Welcome to another Friday where we join our fur-iends and Nature Friday hosts, Rosy and her brothers from LLB in Our Backyard. I hate to sound like a broken record, but it’s [still] hot in the Mile High. A small shower with more thunder and lightning than rain blew through Wednesday evening which did help cool things down. The dogs have decided they are not fans of thunderstorms which is strange since nothing used to bother Sam but in his golden years, has become visibly distressed the moment he hears any thunder. This storm was a loud one so he was most verklempt.
Sun and heat loving perennials continue to take center stage around the hood. Come along one of my early morning walks where I came across an enormous trumpet vine that had fully covered an entire utility pole. Passing by, it was literally abuzz with bees and wasps enjoying the sweet nectar so I had to stay a comfortable distance away from them but I still just had to stop and take it all in.
For some reason, the sunflowers have been very prolific this summer, popping up across gardens throughout the neighborhood. My own garden is being taken over by them. It’ll be an interesting fight between the Lupines and the Sunflowers to see who takes over. I’m hoping they can learn to share the space since both are so pretty.
Continuing along on the walk, I came across a beautiful, deep red Rose of Sharon shrub who was showing off. Such a pretty plant, but quite toxic to pets. The spent blooms are especially enticing to dogs so care should be exercised when incorporating this beauty in the garden landscape.
Maybe Mother Nature’s way to warn us of its toxicity are the spikes surrounding the closed bud?
One of the neighbors whose garden I enjoy walking past recently installed a new glass ornament with its whimsical look made me smile.
That’s about it for me. Tomorrow Sam and I will be attending the annual awards luncheon for pet therapy members and their dogs. It’ll be nice seeing the gang again since we’ve been absent this summer after Sam’s illness and recovery during June and July. I’m looking forward to meeting the newest members who have joined our ranks and for celebrating some of the program’s superstars. Are you doing anything fun this weekend? Whatever you have planned, I hope it’s a ‘pawsome’ weekend.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Pee S: THE Bee on Sunflower photoe iss gorgeous!
Thanks, we got lucky there. 🙂
Mew mew mew mee knowss THAT werd!! Ferklempt!!! LadyMew usess it all THE time!!! Shee sayss sum peepull inn here are FERKLEMPT an Sonofa….ummm nevurr mind….
Wee had a terrifick funderstorm a week ago Caturday! Oh mee CAT Miss Monika mee was so scareydcat mee went UTB!!!
LadyMew came inn-to bedroom an sang to mee till mee came out from under THE bed!! THE lightnin was PINK! LadyMew said it iss THE hottest lighthin on THE planet…..it sure looked ***hot***!
Sam come on over an hang out with mee under mee bed anytime OKay??? Bring Elsa too!
***purrsss*** BellaDharma
Under the bed sounds like the best place to be in a thunderstorm!
Very pretty flowers. That flamingo is awesome!
Thanks. I thought that flamingo was adorable.
Absolutely beautiful photos! I LOVE that flamingo glass ornament! I have to agree, it’s been so, so hot. I’m sure when the snow is piling up, I’ll be longing for summer again, but seriously, it has been an oppressively hot summer! Enjoy those beautiful flowers!
Beautiful flowers, and I love the pink flamingo! It’s much classier than all the plastic ones you see around. 🙂
It really was a pretty lawn ornament.
Flowers and the glass “Swan”are lovely. and the Trumpet Vine was really interesting. The Rose of Sharon I believe are Hibiscus and yes, are toxic to dogs. I would love to have them, but have to consider Benji. At the moment it is cold here and we have been having rain from time to time. Our Church Maintenance person has been unable cope with the explosion of weeds in the property, so we are looking at quotes from professional people to have it cleared.
Oh what I’d give for some rain here which is really (at this point) mostly weed fertilizer because everything is so dry but at least it would be somewhat of a respite from the unrelenting heat. I still may plant a hedge of the hibiscus on the north-east boundary line between my house and the neighbors. The dogs don’t hang out there and it’d be such a nice wind break and shaded spot.
lots of beautiful flowers! We are trying to get things done around our yard as we are heading up north end of next week to visit our daughter
How nice you can schedule a visit. The pups should have a great time. Don’t work too hard. 🙂
Monika, there’s so much to love in this post…the sunflowers, beautiful yellow trumpet flowers and the glass flamingo sculpture. Looks like you had a great walk.
Hope you have a fabulous weekend. I actually managed to get Lady out for a walk along the beach today, which she loved. It was quite balmy today, although the Winter weather returns on Monday. A friend of mine has spend 3 months in Europe and he returns to cool and overcast on Tuesday. I’ll blame him for the drop in the weather, although that’s more the norm for this time of year and Geoff was rather alarmed with today’s heat.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Thanks, Rowena. It’s hot, hot, hot here (97F forecast for this afternoon) and these sun-loving plants are in heaven. I especially loved the yellow trumpet vines-usually they’re orange so this was a nice change. We’ve been doing our walks so early, it’s still a bit dark to avoid the heat. I’ll be closing up the house and turning the air cooler on shortly so the pups can snooze in temperate bliss. Have a super week!
What a lollapalooza of color! I bet the bees are in heaven.
They were quite chubby from pollen, that’s for sure.
Awesome flower pics…be sure to take lots of snaps of Sam’s cute fur-iends at the luncheon!
Thanks. I’m sure there will be lots of photos. 😇
We have only seen orange trumpet vine flowers. The yellow ones are so pretty! Love all of your beautiful flowers!
Why thank you. Yes, I thought the yellow was really striking, too.
Love how you captured the bee on the Sunflower! I am ready to go visit the Sunflower Fields close to us again! A beautiful Rose of Sharon too!
Enjoy your weekend, sounds fun!
Enjoy your summer weekend as well.
Thanks! Will do:) Not much planned but that can be nice sometimes! My daughter and I may just have a Netflix marathon.LOL!
Sounds like a ‘pawfect’ kind of weekend!
Yup! And my husband made omelets this morning. 🙂
👍🏻 Great way to start it out!
You have some fabulous blooms there!
Thanks, this has been a good year for gardens despite the heat.
My brother will be going home tomorrow after spending ten days with us. While hubby and I will miss him, Ducky will be happy to have things back to normal. Though I must say she’s been much less stressed by his visit this time.
So glad that Sam is feeling better now!!
She’s making nice progress. #sweetducky
Having just gotten back from our road trip, most of our weekend will be taken up by chores. Yuck. But that garden won’t tend itself, the hot tub won’t clean itself and it’s a puzzle how a house closed up tightly can still get dusty. It’s still hot here, too, mostly hovering in the mid to high 90s but summer seems to be passing too quickly so I’m savoring each warm day, each cold beer and all the sunshine. Have a good one!
Cold beer has been the one saving part to this summer. Don’t work too hard.
Your sunflowers are prolific??? That means plenty of sunflower seeds. Send me your address and I’ll be right over to take care of your excess of sunflower seeds problem.
You’d be in paradise, Kismet. 🌻
We are fans of sunflowers and are rooting for them in your yard. Years ago my grandson brought a sunflower seedling home from kindergarten planting. We have had sunflowers every year since then. A dumb but beautiful flower.
They sure are happy looking. To think mine came from a single volunteer that blew in last year just blows me away.
You have to know what kind of plants are near our babies and make sure they don’t get a chance to ingest any. I know we were ever so careful.
Have a fabulous Nature Friday and weekend. ♥
I never would have known had a friend not told me about her little Westie getting very sick after eating some of the blooms. Have a great weekend-hope you are able to get some boating time in.
We are heading out on a cruise shortly. Happy weekend. 🙂
Here’s to smooth sailing ⛵️
Those Rose of Sharon blooms are spectacular. My aesthetician has two huge ones that are showing off big time. Sunflowers always make me smile and those trumpets are fabulous!
Have a fabulous weekend, Monika.
Right back atcha on a fabulous weekend. The red ones are so spectacular, I couldn’t resist sharing them. So pretty and yet deadly to pets.
Thanks!
They are! She has red, fuschia and pale pink.
Scary they are deadly to pets…
Most of those hardy hibiscus around my ‘hood are the pale pink variety so whenever I see a red one, I practically go into a trance ooh-ing and ah-ing over them.
Sweet 😉
This wekend, like last weekend, the car is in the garage for major work….so, of course, we now want to go out!
I’ll be content with those gorgeous photographs you put up instead….while awaiting the heart attack that the bill will no doubt produce…
It always seems to be that way (just like you always want to do something that requires electricity in a power cut). Will keep my fingers crossed the bill isn’t too illness inducing.
Total engine rebuild! And ince it had started I saw a car for sale….
Oh no. That’s no good.
I love nature’s musical instruments. The trumpets with their high notes and the Sunflowers with their baritone signature while the red Rose of Sharon supplies the mesmerizing ebbs and flow.
Whoa…look at you, you silver tongued devil! Exquisite and ever so descriptive prose.
I can’t help it, you snapped up a concert on your walk. 🙂
🎷🎼🎺
Emojine Coconuts! You’ve got emoji superpowers, I tell you what. 😉
I subscribe to the Buddah’s thoughts. One picture worth 10,000 words. 🙏🏼
Buddha knows. Always. 🙏🏼
Ommmmmm.
Ommmmmm.
we called those mallow plants in MD, didn’t know they were toxic but they died in my yard anyway! What astounding photos! We had pouring rain here but it’s not cooler, just more humid… ack. The trumpet vine is lush! So many pretty blooms, and riot of colors!
Like other members of the hibiscus family, Rose of Sharon are quite toxic to pets. For some reason, dogs are especially drawn to the blooms. The deep red ones are so showy though.
I wish everything bad for us had spikes. It IS strange that Sam’s suddenly become afraid of storms. Is he feeding off of Elsa?
No, she isn’t nearly as upset by thunderstorms as he is. But she’s starting to mirror him more and more.
Oh no! I’m sure you’ve tried the CBD oil…is it not helping?
I have, but CBD is best administered about 20 minutes before a storm starts. By the time they start booming, it’s mostly too late given that they tend to move through in 20-30 minutes, some times less. Timing is everything.
Oh, I didn’t know that.
Yeah it’s much more effective when administered at least 20 minutes in advance of fireworks and thunderstorms. Which makes it hard when storms roll through unexpectedly.
That flamingo looks like a cross section of the esophagus and stomach. Maybe I’m watching too many heartburn medicine commercials…
No doubt, subliminal advertising is front and center.
the trumpet vine is just great!!!
It’s a monster but very pretty.
Those spiked things look unusual. What are they?
Part of the budding process. They aren’t stiff or painful to touch, but just look it. I’m thinking it’s Mother Nature’s way of a warning. Those flowers are very enticing to dogs in particular and can make a pup literally sicker than a dog. Smaller dogs are at even a greater risk.
Thanks.