Female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

 I finally have a photo of a female ruby-throated hummingbird at our feeder.  I see a couple of females every day and sometimes a male, but to actually catch one at the feeder when I have a camera at the ready is not easy.  I am thrilled to get some photos.  They are so sweet, but feisty!

Silkworm Moth, Emerald Moth, Io Moth

Every June, I hope to see a beautiful big green luna moth but this year I haven't seen one.  Nevertheless,  there are other interesting moths around.  This silkworm moth (antheraea polyphenus) is very handsome and also unusual as it holds its wings up like a butterfly.  The fat body, furry feet and feathery antenna are sure signs that it is a moth.

This  little emerald moth is called a Bad Wing moth.  What a terrible name for such a pretty moth! Apparently the name comes from the fact that its hind wings were hard to pin in a collection. Their caterpillars like to eat Virginia creeper and grapes so no surprise that it's on our property.  I have Virginia creeper creeping all kinds of places I wish it wouldn't creep to, and we do have some wild grapes.

 This is an Io moth.  The only plant that it would eat on our property would be blackberry plants. I find it a very attractive looking moth with its subtle colour and markings.

I was recently in a suburban backyard where we sat out in the evening.  Not a single mosquito but then again no other interesting insects either. I'll take some mosquito bites if it means I also have lovely moths and butterflies.

Bristly Iris, Canada Mayflower

I'm always on the lookout for new plants and this spring I found a Bristly Iris (iris setosa).  It is similar to a Siberian iris, but is shorter and the flower is a paler, more delicate purple. I'm very pleased with it so far.  It is planted where it gets morning and early afternoon sun and will get runoff from the roof.  Unlike a bearded iris, it likes a moist location.

This little woodland plant is a Canada mayflower or some call it wild lily-of-the-valley.  It is a common flower but is never very abundant.  I had forgotten its name and spent time on the internet trying to find a picture of it, but no luck.  I remembered that I have a small book that I got years ago that has watercolour illustrations of flowers of eastern Canada. A bit of digging on the bookshelf and I found the book. The pages were falling out as the glue had dried out but sure enough there was a picture of the Canada mayflower with its popular names and also its botanical name.  Once I had its botanical name (maianthemum canadense) I found several pictures on the internet.  I'm not sure why my original searches for  "little woodland flower with white flowers in Ontario" didn't give me any results.

After some cool weather, the warmth has arrived.  The vegetables are starting to grow  and the perennials are shooting up.

Happy gardening.
 

Having Fun with Pots, Camassia and Jack-in-the-Pulpit

It's always fun to go to the garden center and buy some plants and put them together in a pot.  I got a little carried away with this pot and it is crammed full of plants. It will definitely need regular fertilizing.

This one looks scraggy right now.  There is a geranium that I overwintered in the middle of the pot so I am hoping the geranium will grow some new leaves and bloom in a little while.

This is my pot of leftovers.  It should fill in nicely later in the summer. The hummingbirds will be attracted to the fuchsia and red verbena and purple salvia.

The wild jack-in-the-pulpits are in bloom.  As our bush opens up as the trees get bigger and further apart, we have more of the woodland wildflowers.

Blue camassia is a wildflower in some areas but not around here.  Years ago I had planted some down near our ditch and they happily grew there for several years and then, I suppose some little creature ate the bulbs, because they disappeared.  But a bird must have deposited a seed up nearer to the house and now it is growing on the edge of a garden.  Perfect place for it.
 

Tulips, Bishop's Hat, White Bleeding Heart

Angelique tulip is a lovely double pink.  I find it reliably comes back for 4 or 5 years in my Ontario garden unlike some other tulips that are only good for the initial year and maybe one more.

I noticed it has two little flowers growing from bulb offsets. I've never had a tulip do that before. I presume they will bloom again next year.

Tulips are fun because they come in so many colours and forms.  These tulips were sold as a combo and they do look very nice together. I think I like the lily flowered tulips more that the traditional rounded ones.

The Bishop's Hat (Epimedium grandiflora) is going gang busters this spring.  It must have 10 -12 flower stalks each with 10-20 flowers.  Lots of little bouncing flowers that the bumblebees love.

A friend gave me a division of her white bleeding heart last year.  I like any kind of bleeding heart but I actually prefer the traditional pink and white blooms.

A nice interplay of blue and pink forget-me-knots.  Although it looks like one plant, it is several plants intertwining with each other. I like the way forget-me-nots just randomly come out blue, or pink, or white.

I planted out my tomatoes and peppers and now they are saying chance of frost in a few days. The tomatoes I will protect with crumbled newspaper, but the peppers I will dig up (only 5 plants) and bring them back inside as they are a variety I can't buy locally.  Traditionally, the safe date for frosts in our area is May 24 but I always jump the gun otherwise you miss out on a week or two of good weather. I usually manage to protect my tender plants so I find it's worth planting a bit early.
 

White Anemone , Daffodil Reversion, Wild Woodland Flowers, Vinca

A nice little clump of white anemone blanda. They are sports of the purple variety that I have elsewhere.

Very delicate and pretty with the yellow stamens and lime green center.

These daffodils and the orange and white one below have reverted back to different form.  The creamy ones used to have a yellow trumpet and the orange one comes from a double daffodil that has an orange and yellow frilly center.  

I like the orange and white.  Perhaps I will buy some that are sold in this colour scheme.

This small daffodil was always bright yellow and will stay that way as yellow is a basic daffodil colour.

I thought this arrangement of wildflowers was fun.  Dogtooth violets, red trilliums and white trilliums all in the same view.  The red trillium petals are quite chewed which is unusual but it's still colourful.

The vinca (periwinkle) is blooming a bit.  Mine is a variegated-leaf variety which is not quite as vigorous as the plain leaf one.  Vinca can be an aggressive spreader but I have it planted between the house and a path so it is confined. It's helping to cover a dry shady area. 

Potting Soil Matters

 It just so happened that when I was planting up the pepper plants that I had two bags of different potting soil.  I thought I would label the pots and see if there was a difference.  Well, it's obvious there is a difference.  The plant on the left was planted in Miracle Grow Potting Mix and the one on the right was planted in Organic Promix.  Not only is the right-hand plant taller but the stem is thicker and sturdier making it nice and straight.  It has several buds that are farther along than the one in the left pot. When they were outside for a few days a couple of weeks ago, the right-hand plant was able to handle some sun where as the other one was more affected.

I have opened a Youtube channel :  Pint-size Stories.  The first video is titled: Home Away from Home.  As well as narrating very short stories (Flash Fiction type), I will provide tidbits from the garden and nature. I hope you will take a look at the Youtube channel and, if you like the idea of it, subscribe to it. The first video is very short but I plan to make them about 5 minutes long - easy to watch as you sip your morning coffee.