Bug Bane arched over the pond is about the last blooming image I’m going to get of the garden this year.

Cimicifuga

Exactly what the full name is I couldn’t say. Purchased several years ago from who knows where the plant has outlived my memory.

Slowing opening a couple of flowers at first the plants seemed to be testing the waters before exploding in full bloom. Once they opened it didn’t any time for bees and wasps of all persuasions to turn the pond area into a bustling bug commerce center.

The most impressive visitors to the Bug Bane are the White Faced Hornets.

Dolichovespula maculata

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Nearby the Spearmint was still attracting visitors. This time I caught a wasp in happier circumstances because no Ambush Bugs were hiding in wait.

Whatever variety, these sunflowers are invasive. They’re sneaky and prolific with an underground network always working to expand the sunflower’s domain. These sunflowers can overwhelm a flower bed when new plants are allowed to spread. Constant vigilance is needed and harsh yoinking of trespassers necessary.

These are a variety I bought and while they’re not as invasive as Jerusalem Artichokes they’re close. I’m using them as a background but they keep insisting on a place up front and everywhere in between.

I don’t really think these are any more ‘work’ than other perennials, after all the bed needs to be kept weeded anyway. Besides a little work is worth the effort in order to have these bright yellow flowers the bees enjoy so much.

Helianthus

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Another visitor to the sunflower today was this hover-fly. I’m not going to try identifing either of these flower lovers. I made desktop wallpaper instead.

Hover-fly on Perennial Sunflower

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My time on Long Island is about up. Figures the heat and humidity has finally let up after 11 days of me doing a pretty good job of impersonating a puddle. The only good thing of having to change my sleeping habits  and getting up at 4:30 in the morning in order to beat the heat will be the early head start I get in the rat race tomorrow morning. I should be home for lunch

First up is a variety of chives. I think. I forgot. I don’t have a clue. Ah whatever, the photo is now desktop wallpaper.

Chives

The island has some wild beauties too. Asiatic Dayflowers generally are uninvited garden guests that given a chance become very invasive. I know – after 6 weeks the neat weeded garden beds down here have turned into a jungle of dayflowers. I’d leave them alone if the flowers were larger but as they are there’s just too much weed per flower to make them enduring.

Asiatic dayflowers are non-native wildflowers that belong to the Spiderwort Family. Native dayflowers Native dayflowers are very similar, the lower third petal on natives is blue while in the asiatic the lower petal is whitish.

Asiatic Dayfower – Commelina communis

Urban Fungus Observed
No idea what it is – It’s not in either of my mushroom field guides that I brought along. Nothing even close. Maybe it neads some time to mature. Guess I just have to keep my ear to the ground and watch it over the next couple of days I have left down here.

It’s way to hot to do anything else but to hole up in the air condititoned motel room. Temps in the 90s make for a long day when you’re setting block.

If it wasn’t for my new toy I wouldn’t bother posting. But I had to play with it even though every cell in my body is telling me to pass out. 8 hours in the heat, a cold shower, 3 cold beers and Chinese food for 3 (me, myself ans I) and I’m close to typing with my forehead. So before I do I’m going to shutdown my new netbook. There’s always another day to review my new Toshiba plaything/