This week in the garden - #78

Rain! Lovely rain at last.

Not only have we had rain today but it looks like we have a rainy weekend ahead of us. As far as I am concerned, that is the perfect kind of weekend for this time.

And, to make matters even more perfect, in addition to looking like a wet weekend ahead, it is the weekend when we finally get to say a formal goodbye to summer, for on Sunday afternoon at 3:44 P.M. Central Time, the Autumnal Equinox occurs and fall will have officially arrived.

Earlier this week, Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, we got to enjoy the beautiful Harvest Moon, which is the full moon that occurs closest to the time of the Autumnal Equinox.

So, all in all, we've had several days of happy events in the garden this week, even as the plants themselves begin to wind down and show the effects of the stress of the long, hot, and dry summer.

*~*~*~*

One of my Esperanzas, the one planted next to the inner southwest corner of the house, has grown to gigantic proportions this summer and it is full of its yellow bell blooms.

 Butterflies have been a little more apparent in the garden this week. I've seen a couple of migrating Monarchs and a couple of Pipevine Swallowtails, as well as the usual Gulf Fritillaries. And then there was this Giant Swallowtail visiting the Texas 'Silverado' sage. There were also lots of the smaller butterflies, like skippers, around.

 This celosia has been a consistent bloomer all summer.

The cardinal flowers have had buds for quite some time but finally this week some of those buds started opening.

But my favorite blooms of the week came from the butterfly gingers. They are fragile and fragrant and the individual flowers don't last for long, but while they last, they are glorious.

I hope your week in the garden has gone well and that your weekend will be everything you hope for.

Happy gardening and happy autumn!