Weird big crawly thing

I found this huge caterpillar under oaks last weekend. Ugly looking thing!
After a quick research, looks like it might have been imperial moth caterpillar.
I'll be keeping an eye out for that moth--it must be enormous!

Harvest circa September 20

Pickings from the garden one day last week: hot peppers, parsley, dill, bell pepper and a few tomatoes.

Gladiolus

Yesterday I dug up some of my gladiolus bulbs. The stalks were getting too yellow and unsightly for the front yard... it was time. I'll air dry them for a few more days, then store in a paper bag in cool, dry place until spring.

Pumpkins

Small pumpkins on the mantel set mood for upcoming fall days.

Harvest September 12

My garden looks tired and I feel tired when it comes to gardening, too, these days. The rush of energy, almost an instinct, a calling to plant, seed, dig, weed, transplant and so on from last spring has diminished to very minimum. A rabbit has eaten my fall crop of lettuce? -- oh, well, not a big deal. In springtime, observing the same event would increase my heart rate and get me passionately angry. Flower beds are out of shape with overgrown plants? -- Let it be, I'll pull those out after the frosts start. And so on...

It is still a good feeling to pick up a few things from the vegetable patch, though. Here's today's offering.

100 Muscari

$12 for 100 muscari bulbs at Costco. Planted them all today, most in the front yard. Now the challenge will be to remember exactly where and not plant something else on top.

Black & Yellow

Last night I found two yellow and black critters in my garden:

Black and Yellow Argiope spider
and monarch butterfly caterpillar.
This made me think of two other black and yellow visitors that frequent our yard:

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly

and golden finch.

There's something very satisfying in realizing that our yard is a habitat for variety of creatures...

Mum Time

It's sign of early fall--round, bushy and colorful mums show up in stores and markets. When I went grocery shopping today, I could not resist putting this maroon baby in my basket. Only $4! This gave me a small push I needed to spruce up the entry to our house.I repotted the mum in a larger pot previously occupied by petunia and coleus. Both were not doing so well after long, hot summer. Part of the coleus could be salvaged. I think this looks nice!

Mums are perennials. Most likely I will replant this one somewhere in my garden. It will not have its current perfect round shape next year, but that's OK.

Chincoteague Island

Our family is on vacation on Chincoteague Island, VA. Yesterday I rode a bike around with sole purpose to check out front gardens. It was a very enjoyable ride. I did not stop much to take pictures--I felt I would be intruding somehow. Or I'd need to stop every half-block.

The small spaces charmed me the most.
Colorful storefront on Main Street.