Time flies, and before we know it September is more than half over and autumn is upon us. I admit I have been woefully neglectful about blogging this summer. I do hope you enjoy these glimpses of August.

I don’t like to play favorites and, in all honesty, I don’t think I could pick one flower that I like better than all others, but I do love hibiscus flowers.

They usually begin blooming in early August and continue to blossom well into September.

Pictures of these flowers are scattered throughout this post.

The plant in the above photo is one that started as a volunteer from seed from one of our original plants.

This plant in the above photo is the one I refer to as Mom’s hibiscus. I bought and planted it several years ago in honor my Mom’s birthday which is August 10th. It did not bloom that year.

The following year, and each year since, it begins blooming on or around August 10. This year it has been blooming for well over a month.

The Rose of Sharon are also a variety of hibiscas.

We have two varieties of Rose of Sharon.

It’s looking like we may have a decent grape crop this year.

The chickens have not managed to get them all yet.

(Note: the above pictures are from August. We have harvested some grapes this week and I’m making grape juice and jelly.)

Sun flowers are another flower that I love. This mammoth sunflower above grew as a volunterr in the middle of our squash patch.

Wildflowers

Goldenrod is beginning to bloom and while it would be near the top of my list of favorites, the bees are all over it.

These roses have blossomed continually throughout the summer.

One of my goals for the last week of August was getting the garlic cleaned.

I had about 300 bulbs to clip and clean so I spent a couple hours on Thursday and a couple hours on Friday cleaning garlic. I sat at the picnic table in the shade of the large oak tree and below are some of the views I enjoyed while I worked.

Chickens foraging in the area.

Blue skies littered with fluffy white clouds and dancing sunflowers.

Lush greenery and the windmill catching an occasional breeze.

Ranger hung out with me for a while.

While I was cleaning garlic my husband was cutting cattails and phragmites in the pond.

When he was finished, he brought me this red-winged black bird’s nest. It was still attached to a cattail that he had cut. Nesting season was over and I’m sure they will build new nests next year, so no harm was done.

Thanks for visiting.