Triumphs and Tragedies

I'm leaving on a trip this week so this is one last look at the garden before I go.  Thankfully my partner Jody will be at home to manage the cats and water my plants while I'm gone but it pains me that I will miss those first ripening tomatoes.  So let's take a walk and see what's up and what's down and dream about what we can look forward to when I come back.

Triumphs
The garden is attracting more and more wildlife each day.  It is such a treat to see new insects and wildlife and know that they are here because we allowed the weeds to grow and planted new vegetation for them to thrive in.

A pair of grey partridge arrived on the scene last week.

Waltzing through the orchard and into my flower bed.  After searching on the internet I found that these birds are not native but rather were imported to the island in the 1920's for hunting.  Apparently sportsmen travelled here strictly to hunt partridge.  Today a small population has survived and here they are in my garden.  The downside was we had to chase them away as the feline hunters in our house decided wild chicken would make a perfect addition to the dinner menu.

Another recent sighting was this butterfly.

A group of these butterflies have been making themselves at home in my 'herb garden'.  I use the term herb garden quite loosely as the area, along with herbs, contains peppers and beans and a whole lot of weeds. After many tries I finally snapped a couple shots of these winged beauties and was able to search for them on the internet.  It turns out they are a native butterfly called a Common Wood Nymph.  PEI is the furthest north they are found.  They feed on butterfly weed, thistles, red clover and black eyed susans.  I guess we can add oregano to that list because that seems to be where they constantly hover in my garden.

Tragically none of the tomatoes have ripened yet which is frustrating as I expect they will ripen while I'm away.  Jody has promised they won't go to waste but I'll miss seeing them turn from green to red (or yellow or purple as the case may be).  Another issue, I found these tomatoes in the garden this week.

Only one variety, German Gold, has been affected which is good but this is rather frustrating just the same.  I think it may just be cracking as we've had awful dry weather for some time now and then a sudden rain.  I hope this isn't a trend though.

Elsewhere in the veggie garden the zucchini plants are puking out zucchini's as fast as I can blink.  I knew it was a mistake when I did it but it's been hardwired into my brain now - no planting more than one zucchini plant per year!

Garlic has been pulled and hung out to dry.  The leaves had begun to yellow and wither so it was time to pull up and dust them off.  It looks like we'll have more than enough to last us through the winter yet again.

I checked the cucumbers this evening and what did I find - Triumph!  Hiding under those big leaves was this beauty.

My very first cucumber ever.  And boy it was tasty.

We've also had some tragedy and triumph in the feline world.  Funnyface has been limping around and losing weight over the past month or so and we've been quite worried about him.  Attempts to catch him and take him for treatment were unsuccessful until this last week.

Although he looks sweet, he is at heart a feral kitty.  Putting him in a carrier is a not a battle for the faint of heart.  I have puncture wounds on my arm.  The good news is no terminal illnesses were found.  Because it is so difficult to trap the feral cats (not to mention traumatic for them) and bring them to a vet they have not had vaccinations so serious illness was a real concern.  An examination revealed he has an infection on his paws that is causing some discomfort so we're giving him antibiotics now and hopefully that will fix any issues he is having.

Another triumph - we're having puppies!  well not those kind of puppies, the cats wouldn't approve.

I did my rounds of watering houseplants and found little green shoots coming up around the aloe plant.  I'm going to have to do some transplanting of these pups into their own pots when I get back home.

In the flower garden a new wave of blooms has swept in.  The late summer flowers are beginning to strut their stuff telling us the end is near.  Echinacea, rudbeckia, hydrangea, dahlias and sea holly all mark the last half of summer in my garden.

Pow Wow White Echinacea

Ruby Star Echinacea

The Rudbeckia laciniata 'Golden Glow' has reached tremendous heights this year.

I stand 5 foot 6 inches and this plant is towering over my head.  I purchased some extra staking for the rudbeckia this year which has helped keep it upright but the storms of August are looming near and I had to take a picture before it inevitably gets knocked to the ground.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer wherever they may be and I look forward to visiting all of your blogs on my return.