“Yarden” of course, is a portmanteau coined by Agnes Plutino of Georgetown, TX, for describing her yard/garden. The term portmanteau was coined by Lewis Carroll (pseudonym for Charles L. Dodgson) in the classic Alice Through The Looking Glass (1871).

From July 1st, three blooms of Ipomoea cordatotriloba  var. cordatotriloba provide a wakeup call for the month, while a hummingbird mimic bee or moth (Hemaris sp.)  photobombs a shot of a Helianthus maximiliani  Maximilian Sunflower.

July 3rd: Caught the State Grass of Texas Bouteloua curtipendula (Side oats grama) in bloom on a volunteer in the backyard; the Clematis pitcheri (Purple leatherflower) was happily blooming while climbing a Diospyros texana (Texas persimmon), the Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly milkweed) and a Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) was sipping on a Gregg’s mistflower (Conoclinium greggii). Finally, a look at the backyard, facing Northwest, showing the Mealy blue sage (Salvia farinacea) on either side.

On July 6th, went for a walk in the woods, but did manage to catch a Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) looking somewhat faded, on the Gregg’s mistflowers. (looking very faded, but still getting a pheromone boost from the mistflower nectar).

Danaus-plexippus (Monarch)

Saw another one July 12, and most recently, the first week in August.

Which tells me that even though this blog entry is not really finished, we must be moving on. Ruellia nudiflora and Passiflora incarnata  have been very weedy this summer, and it has been all one could do to keep them from overwhelming everything nearby.

And so it goes…

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