Golden Garden Spider

A golden garden spider (argiope aurantia) drifts on a breeze-blown string, drops to the deck; a surprise too large to ignore.  

Legs, mostly black turn red near her egg-shaped body, golden yellow markings on her shiny black back, carapace covered in short, silvery hairs ... she holds herself motionless.  It is impossible to stop looking at her one-inch body and elegant legs. 

Soon, she climbs a strand of light, returns to her web under the leafy shadows.

Wisteria Blooms for the Second Time

 

 

Our wisteria vine has bloomed for the second time this summer.  It's never done that before.  I wonder why?

 

 

The bees are busy with the second chance at blossoms.  I am happy to see them together again.

 

Photos are copyright 2011-2013 Carol Steel

Wisteria Vine

Wisteria Vine

Our Chinese Wisteria vine is blooming.

So what?  Well…

They said it couldn’t flourish here in Zone 4.  They said it needs Zone 6 to thrive.  But here it is.  Chinese Wisteria, a three-year old plant growing on the pergola that shelters our back door.

They said it wouldn’t grow.  They said if it did grow, it wouldn’t bloom.  But, here it is.  Here it is with its sweet fragrance, twining its dark grey bark counter-clockwise around the vertical supports.  Here it is with its delicate oval leaves on waving stems 4 to 16 inches long.

We were surprised when we saw the tiny corn-on-the-cob shaped blossoms beginning.  Though we had hoped it would bloom, we didn’t think it would because all the experts said it couldn’t.  

What a delight to see the little cobs lengthen and turn purple-blue, to see tiny florets on a raceme!  And, not just one but many. There are more than a dozen stems with clusters of purple-blue flowers swaying in the spring breeze at our door.

Our Chinese Wisteria is blooming…so what? 

Well…it’s blooming, so there.

And...so there.

All photos are mine.

Signs of Autumn

Signs of Autumn

September ends.  This month flew by, full of warm fall days and cooler nights.  Leaves are changing colour as the gardens succumb to rest.  The hummingbird feeders are inside until next spring and the birdbath is seldom used anymore.

Wisteria leaves are starting to turn golden, then drop.  The red begonias are nearly done; another chilly night or two and they'll be gone.

Rose petals fall, making mulch-weeding a sweetly fragrant, almost pleasant chore.

After the wet summer we had, I am busier than usual outdoors catching up on gardening, readying for fall, thinking ahead to next spring and enjoying the balmy days, the ripened seeds and fruits, the perfect dream blue skies and refreshing promise of autumn in the air.