Haunted Humpday II - Signs of the Season

Happy Haunted Humpday II

Burt and Ivy are joining Marfi at Incipient Wings for some spooky fun leading up to Halloween.  

The skeleton crew has been busy this week watching butterflies and soaking up the sun!

It's dahlia season and Ivy has been busy arranging all the fantastic blooms Burt bought at the Farmers Market. Fall is always a little bittersweet here in the upper midwest. Cooler days are a welcome relief from the heat and humidity of summer but at the same time they're a reminder that in a few short weeks the flowers and veggies will be dead as a doornail. No offense to Ivy & Burt of course.

With only a few weeks of summer left, Burt has wisely taken the opportunity to pick up some produce and flowers while they're still fresh from the garden -  as opposed to flown in from parts unknown! Spenser prefers to eat flowers rather than simply admire them.

Who knew there was this whopper hidden in that bouquet? 

No wonder it takes all summer to grow them!

The butterfly and hummingbird migration is in full swing, another signal that summer is waning. They're way too fast for me and my camera, especially the Monarchs but there have been quite a few Yellow Swallowtails passing through at a less frantic pace. This one arrived completely intact (see below) and was even nice enough to pose on a plant that wasn't full of yucky, half-dead blooms!

Every so often a raggedy butterfly glides in for a visit but this summer there have been way more than usual. Apparently having big chunks missing from their wings doesn't hinder them at all and according to InsideScience.com their wingspan is so large they can still fly with half of them gone.

The damage is almost always inflicted by a predator, usually a bird or cat and rarely by weather. Although some butterflies can live for many months their missing parts don't grow back. At least they weren't harmed by my bad kitties, we have a city ordinance that prohibits them from roaming free. 

Garden chores don't end with the cooler weather. It was Burt's turn to mow the weeds behind the garage. Every year I make ambitious plans for this end of the backyard and every fall it ends up looking the same. Burt and Ivy did clear away a pile of unused flower pots and the leaky hose earlier this summer. So what would you put here? A garden shed, greenhouse or maybe a fancy DIY tent? 

      

Meanwhile, there goes the Gazing Ball. Poor Burt, he has the worst luck! 

What's this? Has His Madness arrived on the scene to help?

Ok, well at least it's unbreakable. I guess this is just how we roll.

Now if we could just get it to glow!

As the sunsets on another day it's time for a little relaxation after all that hard work.

A special thanks to Marfi for hosting!

Thank you for dropping by and I hope you're having a very Happy Haunted Humpday!