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What a difference a month makes:
Photo of bottle bush on May 20... |
June's average high was 81.5⁰; the historic average in 82⁰. So daytime temperatures were normal for the month. However, twenty-one nights had above average temperatures; eleven of those were 10-14⁰ above normal. The average low for this June was 2.4⁰ higher than the historic average. The real story was the rain. It rained, as it's done several times so far this year, too often and too much. June's average rainfall amount in Central Ohio is 4.08" but this year 6.79" were recorded. We were lucky, though. Several parts of Ohio received almost 8" during the month.
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| ...And on June 30 |
It's little wonder that everything, even the weeds, are growing like weeds. Grass mowing is never-ending, but finding a time when things aren't too wet to mow is tricky. I've never seen so much crabgrass in the gardens. I've dug out clumps of crabgrass that were a foot in circumference! The upside is that everything is lushly green, and the perennials are putting on a beautiful display, especially the daylilies.
I noted last month the absence of bees, and I'm sorry to say that continues. I've seen no more than three honey bees so far this season. I've been seeing some large bumble bees since May, but still too few. I know our mason bees were busy, which is comforting, and there's evidence that leaf-cutter bees are in the neighborhood. Several kinds of butterflies and fritterlies are around, which is also comforting, and there are lots of the tiny hoverflies (see July 2017 blog) doing their best to pollinate everything.
The lack of bees flying all around the coneflowers makes me sad. I've already decided to invest in a much larger number of solitary bees next spring than we've done so far. I really urge you to consider making an investment in solitary bees, too. Remember, these are truly gentle bees and you don't have to worry about being stung, much less swarmed. I'll remind you next spring. I might even nag.
Four lovely daylilies and one rain-soaked bee balm flower
