Painted Ladies

The Sedum has attracted the Painted Ladies and some of her friends.
Such a pretty little butterfly.

The underside of her wings. 

She shared a spot with a Bumble Bee.
I planted this Sedum about 19 years ago along my garage.  It used to be just covered with Bumble Bees in the Fall…

Not so much this year. I think that is a Common Eastern Bumble Bee on the left and a Red Belted Bumble Bee on the right.
We just don’t have bees like we used to.

First Blush of Fall

Fall has been in the air.  This week we many turn summery again. So far August has been cooler than normal with more rainfall than normal.

The Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ has just begun to color.

Chance has once again trimmed off the rose hips as far as he can reach.  Silly dog.

Today I am cooking up chicken and then making homemade noodles.  We used the last servings out of the freezer so it is time.   I also have a bunch of Fall Apples for a crisp…so I might be baking too.

Autumn Joy

One of my favorite fall plants is Sedum 'Autumn Joy' she isn't fussy, she can survive almost anywhere. The deer do like to mow mine down..they must be tasty.

They stay green all summer and then in the fall they turn a rosy pink/red. I have learned never to plant them along a walkway. In the fall they attract a huge amount of bees and wasps and all kinds of insects with stingers. I have one more clump to move.. maybe next spring.

See they even look lovely all covered in snow. This photo was taken on Oct 10, 2009.

They can complement other plants in your perennial garden. I took this photo recently in town, someone knew what he was doing in this perennial bed.. the texture and colors work really well together this time of year.

Another crappy cloudy, dreary day..cold too.. Cold, wet dreary days in October=8. Sunny and crisp=1. Snow and cold=1. Indian Summer where are you? :)