Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Royalty in the Garden


One would have to go a long way to top the brilliant colors of the palette on display this morning. Red, purple, orange and gold go perfectly together at any time of the year, but especially in shaggy, flowering July.

When a newborn Monarch alighted on the crown of a purple coneflower around the corner a few days ago, it was cause for celebration, for singing, cavorting in the greenery and general silliness. Come to think of it, the "Susies" in the background are sometimes called coneflowers too (although they are another species altogether).

How on earth can one describe something so vibrant, so breathtakingly perfect? Butterfly, blooms and summer garden say it all, and no words are needed from this old hen. Such images will linger in memory long after northern days grow very short indeed, and the south corner of the garden is buried in snow.

I heard the first cicada yesterday morning. Just one, but hallelujah, my favorite bugs are back and tuning their tymbals for some fine summer singing.