This is the first year my Buttonbush has bloomed. I planted it three or four years ago from three bare rooted native plants the Land Trust was giving away. It wasn't my first choice but I got there late. A friend recommended this as it would attract bees and butterflies. I babied the "sticks" and it took a couple of years before they looked like an actual shrub. This is the first year and the bush got buds that finally bloomed and it's glorious. It turned out to be my favorite plant and I am so glad I was late to the event. I had never heard of Buttonbush and now it is thriving in my yard.
There are only a couple of blooms in this photo but now it is absolutely covered with them.
I have been enjoying the monarch caterpillars on my milkweed plants too. They seem to grow overnight. This is a fat one.
I photographed this rabbit on Saturday morning happily eating weeds in my driveway. It froze and let me photograph it and didn't move until I started walking. Friends with vegetable gardens don't like them but they don't bother me and they are welcome to my weeds. We have had more rain this year that any summer I can remember so the weeds have really taken over. I'll get them hacked down and mowed eventually.
The above three images are from one of my favorite books, The Cheerful Cherub by Rebecca McCann. It was published in 1928 and includes 101 favorite posts by her in that appeared in The Chicago Sun Times newspaper. Her original drawings and little poems featured The Cheerful Cherub and his little dog. She was only twenty years old and wise beyond her years, right? I'm trying to catch you up on the three I have put on my Instagram. Enjoy!
I finished this book last weekend and liked it a lot. It's about the early 1940s in NYC when penicillin was new and in short supply. You could die from a cat scratch or a skinned knee if you got an infection. It reads like a historical novel and is full of facts that were unknown to me with a little romance thrown in too.
Have a great week.
xo, Rosemary
6 comments:
So good to have access to your posts again!
Riva -- Glad to hear you are happy. xo, Rosemary
Rosemary - I always learn things from your postings! I've never heard of a Buttonbush either - now I want to go get one - anything that the creatures like - I'm in:) And I adore rabbits - of any kind. I live in the country also - and I never tired of watching them nibble on the grasses. Love the picture!
Karen, You won't be sorry. I love the way the Buttonbush branches catch the slightest breeze and sway back and forth. The shiny green leaves have red stems. One of my neighbors clips hers in a round shape but I let mine grow naturally. Glad you like my rabbit photo too. xo, Rosemary
I greatly enjoyed this entire post. I've never seen a buttonbush. The Cheerful Cherub is delightful! I especially liked the one about leisure. Thanks, Rosemary!
Vicki -- I kept adding to the post and updating after the initial Buttonbush photos. I had never seen one either and I truly wish I had found it sooner. I'll be adding another Cheerful Cherub in tomorrow's post. xo, Rosemary
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