Happy GBBD June 2016!

Happy GBBD!  I still can't believe it is June!  Where does the time go?  We have had a lot of rain here in Austin lately and things are blooming like crazy!  The butterflies are flying around, bees busy working away, hummingbirds zipping around- it has been wonderful!  Here are a few photos of things I felt stood out lately.  

 The Gomphrena have such a bright cheerful bloom!

 The butterflies have been all over the Gregg's mistflower.  Too pretty!!

 Ice Cream anyone?

The Butterfly Vine- old standby.  Love the intricate almost lace like blooms.

 The Vitex never disappoint.  Tons of color!  So pretty - they are blooming all over town!!

 The Charity Mahonia are nice though approach with caution- they are spiky!!

 The Pedlianthus are loaded with the Lady Slipper blooms, hence the more common name.

 These little guys are all over the place.  So sweet.

 The verdict is still out for me on the purple Jerusalem Sage.... Can't decide.... I think I prefer the yellow.  Just a bit too subtle for me I think. 

The Agastache.  If only this were scratch and sniff.......  adore this plant.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!  Where does the time go?!?!  A special thank you to May Dreams Gardens for hosting the GBBD!  Visit her blog to get a glimpse of what is blooming all over the world!  Enjoy!

Cactus Love (and a few other things...)

A few shots of some of the cactus and such as of late that have stood out. 

 The 'Lady Slippers' Pedlianthus are blooming- these to me are such cool plants- they do these small petite little "blooms" which look like ladies slippers and then make this little pod. 

 The Peruvian Cereus are busy making their fruit.  In a few shots you can see them a few days later starting to ripen.  Another name for this is the Peruvian Apple.  

 What's not to love about this little guy?  The Santa Rita pad grew like a heart!  It isn't entirely uncommon but always really neat when it happens. 

 The San Pedro Cactus are growing like crazy.  They don't seem to mind the heat.

 A shot of the Peruvian Cereus fruit about a week later- they are really interesting tasting if you have not- almost kiwi like. 

This little guy was hanging out today- he was so funny making all these sounds. I dind't want to bother him too much so I snapped a few shots and let him be.

Hope all is well with everyone!!!