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 late in shaggy, flowering July. Is it just me, or is this rainforest summer moving along way too fast?

When a newborn Monarch alighted on the crown of a purple coneflower in the garden 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. The images will linger in memory long after northern days grow very short, and the south corner of the garden is buried in snow.

After a slow start, cicadas are back and singing their hearts out (or rather vibrating their tummies musically). Hallelujah, my favorite summer symphony!