looks like a hungry larva?



 
Still with me, after that? 

This strange spider has deelie-bobbers on its head!  And do I count seven legs?  Maybe the front two are put together, praying mantis style?  I'll probably never know....

                        


                             Another odd bug.

Yet another odd buggy!  The camera didn't capture it, but that green was luminescent!  

Hey!  How did he get into this?  
May I present, Mr. Leo Lovemuffin Ray.

Not a bug, but sometimes he bugs me.

And I usually have to chase him OUT of the gardens, when he gets into them!   In general, however, he truly is a Lovemuffin!  

Caterpillar "butt-shot".  At any moment, I expect this one to sit down with a hookah and start quoting Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland!  

  




One of my absolute favorite buggies, a Luna Moth!  Right or wrong, I like to think of these as good luck.  I certainly feel lucky when one of them graces me with its presence for a few hours.  

Bee on elecampane, a very tall plant.  The roots are supposedly medicinal, usable after three years' growth.  I can't recall what the medicinal application is.  But the honeybees like it! 

I get a lot of spiders, and for the most part, I leave them alone, as long as they stay outside of the house!  This li'l guy was just enjoying a sip of the morning dew.  Sometimes I find white ones that look similar, maybe a bit smaller.  Sometimes I find really BIG ones!  Still trying to find my favorite photos of those....

Froggie!  I rescued this fella from the cats, and set him up in his own little apartment (under a flower pot) with a pool! OK, the saucer-bottom of the flower pot, with water in it.  I don't think he liked it, because he abandoned it for the long trek to the pond.  Hope he made it all the way there alright! 

Another Spidey... mostly black.  I have no idea what kind of spider it is.

And HERE is the spider pic I was looking for: Argiope auranticum, sometimes called a "writing spider," because of the squiggly lines in its web.  The web fibers are quite thick, and you'll know if you've walked into one!  I spent the better part of a summer watching many of these ladies going about their work in the gardens.  Had a lot of them that year!  The male is colored and marked similarly, but yet differently, and is smaller, thinner.  Their egg sacs are like puff balls.  I thought I'd have a horrible infestation the following year, as I didn't get to the sacs to destroy them in time, in the spring.  However, the wind must have taken them far enough so they bothered someone else more than they bothered me.  They were quite fascinating -- did you notice the "Death's Head" or weird mask, on her back?  And these ladies  are quite BIG!!!

Mid-August, 2014

We're into Mid-August!

DIVERTISSMENT, by Hager, '90; Mid-Late; DOR DIP; Spider; 45" x 7"

MARQUE MOON, by Trimmer, '98;
Mid-Late; DOR TET; Fragrant;
24" x 5"
(I bought this one because one of its parents is "Admiral's Braid" and I've wanted that one for many years.  I have not seen it offered anywhere since I've been able to afford it, but this is lovely too!  Eventually, I'll get the whole family, LOL.)

AUGUST PICNIC,by Rood, T., 2009; Mid-Late; SEV TET; 28" x 5"

 HOLYROOD, by Lambert, '68;
 Early-Early; DOR DIP; 34" x 6"






(The one above polytepaled on its first bloom here, and in a pot at that!  The one below is a typical bloom.  I think they're both gorgeous!)

HORTENSIA, by Branch, '64; Mid; DOR DIP; Nocturnal; 34" x 5";  SSM winner, 1972

Below, is LITTLE TINKERBELL, by  Darrow.  This was not labeled as one of their VT series (unregistered) but probably should have been.  It does NOT match the correct Little Tinkerbell in any of the possible spellings.  However, it's a pretty little blossom, isn't it?! 

WITCHES BREW, by Couturier, '90; Mid; DOR DIP; Spider; 36" x 7"

PIPPIN (VT), by the Darrows, unregistered.

(Yes, it's in the LOTR garden!)








And, now for a few other plants flowering in the mid-August gardens:

Above and below, CLEOME. (Close up)

 

Above is some "Magic Fountains" DELPHINIUM. 

One of the Foxgloves I got from Graceful Gardens -- actually, all of the four above plants are from that very nice nursery!  They specialize in Delphiniums, but have many other lovely plants too.  I'm not sure what the name of this cultivar is, but I'm thinking it was something like "Silver Fox."  A good friend brought me a whiter foxglove from her garden, much whiter than this.  I'm so lucky!  The fairies will be dancing around these plants for years to come!



Done for another night!

Early August blooms, 2014

Several days in early August:

MIDNIGHT OASIS, by Sellers, 2000;
Midseason; EV TET; 30" x 7"

MINT ICE, by Roberts, '75; Mid; SEV DIP; Fragrant; 23" x 6.5"

ORANGE VOLS, by Kirby-Oakes, '81;
Mid; DOR TET; 24" x 7"

WINNING WAYS, by Wild, '63; Early Mid; DOR DIP; 32" x 6";   SSM, 1974
(Not a great shot, but immediately below is another, taken the next day.) 

BARBARY CORSAIR, by Hudson, E., '80
Mid; SEV DIP; 15" x 3"

(Quite small... but audacious!  I have it in the Pirate Garden, of course!)





And... speaking of the Pirate Garden, of course this one had to be put there!

BLACK PEARL, by Knower, '63; Mid; DOR DIP; 28"  x 2"

CATHERINE NEAL, by Carpenter, J., '81;
Very Late; DOR DIP; 30" x 6"

MUSIC MAN, by Wild, '71; Mid; DOR DIP; 30" x 7"

WILD HEART, by Wild, '64;
Mid-Late; DOR DIP; 24" x 6"
(I'll try to get a better photo of this one, this year, 2015.  It does look better than this!)

Two shots, above, of AUTUMN MINARET, by Stout, '51; Mid-Late; DOR DIP; Fragrant; 66" (height only given).  That's taller than I am!!!  Mine haven't grown to their full potential, as I haven't had them all that long, and they're likely to get moved to a better spot this summer.  It will be awhile yet, I think!

DOUBLE DRAGON, by Miles, J., '75;
Mid; DOR DIP; Double; 30" x 5"

FANTASY FINISH, by Morss, '87; Early; EV TET; 26" x 5"

 GIVE ME EIGHT, by Reinke, B.&J., '93;
Mid-Late; SEV TET (?); Fragrant; Polytepals 70%
48" x 8"
I have conflicting resources re ploidy, but where there are conversions, it's to be expected.  I'll have to experiment this summer to find out, unless I can find the auction info in the archives of my emails. THIS bloom did not polytepal, but 70% poly rate means there are 30% that don't.  There's another bloom behind it, so I'm not sure if there is an extra petal on this bloom, or if I'm just seeing another blossom. I can add another photo next year, when this one is more established.

GREEN EYES WINK, by Nolen, '82; Early Mid; DOR DIP; 22" x 3"
(You know that this went into the Harry Potter Garden!  OK, you know if you read the books....
By the way, even though it's an early-midseason bloomer, it was new this year.  When they're dug up someplace else, often a bit traumatized by division as well, then shipped, then sometimes made to wait before planting, etc. they aren't always on schedule for the first year -- or two!  This little guy seems like it will be a nice burst of color in late June/early July, as summer is getting ramped up.  Just needs some time to settle in!)

SILOAM MERLE KENT, by Henry, P., '84;
Mid; DOR DIP; 18" x 4"

FRANS HALS, by Flory, '55; Mid Late; DOR DIP; 24" (height only given)

GREEN GLITTER, by Harrison, '64;
Early Mid; SEV DIP; 31" x 7";  
Stout Silver Medal winner, 1977

NOSFERATU, by Hanson, C., '90; Mid; SEV TET; Fragrant; 26" x 6"
                          Nosferatu was new last year; it's bound to look far better in the future!

                   


 SCATTERBRAIN, by Joiner, '88; Mid; SEV DIP; Fragrant; Double; 32" x 6"

AAAAAaaannnnnd....
A lily of a different sort, a TIGER LILY!

This is a lilium lily (a true lily); it grows from a bulb, but spreads also by "bulbils," tiny, dark balls that grow along the plant's stem.  You can see a few in this photo -- the leaves have been chewed off by Lily Beetles, nasty bugs!  I believe the Tiger Lily is one of the Species lilies, that is, it's an original from the wild.  Nobody made it except Mom Nature! 

The LILLIUM lilies are true lilies, not to be confused with HEMEROCALLIS, the Daylilies I have dedicated this blog to.  I've tried growing regular lilies, but they don't seem to like it here (or the deer like them too much!) and out of several dozen, I have only a couple of hybrids left, plus these tigers. 

A lot of folks confuse the terms, and don't realize they are two different families of plants, though the Hemerocallis were once grouped in the same family as the true lilies, Liliadaceae.  Oh my, not sure if that's spelled right!  Modern taxonomists have restructured the naming system to something more botanically accurate, and Hemerocallidaceae (again, spelling?) is its own family.  So... NOT TO BE CONFUSED, right? 

The Lillium hybrids have many subdivisions, mainly Asiatics and Orientals, and some that are quite new to the scene, Orienpets.  I'm no expert on these, so won't go any further.  If my facts are in error, leave me a comment, and I'll be happy to change this to make it correct.  Other than spelling of the families, I *think* I have the rest right. 



************

And, moving on to AUGUST!

I might sneak in a few other plants that were starting to look good by August 2014, but most will be daylily photos taken in August.  I was just nosing around some older photo files (2012 and '13) and saw some that I don't think had their portraits taken in '14.  I might slip a few of those in later, but the color seems off on many of them.  We'll see.  
Over the years, I've also taken a lot of buggy pics that haven't made it into this blog, because this isn't a blog about bugs, LOL!  But they're kind of interesting, nevertheless.

AVA MICHELLE, by Flory, '60; Mid-Late; SEV DIP; 18" (height) - Stout Silver Medal, 1970

COMMON SENSE, by Yancey, '79;
Mid; DOR DIP; Double; 22" x 5".

I bought this one -- couldn't resist! -- as a response to all those who accuse me of having no common sense.  

See?  I do so!

CONDILLA, by Grooms, '77; Early Mid; DOR DIP; Double; 20" x 5"

CRAFTED BY HOBBITS, by Clement, 2008;
Early Mid; DOR TET; 36" x 7"

FOOLED ME, by Reilly-HEIN, '90; Early Mid; DOR TET; 24" x6"; Stout Silver Medal 2005

GENTLE SHEPHERD,by Yancey, '80;
Early Mid; SEV DIP; 29" x 5"

This is an FFO photo, that is to say, "First Flower Open," that starts off a cultivar's bloom time.  It's not a bad bloom, but Gentle Shepherd is usually much closer to white.  There are no true whites, true blacks, nor true blues, in daylily coloring.  There are "near whites," and Gentle Shepherd is one that gets pretty close -- maybe I should have waited. 

HOT TOWN (grouping) by Stevens, D., '82; Mid-Late; DOR TET; 28" x 5"

(Quick story: I had this in a very shady spot, for years!  It barely bloomed, but it survived. Finally, in late 2012, I moved it to a sunnier spot in the yard. In 2013, there was improved bloom, and as you can see, in 2014 it was blooming vigorously!  I have one cultivar (a near black) that is thriving in the shade, but most daylilies will sulk if not given enough sun.  They don't necessarily need full sun, but a pretty good amount of it.  OK, end of "quick story"!)

JO BARBRE,by Holman, '74; Mid;
SEV DIP; Double; 23" x 6"

(Obviously, this doesn't double every time; lots of doubles do not.  It does have a very pretty shape, whether doubled or not.)

PET LAMB, by Goddard, '87; Mid; DOR DIP; 30" (height only given)

(Yes, I used to have sheep! LONG ago, in a galaxy far, far away.....)

PUMPKIN TIME, by Sobek, '84;
Late; DOR DIP; 37" x 5"

This one is "growing" on me!  It's a terrific "SPLASH!" of color in the late summer/early fall garden, as it keeps on blooming for weeks.  One of its parents is the SSM winner, "Cartwheels."  I don't have that one.  (*yet*)

REAL WIND, by Wild, '77; Mid-Late; DOR TET; 27" x 7"

SHADY LADY, by Owen, '62;
Mid; DOR DIP; 34" (height only given)

 SILOAM CINDERELLA, by Henry, P., '79; Mid; DOR DIP; Fragrant; 18" x 4"




It occurs to me that, duplications aside, I seem to have taken mostly photos of yellow daylilies on the couple of days encompassing these.  Huh!  A lot of the late blooming daylilies are yellow, but then, there are many oranges and many reds, as well.  Few purples, "blacks," or "whites," but there is still a fair bit of intensity of color.  I'm also noticing certain cultivars missing from the albums -- could I have actually neglected photographing them?  Trust me, they will show up in this blog eventually!