Something to Smile About
Sunday, October 2, 2016 at 9:00PM Can you guess what this is?
Rain! Seven days ago we had enough to wet the surface of the ground, but none since, and none in the forecast for the next 10 days. With the extended warm weather, our lawn usually would be green. But this photo taken during the rain shows a fading garden. The rain did not perk it up a bit:
At least we did get some rain. I know people only a few miles away who got none at all. We do the best we can. The watering can has become an important fixture in the garden.
I found this little guy hunkering in the bottom of my favorite watering can one morning when I went to fill it. I let him be and instead chose another watering can.
This is not the same tree frog who lives in the the rain barrel in the woodland garden. That is on the other side of the garden, and this frog is smaller. But both are commended for their creative ways of staying moist!
While we are trying to keep shrubs alive, we also keep our birdbaths filled. Wild life is appreciative. Recently I caught a female cardinal enjoying this birdbath.
Last week there was a hawk in the same birdbath. Something keeps knocking the ceramic top off of it. I suspect it is the hawk; I am afraid he will break it. I wish he would use one of our heavier concrete birdbaths! Of course, it could be a raccoon. Those critters often come through at night and wreak havoc.
Though still very dry, our temperatures have cooled considerably. 50's at night! 70s to 80s during the day! Almost perfect. Something to smile about.
American tree frog, Cardinal, September garden, fall, rain in fall garden, weather
Reader Comments (13)
We have had very little rain to speak of for months. Everything is very dry and crispy. We've been doing supplemental watering just to keep the plants alive (not thriving) but there is nothing like a good soaking rain. We got some of that rainfall a week ago too. It was glorious! Enjoy your fall garden!
Such a relief to get rain, even a little, so the plants have some respite and encouragement.
This morning I watched a weaver bird nectaring on the Melianthus flowers just a couple of steps away from me.
Deb, you aren't the only one taking pictures of the rain! It's become such a rare sight I do the same thing! We run outside to stand in it - until the lightning starts!
Glad rain is finally coming your way :-) Love the cheerful jack-o-lantern planter, I will have to go out and find one for my front porch.
Rain! How wonderful! I love the photo of the frog too - and I share your dismay with raccoon behavior. They love water and regularly remove shells from our fountain to strew all about the garden before wandering off to dig trenches through the soil in search of grubs.
So glad that you have had some rain at last! I hope your garden will now start to recover with cooler temperatures and more moisture.
Your photos are so peaceful. I do love the way you tell a simple story, very enjoyable.
that planter at the end is fabulous, such a fun design. applause. clapclapclap. --suz in ohio
Yay! Rain! We had sooo much rain in September. Usually I wouldn't complain, but it has made releasing Monarch butterflies a bit challenging. I have one more left to eclose and we have more rain and cold weather in the forecast. But rain is so good for the plants, of course. Your photos are so beautiful! It's so difficult to capture the magic of a rain shower, and you've done it well!
I'm glad you've had at least some rain; the two months we were without rain this year almost defeated the garden but it has now bounced back. Nature is amazing isn't it?
Love that frog in the watering can!
It has been dreadfully dry all summer, really impacting my garden. My plan to deal with this was to install rain barrels to help provide needed moisture in the future. It started raining two days after they were installed and within two days all three fifty gallon barrels were full, it has now been raining for more than a week.
That little frog is adorable. It is great you got rain. We are in the same boat not having rain this summer. Luckily, Fall is proving a little better I hope. I too kept the garden hydrated for the wildlife. They really needed the birdbath too.