Heatwave

We have been having a heatwave with the heat index around 106 or more some days. The second day into the heatwave my 12 inch comet in my 150 gallon pond died. The water was like a hot bath temp......poor fish. The heat saps your energy

The rain has been sporadic and arbitrary......pouring in one section.....bone dry in another. Sometimes on the opposite side of the street. It has been weird weather so far this year.

The heat is literally cooking the plants, so the garden itself is not making much progress, but I am making progress on getting a grip on the grass.

One plant that has not been in the least bit fazed by this heat is the passion vine. It glories in it. Growing like the weed it has turned out to be but with oh such fragrant and beautiful flowers. The gulf fritilary butterflies and the zebra longwings are having a field day. Caterpillars everywhere.

I have started severely cutting back on it so that it doesn't choke all the other plants.

Today I also saw several caterpillars of the black swallowtail on the fennel, they are so beautiful but feisty. When you touch them they give off an odor that is supposed to scare you away. The giant swallowtail is flitting around as well as the sulfurs and other butterflies. Butterflies everywhere.

Oh, my meyer lemon has a few small fruit on as well as the calamondin tree. Pineapples are progressing and it looks like my papayas are trying to make a comeback. Can't wait for it to cool down so that I can put in some veggies.