September

Things are looking much happier now that the heat wave has broken. The flowering senna (cassia corymbosa) has had a few sporadic blooms since late spring, but now is it's time to really show off.



Beside it is a clump of turk's cap. It had been looking a bit beat-up, but last weekend's rain encouraged it to freshen up and put on a new flush of blooms.



Another view of the senna. That tiny yellow fuzz ball at the bottom of the pic is a barrel cactus not quite the size of a golf ball. A test of patience, as so many things can be.



In the back yard I have a small clump of cattails in a stock tank pond. It sits in the dappled shade of a large bur oak. I think it would prefer more sun but it did have a few blooms on it this year. A few weeks ago one of them flopped over into the water. I kept thinking I should cut it off before it made a mess, but the pruners were never in my hand when the thought crossed my mind, despite my constant piddling. I'm glad I let it be. I've never seen baby cattails before. Aren't they cute?