What's Up?

Black-eyed Susans

What's happening in July in our gardens:

Young Canada geese fledge.
Wild turkey hens re-nest.
Second squirrel litters are born.
Weasels breed through August.
Cicadas and katydids start singing. (Started this past week here)
Black eyed Susan and Prairie Blazing Star bloom. (Mine started last week)
Young bald eagles fledge.
Young raccoons leave their dens.
Rattlesnake master blooms. (Been blooming for several weeks)
Tiger salamanders change to adult shape.
Young hummingbirds visit feeders.
Blackberries and mulberries ripen (Mine are about done.)
Quail (bobwhites) hatch.
Lizard eggs hatch.
Wood ducks fledge and biologists start banding them in the open.
All this thanks to Jeff Lempe, Peoria Journal Star

What's happening in my yard:

The walnut trees have started to loose their leaves.
Curly cabbage and horseradish have been severely eaten by earwigs.
Red cabbage is doing good.
The first tomatoes have started to turn red/ripen. Many garden plants are about a month late.
Blooming plants are still about a week to a month ahead of typical.
White Turtles head is just starting to bloom.
Except for a few very late bloomers, daylilies are about done blooming.
Many annuals are just starting to get really robust - most do well with dryer weather.
Some hosta have finished blooming and others are just starting.
Many ornamental grasses have already set seed heads.
There are little frogs and toads everywhere.
Trumpet vine blooming - clematis finished. Some honeysuckle still blooming.
Dusty mildew on phlox, honeysuckle, lilac, dogwood and other things to a lesser degree.
Japanese Beetles are going full bore - earwigs have slowed.
Phlox that I didn't pinch back are blooming - others are just budding.
Some areas are dry and ground cracked - others are still wet.

Here's something to watch for:
Humidity comes and goes this summer - mostly comes. It encourages mildew and mold. There are powders and sprays for plants, but to be effective, it must be applied early and often (after every rain) and on both sides of the leaves.

If you don't have air conditioning or run dehumidifiers, watch for both in your home and on wood furniture. Mildew is white/gray and mold is black. Both in the house and outside, they can cause allergic reactions - sometimes serious in the vulnerable.