GARDEN SNAPSHOTS

 This is all that is left from the old Ashcraft farmstead weathervane so Jack mounted it up on our garden arbor. It now looks over a very different landscape than the wheat covered plains of South Dakota! 

 The Grandpa Otis morning glories are going strong...they're the volunteers from last year's planting. Once you have 'em, you have 'em everywhere!  

 Grow it and they will come? This is a close up of milkweed pods. My neighbor has a yard full of milkweed to attract the Monarch butterflies and many plants have now grown under my fence due to their invasive roots. The funny thing is that I've never ever seen a Monarch in the Rogue Valley in the 43 years that I've lived here. Lots of Swallowtails and Viceroy butterflies but nary a Monarch.

And to quote the famous song "At Last!" I've finally had a Heavenly Blue morning glory vine burst forth...been trying for 3 years to get them to survive and bloom.
Snapped this shot before the skies turned brown with forest fire smoke. Looks like we're in for a smoky rest of the summer thanks to 27 wildfires burning now (all lightening caused) and more lightening promised this week.