The steamy weather of the last couple of weeks has been so oppressive, I have hardly been able to force myself outside. Instead, I have been doing some painting inside the house. I know that cooler days with fresh breezes are coming, but meanwhile I am in the doldrums as far as gardening goes. Nevertheless, I have few August images to share from various places:
First, I spent nearly an hour outside trying to get a photo of a hummingbird. We have many coming through to visit our flowers and hummingbird feeder next to the patio, but my reflexes were too slow. Wilted and a bit discouraged, I at last managed one image with a recognizable bird:
Here is the view toward my front garden through the jasmine arch. We have had plenty of rain, so everthing is lush and very green:
Nothing like a wagonload of sweet watermelons to make the hot weather more bearable:
The watermelons were a special treat as part of a Master Gardeners class I am taking.
How about a basket of muscadines (Vitis rotundifolia) or scuppernongs? Sometimes people want to know the difference between a scuppernong and a muscadine. A scuppernong is merely a green or bronze form of muscadine, which is a native grape of the South. They tend to have tough skins, but bite into one of these for a juicy, sweet-tart explosion of flavor in your mouth:
muscadines
Muscadines on the vine at the Chilton County Research and Extension Service.
scuppernongs
We have muscadines growing wild on our property.We once had a black lab named Jasmine who loved to eat muscadines, especially the shriveled, somewhat fermented ones she found on the ground. I prefer them plump and recently picked.
This butterfly has tattered wings but is still beautiful:
Check out this great-looking rain barrel, located at the Chilton County Extension Service Demonstration Garden:
A very interesting arbor at the Demonstration Garden is made from rebar, chicken wire, and rusty old garden tools:
Finally, I recently attended a cookout in honor of the volunteers at Aldridge Gardens. We were eating under a large pavillion when a funny thing happened. We noticed rain coming down on one side of the pavilion while on the other side of the pavillion the sun was shining in and there was no rain! We all laughed, but this is typical of the scattered showers that are so common in August. After the rain we had a special surprise when a rainbow arched over the Gardens: 
Blessings to you all! Deb