The official end of summer approaches...

It's starting to look like fall in the garden. Most of the veggie plants are about done. The tomatoes are still doing somewhat well, though the extra rain from Hanna caused some vine rot. There are still quite a few flowers.

I forgot to post some pictures that I took of some butterflies and the only praying mantis that isn't camera shy...so here they are:

Hello, Hanna.

She's bringing much needed rain, but unwanted wind!




The plants and garden have been a little bit dry.

Fig overload!

I picked about 100 figs this week. Mom made fig preserves:



She ended up with six jars worth. I'm going to try making homemade fig Newtons next time there is a large batch!

More veggies!

Okra! This is an okra flower...



And the ready-to-pick okra!



Okra is one of my mom's favorite vegetables. It's good fried, or in gumbo.

More figs!

Here's a new "baby" fig tree grown from a cutting from the big tree:



A ripe fig still on the branch...



The first figs of the year! There are a bunch on the top of the big tree that no one can reach. When they get too ripe, they fall off the tree and make a mess. We still get more than enough figs to eat, though!

Flutter By, Butterfly!

Mom's butterfly bush attracts all kinds of butterflies!



Our library's summer reading for kids had a bug theme. One of the programs included raising insects such as ladybugs and praying mantis. Mom brought home a bug nursery with baby mantis- over a hundred of them. They were the size of a thumbnail last Friday...they've already tripled in size. They're eating the bad bugs, which is a good thing! I hope they continue to grow and eat...and reproduce!

Most of the flowers are done. There are a few stray lilies and dahlias left, and the roses come and go. There are a lot of sunflowers! These were actually planted this year...though there were so many, there will be seeds scattered all over by birds for next year.

Today's pick!

More and more tomatoes are ripening! And there are still many peppers and cucumbers to harvest, too. I found some Anaheim chilies today. That was a surprise- I thought Mom hadn't planted any!



Both varieties of eggplant are doing well, too. I cooked one of the big eggplants the other night. Mom thought it was delicious. The tomatoes are a bit weak. That might be because they haven't gotten enough sun this summer.