Small Dragonflies

There have been an abundance of squirrels, frogs and dragonflies this summer. Oh yes, and rose slugs. The dragonflies and frogs are friendly, but the other two have caused considerable damage (see below).

I was happy to finally catch a photo of any sort of dragonfly, as I had previously noted that the big ones hover and just as I grab my camera they fly away. This shot was taken from a chair and was quite a distance from the rhodo they had landed on.

Tip of the Day - Squirrel Food

These gloves are, or should I say "were", for doing battle with rose bushes. They look like they have been through a battle alright, however it wasn't with rose bushes!!

Yesterday I was cleaning up my new storage area, which is a big bench with a lift-up top, and discoved many mouse turds and these destroyed gloves. My husband declared them to be squirrel turds and since we have squirrels running all over the yard this year, I was willing to agree with him.

So the tip comes in that one shouldn't put nice leather gloves where your cats can't protect them. See, the cats roam around immediately outside the bench but they can't get into it. So as long as the squirrel can get into the bench, it is safe.

Wait a minute! How does a squirrel get by two outdoor cats to get into a bench which is right up against the house? Hmmm, time to have a serious talk with the cats. Or maybe it is time to get a new (and hungry) cat.

Or maybe what we should be doing is fattening up the squirrels.....

The Many Faces of My Playboy

A budding Playboy
The flower may not be fancy but the colors sure are. The colors in bud are stunning and it does not disappoint after it opens. First there is a beautiful contrast of orange and yellow, which softens to pink and pale yellow.

Playboy in full glory
Then it ages to a deeper pink.

Playboy - the final stage
Playboys lead a fast life and perish all too soon.

Molineux and Rose Slugs

Molineux
Probably the first thing that catches the eye is this threesome of gorgeous roses, but if you look above the flowers you will see some leaves that have been eaten. The culprit is a little green worm that can only be found on the underside of the leaves, and by no means is it munching beside every hole you will find. Sometimes you have to look at the backside of many leaves to find the little munchers. The first time I encountered them I was astonished to find that an army of them can do major damage in a single day. So I now watch for holes in new leaves and then I have a squish-fest. Yep, I can squish with the best of them.

Molineux
I first found out about this gorgeous rose on the GardenWeb forums where someone with the nickname of none-other-than molineux ranted and raved about it and put pictures online that were even more gorgeous than these. He also pointed out that it smells wonderful. So even though I already had placed an order with Pickering, I simply had to place another so I could have this rose!!

It has not disappointed. Other than being short this year (it never gets very tall) it has bloomed well and has had no disease (blackspot is rarely a problem here in the very dry interior of BC) and mildew is non-existent.

It is hard to control the camera when I am around this rose!!

Honey Perfume

Honey Perfume
This is probably my best rose. I bought the plant last summer and it has performed enthusiastically for me this year. It is almost always in bloom and has had two large flushes. I can scarcely take my eyes off this plant! It also smells really nice.