Butterflies and Courtyard

Some more produce from the courtyard.  Loving my 4x4 strawberry bed with Everbearing strawberries!  Only picked two zucchini so far and they are fat in the middle but not very long.  Why is that???  Hoping for another one or two but will see!  My first Rutger tomato picked.  Very few raspberries.  Only one bush is producing.  Something shredded so many of the leaves this year!

A Queen Anne's Lace was growing in the middle of a bush.  They frown on this kind of flower (weed) in the front yard.  Guess they don't appreciate God's gift of free beauty! 

I cut off the flowers before pulling it out and made a little bouquet.

The girls made my gluten free muffins for me and my gluten free cookies!  Aren't they the cutest and sweetest little girls!

Here is a picture of the gluten free yum-yum cookies.  Would you like one?

There were about 11 of these and this is the only one left except a baby one.  I hope this one decides to take off soon to make his chrysalis.  

This butterfly and another small one came back to visit.  I like to think they were the ones from here that developed into butterflies!

There are two of these things laying on the soil and I think they are dead.  It is probably my fault because before I knew better a couple crawled off to another place and I brought them back.  One was crawling up the side of our house.

This is one of the caterpillars that crawled off and is forming a chrysalis on the wrought iron near our gate.  He had to go a long way from the raised bed on legs down on the mulch beside the edge of the cement all the way here.  He was moving right along when I saw him.  It has been interesting to learn about butterflies!

These are the supports that hold up the covers on this bed.  I am using them for a trellis and trying to grow yellow pole beans and a cucumber.

The birds planted this sunflower but not in the best spot but I left it there.  It was fun to see this goldfinch trying to eat the seeds.

Here is another picture of him.  I love to see goldfinches.  So bright and cheery!  Thanks for taking the time to visit me.  Please leave a comment so that I will know that you have been here.  Enjoy your week!  Nancy  

Courtyard Happenings

It is that time of year!  Blueberries for the freezer!

I had a couple butterflies visit my yard!  Monarch and Black Swallow Tail.  Would love to have lots of them.

Evidently she left some eggs behind!  They landed on the little bit of dill I had in the strawberry bed and ate that up so I carefully moved them to the parsley.  There is about a dozen of them.  I hope they make it to the butterfly stage!  My Master Gardener here says they are the black swallow tail.  The monarch has little black like antennas on their head and the black swallow tail doesn't.

Playing "peek" with precious little Nora!

Still harvesting strawberries.  They started out small and then got to a nice size and now are getting smaller again.  Very few raspberries.  Disappointed in them after the great harvest we had at the previous house.

One or two hummingbirds are still visiting.  I was surprised at how long this one set on the tomato cage over the green pepper plant.  He looked at the sliding doors quite a bit and I am wondering if he was trying to tell me to fill the feeder!  I made the sugar water three times and the first time I didn't screw the bottom on correctly so lost most of it and the feeder was low at this point.  I made the sugar water a second time and hubby threw it out.  He didn't know I was letting it cool for the hummingbirds.  So I made it three times and had success the last time.

My one sunflower will soon have three flowers!  Hoping to grow more next year.  Birds planted this one.

I had one ugly leaf on the sunflower.  I cut it off and they seem to be doing okay since then.

I think most of my flowers on my zucchini have been male flowers but it looks like I might get two or three zucchini off this plant.  I have it setting up on the potting table so Coco doesn't eat it.  You all know what a problem she is eating my veggies!

I found these on the underside of a bean leaf.  At first I was going to throw it away because I didn't know if they were good ladybugs or the bad ones.  I showed a couple Master Gardeners here and they both thought they were good ones so I laid it back under the bean plant.  I hope I haven't killed them.  Will be keeping my eye on to see.   This is the last picture and I hope that you have enjoyed your visit!  Have a lovely week!  Nancy   

July 8th 2018

Our new solar bird bath!  We enjoy it more than the birds!  We can't have a regular bird bath here.  Rules!  It has to be moving water because of mosquitoes.

It lived!  I stuck this plant in the garage from last year and it came back so pretty!  I am amazed!

I am the luckiest Nana!  Our granddaughter who just turned 11 today made this dessert gluten free so that I could eat some!  She did it by herself!

I have am harvesting more sungold tomatoes now.  Love my plant on the front porch.  I don't have to cage it so Coco doesn't eat it!

Finished a blue and white flannel baby blanket for the gift closet.

Finished another dish cloth and pot holder set.  This one is a little smaller.  I must have miscounted or something!  I like the little larger ones better that I had made.

Harvested my first few yard long beans.  They look like little snakes!

Oh, how I wish all my strawberries from my little 4x4 foot raised bed were this nice!

Guess who got a new 24 inch bike for her birthday!!  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great week!!