Random garden tidbits

The weather has been hot and toasty lately. Last week it was in the low hundreds and this week it is in the upper nineties and HUMID - yuck. I am thinking it is going to be one roasty-toasty summer this year! My plants are doing OK so far.

The Canna have really started blooming. My yard is small, so I only have the dwarf canna. I would love to have some of the ginormous ones, but I have no place for them. Here is the dwarf red one blooming away:




I simply LOVE blue flowers. I think they add a cool feeling in the hot, hot summer. Some of these just started blooming and should continue throughout the summer.

My dwarf blue morning glories:



And the Wright's Skullcap (OK, so maybe these are a bit more purply-ish. True blues are hard to find):



Then there is the silver pony-foot which is kinda blue-silvery:



My christmas cactus (Cylindropuntia leptocaulis) finally has blooms this year! I bought a little tiny one 3 years ago and have been patiently waiting for it to get big enough to flower:





Oh! And I just harvested my first Zucchini the other day:



I caught a gecko munching down on a moth the other evening. Yum!:



And - Omigosh! I just saw a Painted Bunting in the backyard! Of course my damn crappy camera was too slow to get a picture of it, so you are just going to have to take my word for it.

Here is what they look like (thanks to Encylopedia Britannica for the pic):



Painted Bunting facts according to Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

With bright blue, green, and red plumage, the breeding male Painted Bunting is one of the continent's most gaudily colorful birds. The species breeds in two different populations, one in the south-central United States, and one along the seaboard of the southeastern states.

Description:
Small, bright finch.
Male unmistakable with red chest, blue head, and green back.
Female bright greenish yellow.

Size: 12-13 cm (5-5 in)
Weight: 13-19 g (0.46-0.67 ounces)
Sex Differences
Male brightly colored, female drabber and entirely green.

Sound:
Song is high-pitched, thin, and sweet, consisting of short phrases of variable pitch. Call is a soft rising chip.

Conservation Status:
Breeding Bird Survey data show a steady decline in overall population since 1965. Males are targets of trappers for the cage-bird trade, especially in Mexico. Listed as a species of special concern on the Partners in Flight WatchList.

I still can't believe I just saw one of these! Awesome. I SO need to get myself a new digital camera that thinks faster and takes better photos so I can catch him on camera next time.