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Sunday, July 22, 2012

If a Tree Falls......

....in the yard and you are calling to report a power outage, do you hear the thud?  Earlier last week we saw there was a dead tree hung up in the branches of the tree next to it.  The trees are on the adjoining property, in the thick summer undergrowth of any one of poison ivy or smilax or raspberry briars, not the ideal place walk.   Since it was hung up in another tree we were unsure of how to get it down without hitting the Magnolias.  



The tree broke off its trunk during a storm sometime ago.... we aren't really sure.  Wednesday night with another storm, it twisted, broke the branches of the supporting tree and fell.  It fell in the perfect place!!   The tree was about 40- 50 feet long, about 30 feet of it in our yard.





It missed all three Magnolias, missed a transplanted dogwood, missed all the daylilies, and missed the wax myrtle up the hill.  

You can see the rotted stump in the woods.  The rot came from the ground up.
Charlie got the chain saw out yesterday and cleared the tree out of our yard.  The fallen tree can remain in the property next door for the critters to enjoy.
I walked around the yard on Thursday to assess the damage and see if there was any poison ivy in the area where the tree fell.  Have all sorts of blooms--- here is a volunteer Great Blue Lobelia, Lobelia siphilitica.  The rains have caused it to fall over.  Hoping it will reseed and there will be lots next year!

A purchased Lobelia  speciosa, Cardinal Lobelia is blooming now in the bed with the daylilies and Magnolias.  The hummingbirds like it.


Another new plant that is finally blooming-- Heliotrope amplexicaule 'Azure Skies'.  Hoping this one will be happy enough to come back.  I have some areas in my back garden that plants don't like.   Have been watering this area more and have amended the soil with each new plant added.

Lots of foliage under the Edgeworthia chrysantha.  I planted Caladiums, Japanese Painted ferns, and the Corydalis I just bought.  It is a nice shady area, the ferns and Caladium are happy...crossing my fingers for the newly added Corydalis.


Clematis 'Prince Charles' is blooming again!  

A super long blooming daylily is Hemerocallis 'Strawberry Candy'.  It has been blooming since mid-May!

Finally I have a bloom on my Resurrection Lily!! Lycoris radiata has been in the ground for more than two years and it finally had a bloom!  


Love these long anthers!!


In the woods next to our property is a large stand of Aralia spinosa, Devil's Walking Stick.  Love seeing all the pollinators all over the blooms.   There was constant motion from so many wasps, bees, and butterflies.  



Speaking of plants that attract pollinators, Lantana camara 'Miss Huff' is a magnet!!  

Long-tailed Skipper Urbanus proteus (thanks Randy!!)

Hoary Edges, Achalarus lyciades

All these were taken in the span of a couple minutes.
Dark form Eastern  Tiger Swallowtail, Pterourus glaucus

So many butterflies and moths!!

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

I have been trying to get caught up reading all your blog posts.  At this point in time I have 100 posts in my Google Reader.....working my way through !!!!  Have made some headway--- there were almost 200!



©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

40 comments:

  1. Janet,

    Very cool seeing Long-tailed Skippers, Hoary Edges and dark for female Eastern Tiger Swallowtails in your garden. We had a good one today as well a Northern Pearly-eye. Loves that lily!

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    1. Randy, thanks for confirming the ID of the skippers. You are great!

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  2. Wow, what luck having that tree fall where it did. One never knows which way they will come down and when. Couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

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  3. WOW--that was very lucky that the dead tree missed all of your garden plants and trees! Good job, storm! ;-) Your blooms and photos of the butterflies are gorgeous, as always! My 'Miss Huff' isn't as full of blooms as it usually is, but I am seeing quite a few buds. How odd that most plants are ahead of schedule with blooming this year, except my lantana! And hooray for your resurrection lily finally blooming--it's gorgeous! You have been a busy lady--hope you had a great visit with your family!

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    1. Julie, yes, it was a good job on the storm!! Hope your Miss Huff gets lots of blooms soon!
      Loving the Resurrection liy, can't wait for it to really flourish in the next years.

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  4. Your tree has excellent aim! I love lantana, too, and always include it in the garden. If it took your resurrection lily two years to bloom, it's well named! It's a beauty. :o)

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    1. Tammy, doesn't it though? Lantana is a great addition to any garden!!

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  5. I wait to see if the Lycoris squamigera I planted last winter will appear. They came from Florida. Planted by my grandmother many many years ago. It will be interesting to see if their zone 5 hardiness has been long lost.

    I hear trees go thud in the forest on a regular basis.

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    1. Christopher, apparently L. squamigera blooms later. Crossing my fingers!
      I bet you do hear thuds quite often!

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  6. You were so lucky that tree didn't create more havoc. Strawberry Candy daylily is one of my all-time favorites. The butterflies are beautiful, you got some great shots.

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  7. Well done...one probably couldn't have gotten that tree out more precisely! Love seeing all the butterflies! The Resurrection lily is really interesting with those long anthers!

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    1. Karen, don't you know it!! Couldn't have aimed it any better! Loving these anthers!

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  8. You were so lucky that the tree didn't cause any damage. I enjoyed seeing all your new blooms--the Resurrection lily is so interesting, but I'm really struck by your daylily 'Strawberry Candy.' A daylily that blooms for that long sounds like one I'd definitely like to have. Most of all, I love all your butterfly photos. I haven't noticed as many butterflies here this year; I'm hoping the drought hasn't caused them to stay away, too.

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    1. Rose, yes we were very lucky. You should get Strawberry Candy, you will love it!!

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  9. There is lots going on at your place! Glad the tree did not hit anything.

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  10. You are obviously on good terms with Mom Nature...she would be foolish indeed to wreak havoc on such a lovely garden.

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  11. That heliotrope is going to be around long after the dinosaurs return. It's that tough!

    Lucky on the tree! We had one huge branch take out a section of our deck railing around the pool and it stripped all the branches from one side of a cryptomeria.

    I've been writing a lot of fiction, so I've not been on FB much at all. R's mom broke her OTHER hip yesterday! Spent the day over in Raleigh.

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    1. Freda, from your lips to Mother Nature's ears!! I like that Heliotrope! Sorry to hear you had some damage from your branch falling.

      Sounds like you are quite busy with R's mom and your writing.

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  12. You're lucky that it didn't do more damage! Fun to see the Aralia -- we planted some in the mountains, but then decided to banish it, as it was spreading too much in the space that my gardening companion had allotted. But it's a great plant, in the right place....

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    1. Lisa, I agree. Yes, the Aralia is not one to have in a garden space. It spreads a lot!!

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  13. Oh you are getting lots of colors already. And i can very well relate to the broken limbs, as we got big branches laden with fruits broke, avocados and santol trees. Too much fruits broke the branch. I love your butterflies too, we don't have that species. But that Licorice radiata, my blogger friend from the US sent me some and it is one which grows well. Maybe in two years i can see those red blooms too! I just wish it doesn't get too invasive here in the hot tropics.

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    1. Andrea, thanks for stopping by!! Wish we had some branches with avocados!! Not sure if the lily will become invasive in the tropics....sure is a pretty one to have!

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  14. The photos of the butterflies are really beautiful, especially the long tailed Skipper. I never saw one of them that I can remember. We too had really bad wind/rain storms this week, but luckily none of the huge Norway Maples fell. We usually lose at least one in storms as bad as these. You were very fortunate the tree missed your other trees, or should I say, the dogwood and Magnolias were the lucky ones.

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    1. Donna GWGT, thanks! I was really tickled with the long tailed skipper! We have big storms many afternoons.....hot humid air that creates a perfect environment for big thunderstorms in the afternoon. Glad you Norway Maples were okay.

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  15. I am amazed at how long my daylilies are blooming in the drought. But I may not see all my lobelia since it is too dry...I love all your butterflies...mine are few and far between in this heat. Amazing blooms.

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    1. Donna @GEV, the dayliles are pretty tough characters. Hope your lobelias show!

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  16. We have so many dead and dying trees and tree limbs around here. Sometimes we hear the crack in the woods and then the thud. Glad it missed your flowers. The critters will be glad to have it to live it. I'll be very surprised if there is not poison ....

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    1. Darla, we do too. Just saw a huge limb hanging high in the tree that held up the one that fell....so damage could be on the horizon anyway!

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  17. Lucky fall! Glad the tree didn't smash anything. Love the pictures of the Tiger Swalowtails!

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    1. Sweetbay, me too! Thanks, I was pretty happy with the butterfly pics.

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  18. You gotta love Miss Huff! Glad your tree missed important things.

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    1. Les, yes, Miss Huff is great in the garden! thanks, am glad the tree missed important things too!

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  19. Hey my Queen,
    Glad you escaped the damage but aren't they worth it? Does the heliotrope live up to its fragrance billing" Strawberry Candy is awesome.
    Best, P.

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    1. Patrick, yes, having trees around is very much worth it!! This heliotrope isn't as fragrant as the annual one. Once it gets bigger I will let you know! Yes, Strawberry Candy is awesome!

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  20. Your 'strawberry candy' is looking 'delicious'! You got a great shot of that long tailed snipper, too. Are they around all summer time while you garden?

    -Carlos Hernandez

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    1. Carlos, thanks for coming by! Strawberry Candy is very 'delicious'! I am not sure how long the long tailed skipper is around, sometimes you notice them and sometimes not.

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