By mid-July, I’d hoped to be able to proudly show you the purple blossoms on my most mature of butterfly bushes in the backyard garden of my dear wife Karen and I at our home in the Syracuse city neighborhood of Eastwood.
Look hard for purple at the top.
Yes, I can, but not in the striking manner in years past.
Here’s what the furthest of the four in our butterfly garden looks like this morning.
So I hope I can thrown in this little word. Yet. More and bigger blooms to come, unless this past harsh winter did something to screw up this summer’s butterfly bush cycle in our garden.
But that hardly matters today.
This is immediately on the other side of our fence. (Photo by Tim Garriques)
After I got home from work last night, I received this photo in an email from Good Neighbor Tim.
Holy cow, right? That’s next door, not inches on the other side of the fence from our butterfly garden.
“We have yet to see a swallowtail butterfly this year, but we continue to hope,” he wrote of he and his lovely wife Lorraine.
From our good neighborly talks, I know that they’ve had to replace the butterfly bush between that harsh last winter and this season.
Fantastic first year, I’d say.
However, Karen also informed me that Tim told her that they believe our big daddy bush somehow germinated a baby on their side of the fence. And that purple blossom looks familiar to me.
Wouldn’t that be something?
Tim’s quite a great photographer, no?
Earlier, he sent me a striking shot of our strawberry moon for posting here.
How does the last harsh winter seem to be affecting your garden this summer? What’s popping out in your backyard right now? What’s the best picture somebody’s emailed you lately?
Mark Bialczak 
right. holy butterfly 😉
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Pretty as a picture, indeed, Niki!
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Tim sounds like a nice neighbor to have. (Of course you do too!) He’s not who owns the tall pines, is he? Yes, I do think that’s your butterfly bush that germinated on his side! 😀
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No, he’s the side neighbor, also in peril if the pines were to go down in his direction. Later yesterday he said the photo is of the new bush, but he showed me the germinated bush, and is definitely an offshoot!
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Sweet! 🙂
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creative idea to add great way to maintain our gardens. enjoyable!
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Thanks, mihrank. Glad to see you again.
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I hope you don’t have to play flower support if it’s your yard’s responsibility. No new flowers here, but the first two figs of the summer just came in!
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I had to think hard to fig-ure out your flower support crack, Kerbey, but I got it. Slow today, apparently. Can you eat your figs?
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I will tomorrow probably. I’m full of pancakes today.
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That’s pretty cool, to grow a fig you can eat. Nice.
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I love how you talk to your neighbor and that he actually has your email address! Too often, in today’s world we don’t even know who our neighbor is!
Lovely photos Mark and here’s hoping your flowers go into full bloom soon!
Diana xo
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Yes, Diana, it is much better for us four to get along like this! It is better for all of us to be there for each other, I believe. I hope you have some sort of relationship with your neighbors, with all of the compassion you have for community in your heart.
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Some them, but it’s definitely not like the old days…
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Looks like your neighbor needs to start a garden blog.
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He could. They have a lovely garden, front and back, Dora.
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Hidey Ho Neighbor!
🙂 I could not resist. Mating underneath the garden fence. Sounds like it should be a song. 🙂
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Know I’m seeing Tim Allen’s neighbor, top of head only. I loved that show “Home Improvement,” Colleen. And at that time of my life, I really, really looked like Al Borland.
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You still carry a resemblance! 🙂
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I would say that’s true, Colleen. You can call me Al!
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If you’ll be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal.
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The burning question being – what does go on back and forth over that fence late at night? How did those baby flowers that look so familiar get into the neighbor’s yard? Hmmm?
Ha! Great post Mark – you’re neighbor is indeed a good photographer.
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My butterfly bush has a nickname now, too, Paul.
Introducing … wait for it …
The Germinator!
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Hahahaha!
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That butterfly may wander later in the summer, over to your garden! I loved this playful post, Mark!
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Thanks, Robin. Tim’s photo knocked me out!
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what a nice surprise and a nice neighbor. as for my plants, some of them have not bloomed yet, my giant hydrangea, and some of my lilies, but the good news is that i somehow also have discovered a baby butterfly plant growing, along with couple of baby hydrangeas, proof that life goes on. the circle of life.
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Yay! We have a huge hydrangea to bloom yet (I hope), too, Beth. I’m happy you found baby butterfly and hydrangea to keep up the growing. Nature provides, my friend.
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I saw that strawberry moon over the Shrewsbury River here in New Jersey. We had the kiddies in the car and, literally, pulled over to watch it rise.
When I was living in Phoenix, people used to keep hummingbird feeders outside their apartment buildings. Pretty amazing creatures.
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Yeah, Strawberry Moons have been known to cause 50-car pileups on the Saw Mill River Parkway, I hear … Glad you pulled over for the sake of your two young beauties, Mark.
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Those kids are going to see the beauty in the world if I have to pound it into them.
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Not a bad way to start the day with a wonderful pick of nature. Hope your busy weekend goes smoothly.
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Thanks, Chris. I am going to head over to your much-neglected-by-me TIA now. Today, lawn mowing, Syracuse Nationals, Woofstock, yay!
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Not a bad day, if you ask me. It’s already Woofstock time? Oh, wow. This year is flying.
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The Dog Days of late July. Ouch, Chris.
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All my gardening friends are remarking on the shortage of butterflies this summer. Not sure what the reason is but you are not alone. BTW, Mark, just in case you don’t already do this, when winter comes mulch the heck out of that butterfly bush and it should be just fine.
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New item on my to-do list…plant more butterfly friendly plants!
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Good plan, Mimi. The payoff is breathtaking. And down there, I’d imagine, even better!
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