Well, here we are on another Friday where we join our pals from Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly blog hop. Please hop on over at the link to see what others have posted.
Today is July 4th in the US (well, technically it’s July 4th everywhere but it is a big deal holiday here in the US…but I digress). Wilson here. We were out walking in the early morning hours yesterday and came upon a new inflatable {insert rolling eyes here} at a house we walk past every day. I swear they must have a couple dozen of these things. May I should peek through the fence posts to see if there’s a huge shed to store them all. All I can say is “PSST.” Even if I posed nicely in front of them. I personally think they’re weird. But to each his own, eh?
The weather continues to be ungodly hot, as in pizza oven hot. Very dry with super low humidity so I’m guessing our friends in the Midwest and East Coast likely don’t have much sympathy for us. Enough of my kvetching…let’s get this show started, shall we? Oh Mumm…
The Mum: Good morning, House Pony. I see you decided to use the latest inflatable we saw yesterday to open our post. I’m just blown away by the number of inflatables that family has. All the holidays and even some special occasions-it’s hard to comprehend all of them.
Wilson: It’s a mystery for sure, but let’s stop talking about those fools guys and instead, share some of the beautiful flowers I found this week.
The Mum: O-kay. What do you have to start out today’s post? Got anything special you want to share?
Wilson: Well, I’m rather chuffed about a couple of today’s flowers that are rather unusual. Like this Greater Masterwort that our neighbor recently planted. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. And listen to some of the attributes this plant has. First, it’s a perennial with an erect and glabrous stem, with little branches but few leaves. The small flowers are typically greenish-white with reddish shades. They typically flower from June through September, and they’re native to southern Europe. It’s been in the British Isles since the 16th century. Apparently it’s quite common in mountain meadows and grasslands, in forests and clearings, and close to streams, anywhere the altitude is above sea level. It likes partial shade apparently with moist conditions so we both know it likely wouldn’t survive in our garden.
The Mum: Is that some sort of a dig at me because I avoid plants that need a lot of supplemental watering like the plague?
Wilson: Umm, nope, there’s nothing subtle about it, Mum. You only plant flowers that will withstand very arid conditions once they’ve established themselves. Now here’s a plant that will work well for you in our garden…Gaillardia, commonly known as blanket flower or Indian blanket is a native wildflower to North and South America where they often naturalize in prairies, plains and open areas. Named after Maître Gaillard de Charentonneau, an 18th-century French magistrate who was quite an enthusiastic botanist. They’re a cheerful lot, aren’t they?
The Mum: I do like those and am always amused when they suddenly appear in the garden without my planting them. Those little globe seed heads are chock full of potential new plants and they remind me of dandelions in that their ability to readily propagate around the neighborhood are quite remarkable.
Wilson: Their flowers kind of remind me of these orangey Rudbeckia, commonly called Black Eyed Susan’s. It’s another member of the Asteraceae family. These native North America perennials bloom from mid through late summer and are sometimes called coneflowers. They are deer and rabbit resistant. They grow in both damp woodlands and dry prairies, indicating they are most adaptable. They’re perfect for you, Mum.
The Mum: Yes, I do like them, and they have a range of colors from yellow and orange flowers as well as some varieties that bloom in multiple colors with dark brown or black centers. There are even some that come in red, bronze and even bi-colored shades.
Wilson: They’re a very good looking plant.But so are these, Mum. Anemones enjoy a nice shady spot in a woodland garden and come in multiple colors. 
The Mum: Those are really beautiful. And I like this red Monarda you found. ‘Bee balm’ is quite popular with butterflies and other pollinators. This specimen was beginning to get a little past its prime but the color was still so striking, I couldn’t resist taking a pic of it.
Wilson: And finally I found some blooming bellflowers on our walk earlier this week. Look how pretty it is. “Campanula” is considered another wildflower and can be found across the Northern Hemisphere, the Mediterranean, and its range even extends into mountains in tropical regions of Asia and Africa. A delicate perennial with graceful, slender stems, usually in clusters, rising in height from 4-15 in. The stems can be weak which causes the thing to bend over. Its rounded leaves wither early while the narrow, stem leaves remain. Blue-violet bell-shaped flowers hang singly or in clusters. Those bell-shaped flowers are borne in loose clusters at the tips and may come in a variety of colors from pale pink and light blue to deep violet-blue and pure white.
The Mum: This was quite the find since I’ve only ever seen the purple/blue variety around the neighborhood. I loved the pale pink/white and will have to look for one at a garden center for future inclusion in our garden.
Wilson: Finally, because I know you love Swallowtail butterflies so much, here’s another one that followed us along our early morning walk. He sure was beautiful, Mum and looked so cool flitting around on the summer breeze.
The Mum: You’re right, I do like watching them. They seem to take all your worries away. Well that’s it for us this week. We hope you all have a terrific weekend. Stay cool (if that’s possible) and stay hydrated. And above all, have a safe holiday.
Happy Beelated 4th of July Wilson an Miss Monika! Somehow wee missed this post. Wee are furry sorry….. Wee hope you had a guud day!
All THE Flowoerss are furry purrty! You have a lovelee nayburrhood.
**nose ksisess** BellaDharma an ((hugss)) BellaSita Mum
Not to worry. It was just another day, only noisy from all the fireworks. 😉
So glad you liked the flowers.
Same here fore Catnada Day…just a quiet day til it got furry noisy at dark time. At leest they only lasted 15 minutess 😉
Lucky you. We’re on day 4 of boomers. Two went off at 1:15 AM this morning. Ugh.
Wee sorry you still have firewerkss goin off. Wee had a few end of June an then July 1st an it has been quiet since. Pawlice cracked down on peeps shootin them off this yeer!
Your nature is beautiful. Styx would want to eat a lot of it. The River Cats, Tigris and Styx
Thanks so much for your kind comment. And thank you for swinging by the Ranch-we 🩵 visitors.
What a colorful flower selection this week, and the swallowtail is just beautiful!!!
xoxo,
Rosy & Sunny
Thanks guys. Mum gets all swoony whenever she sees them. Have a wagnificant rest of the weekend.
Sorry I’m late getting here, but the Z Kids kept me hopping yesterday.
I love all the flowers! And the butterflies! But your neighbor can keep his ridiculous inflatables. (It must be nice to have the money to spend on junk!)
Thanks. It was nice being able to share some flowers a little different than the usual fare. Yeah, I just don’t get it on the inflatables. And we’ll likely see more of them in the last half of the year with the holidays. Oh lord, save me now. Hope you guys survived the ‘Night of the Boomers’ well. Have a great weekend.
Wonderful flowers … (maybe if the tariffs are high enough no more inflatables will float over from China … one can hope) …
Thanks, Ann and June. We love seeing nw blooms around the ‘Hood and it’s fun to share them. {Snicker} Ok, your tariff comment made me laugh out loud. Maybe we should call them the big, beautiful tariffs if they keep so much silly stuff out from reaching our shores? 😈
Mother Nature sure has sprinkled her beauty everywhere around you! Love the flowers – we have a few in pots on our front porch but none in the yard – too much for Mom to keep up with!! We hope your holiday was NOT noisy – ours was WAY WAY WAY noisy. Today is “Catch Up On Sleep” day! HAHAHA
Hugs, Teddy and Mom Pam
Aww, you’re too kind. It was nice finding some new blooms for a change. When it’s as hot as it’s been, I find I’m swearing at having to water the potted things multiple times a day. I’m in the process of switching out my clay pots for glazed ones since the clay dry out too quickly. My back is not suited to hauling buckets of water multiple times a day. 😉 Enjoy your naps-it was super loud last night…made me want to walk around at 5:45 AM this morning banging garbage can lids for all those inconsiderate peeps who kept us awake last night. 😈
Many thanks, Ellen. Hope you have a safe weekend.
Such pretty flowers!! Your Fourth of July picture is great, Wilson, I sure hope that family does;t have to blow up those inflatables by their own breaths, BOL! We envy your dry heat…we might see temps in the 90’s tomorrow…the poor peeps who have to be at the local Field of Flight, our annual air show and balloon competition…including those noisy fireworks, twice in the 5 day event. Blah!
(we used to get free tickets to that, when hubby was the guy who did all the detour issues for traffic control, but since he’s retired we don’t get them anymore. sometimes we wouldn’t even use them at all if the weather was like this weekend’s. Or rainy…but it was kind of fun, if you brought your earplugs along. I would now only considering dealing with the crowds and noise now, if the Canadian Snowbirds were there, or the Blue Angels. Mostly it’s the Thunderbirds.
Thanks. We were just outside making a potty run, it’s noisy as all get out with loud boomers all over. This despite the fact that they are illegal in the city. 😳 I hate the 4th of July. So far, Wilson hasn’t exhibited stress but I can tell he’s no fan. I can’t even imagine what military veterans go through with this noise.
If it makes you feel better, it’ll be in the 90’s here tomorrow (only upper 88’s today with some uncharacteristic humidity. I think about 27 drops of rain fell. Hope you have a safe holiday weekend.
Beautiful blooms. Happy 4th!
You have beautiful flowers, even in the extreme heat.
Thank you. Some plants thrive in the heat. Nature is funny like that.
Man, there’s something to be said for plants that don’t need lots of watering. They seem to really show out in spite of what us humans would think are impossible conditions. Hell, I wish I didn’t need as much watering as I do this time of year! But alas, that just ain’t the case.
Stay away from those bees Wilson. And mama, enjoy the holiday weekend.
When you live in a mountain desert, water becomes a critical component of a garden. And water ain’t getting cheaper or more plentiful.
I fear the future.
Amen, brother.
I hope you two have a fun holiday! Happy Independence Day from all of us!
Thanks. Hope your howliday is safe.
Thank you for sharing these lovely flowers with us sweet Wilson and a happy 4th to you both! 🥰❤️🐾 xxx
Awww, you’re too kind, thank you for such a sweet comment.
Gorgeous flowers! Thanks for sharing@
Many thanks, Pit. We like to keep our eyes open for unusual flowers when walking around our neighborhood. Have a good holiday weekend.
Hope you are having a peaceful 4th… I know those firework maniacs can get on your nerves. 🙁
btw, the Campanula in your photo is Platycodon grandiflorus, Balloon flower, which is similar to bellflower and comes in the same colors. Just in case you go to the nursery, you’ll get the same plant. 🙂
Hope your weather gets a bit milder. Today is beautiful here, idyllic, really… I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. 😉
It’s bad enough on the 4th…if only it was a one and done celebration. Thanks for the clarification on the balloon flower. I went by the identifier on my phone. Grrr. And people wonder why I’m distrustful about AI. LOL We’ve begun the dog days of summer so there’s little likelihood of any respite. We just have to be patient. At least we don’t have the humidity folks have back east or in the Midwest. Have a fur-tastic howliday.
Another terrific tour, Monika and Wilson. I have to say Wilson knows his stuff and he seems to find the most exotic blooms to discuss. Happy Fourth to both of you.
Why thank you, John. I’ve told him he has to do his homework, otherwise no squirrels will bug him. That got him to stand up straight! We hope your ‘howliday’ weekend is fun but safe.
Happy 4th to you all! We are having a perfect weather day here in southeastern PA. It’s such an anomaly this year that I will hate to see the sun set.
Glad to hear the weather is cooperating. Enjoy it and have a wonderful holiday weekend.
Safe and sane holiday to you too,
Hope springs eternal.
great to see so many flowers growing around you…. not as many here but I am hoping the mexican daisy like one will blow in! we’ve been watering 2 times a day with this intense sun and heat and nary a rose on the bush but hope springs eternal
Thanks! We are big fans of the unusual flower and try to keep our eyes open for them on our walks, especially when they can live in our water restricted garden. Unless they can thrive in a desert, we’ll just look from afar. The water department is telling us a 10-15 minute shower with some time to allow it to sink in and then another one does a better job on supplemental waterings. They say there’s no point letting that water pool up on the surface (aka clay soil) and we’ve been giving it a shot. More work for me but if it means a bit of savings on the ole water bill…so be it. Have a safe holiday weekend. I for one will be grateful when it’s over. Hoping the Mexican Hat coneflowers make a stop in your hood.
Java Bean: “Happy Independence Day! We hope it is a quiet one!”
Lulu: “It was pretty noisy here, but between my Sileo and my Mutt Muffs, I still got a good night’s sleep …”
Good for you, Lulu and know we’ve got our paws crossed for a reasonably quite Friday (though Mum is just shaking her head like she ‘knows’ it won’t be. A guy can hope, right? Stay safe; we need to look for some noise cancellation headphones!
What beautiful flowers! For some reason, BeeBalm doesn’t seem to like my garden and won’t stay. Happy Independence Day!
Thanks so much, Duke. I’ve had issues with Bee Balm in my garden too but probably didn’t give it enough water. Maybe we’ll try it again-I sure liked that deep red color. Heck it’d make we swoon like the rest of the pollinators. Have a safe holiday and stay cool.
we love the butterfly!!! and we wish you a good independence day..
Thanks Weim Boys. It seems like we’ve had tons of those Swallowtail butterflies this summer. Which is just fine with the Mum-she could watch those things for hours. Me, I’m all about the squirrels.
Your friend,
Wilson 🐾
♫♪Happy Birthday, America.♪♫
Thanks, Sandee. We hope you have a terrific howliday weekend.
Good job, Wilson and Mum. Great pictures and interesting information.We have a mix of durable and needy plants in our yard.
Thanks, Dan. You had us at ‘durable’ since life in our garden is tenuous at best because Mum is so stingy with water. 😉 Have a wagnificent holiday weekend.
You, too, Wilson.
So pretty, as always! Have a happy 4th!
Thank you, Lisa. Appreciate that. Hope your 4th is safe and happy.
Lovely flowers! But those inflatables….oh for a long stick and a pin….
Thanks, Helen. We feel the same way. So silly. We hope you have a great weekend.
We’ve had crummy weather most of the summer so far, but 84 degrees and low humidity today. I’ll enjoy it while we can. My hubby is out gardening all day.
Enjoy a relatively cool day. And have a wonderful and safe holiday.
You always have such beautiful flowers in your neighborhood. Hope the heat has abated somewhat in your neck of the woods. Ours sure hasn’t, along with the humidity. I can’t believe I agreed to go to an outdoor concert (Jeff’s in the band) this evening. Can’t back out…promised my son who lives in a group home that I’d take him…*sigh*
Thank you, Amy. We love finding new flowers on our walks. The heat continues as is typical this time of year though only in the upper 80’s today but with the cloud cover, we’re experiencing 51% humidity-something we’re not used to-it’s usually around 10-15%. Hope you have a good outing at the outdoor concert-drink lots of water. Hoping there’s at least a bit of a breeze to make it more tolerable.
Thanks, Monica. I’m planning on taking enough water to keep everyone hydrated.
👍🏻
Thank you. Yeah, that whole humidity thing is a non-starter for us too. But like you…we’re so over summer. ‘Only’ 80 days until autumn arrives. 🤞🏼 Have a safe and happy howliday.
You’ve got some very pretty flowers there! We are so over summer already with the heat and humidity, yuck. Mom much prefers dry heat but no one asked her before they sent the humidity. Hope you have a good holiday weekend. For the first time ever we are traveling, hoping a hotel is quieter than home with all the idiots and their fireworks.