Walnut

 I was walking back from the wildflower garden with my hat on and my

head down and the rising sun in my eyes when BAP! I was bopped in the head.

When I looked around I was surprised to find it was "low hanging fruit" from

a walnut tree. 

The eastern black walnut  (Juglans nigra) is a flowering deciduous tree. The

wood is used for furniture and the nuts are valuable commercially. The nuts are 

picked by hand. About 65% of the annual wild walnut harvest occurs in Missouri 

where it is the state tree nut (1990). The nuts are used in ice cream, baked 

goods, and candies. The hard shell is used as a soft grit abrasive in metal cleaning

and polishing and in oil drilling. It is also used as a filler for dynamite. The dark

husk oils cause a pesky stain on your hands.

Polar Bear

My son Lee is visiting the gardens today.

He experienced high adventure on his 

Lorillard River canoe expedition this summer.

 I think it  can be said that it gets exciting when

a polar bear visits your camp. Lee can give us

the details sometime.

 

Hosta

 A few of the hostas are still blooming.

 

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle  Haliaeetus leucocephalus This eagle sat in a tree

off our deck in Estes Park. Looking north you can see Lake Estes

and the town in the background. 

Our eagle with Lumpy Ridge in the background. I couldn't get a closer image 

as I don't have a long lens.

Knockout Roses

Knockout Roses are still going strong in the circle in front of the house and 

are now over my head.

 

Box Turtle

Because the summer was so hot and dry we had many visitors from the woods.

I caught this turtle chewing on one of my Big Daddy Hostas.

 

Celosia

This is the season for celosia which is in the

Amaranth Family. Celosia is from the Greek for "burned"

referring to the flame-like flower heads. Often the flowers

are created by fasciation resulting in the name cockscomb

or rooster comb.

 

Bumble bee caught in a moment of nectar love.

 

Seed Pods Plus Bonus

These are the opened seed pods of the blackberry lily. You can understand the

derivation of the name. 

This is a walking stick on one of our Buddhist prayer flags.

Walking sticks (Phasmatodea or Phasmida) are common in

our woods. Their interesting behaviors include entering a 

motionless state that can be maintained for long periods.

They can perform a side to side swaying motion reflecting 

leaves and twigs in the breeze. Their mating behavior is

extraordinary because of the long duration of their coupling.

An Indian species had the world's outdoor coupling record 

of 79 days.

IMGP2851.JPG

 

Globe Amaranth Plus a Bonus

 Gomphrena globosa  These little purple balls are my second

favorite flower. They bloom for more than a month and the dried flower heads

will re-seed next year. My last flowers lasted almost 10 years but this is a new 

source group for the garden edge or a container.

 

 

Bonus: The praying mantis (Mantodea) is on one of my azalea bushes. It utilizes

camouflage for safety and for hunting. This flying insect is an ambush predator

which grasps its prey with spiked forelegs. It has been noted to have a natural 

rocking motion swaying from side to side which is of unknown significance.

Morning Glories and a Bonus

 Convolvulaceae  The flowers unfurl to bloom in the morning

and begin to fade as the edges begin to fold in. We did not 

have a good year for morning glories as they needed more water than we 

were able to provide.  

The edges are folding in.

Bonus: Jan found this magnificent butterfly just outside the window.

It looks like a Gray Pansy butterfly (Junonia atlites) but apparently they occur in southeast Asia. Any ideas?