102 Degrees Already?

My Sky-Net style e-traffic robot tells me that you all loved the last bee balm picture, so here's another, now in bloom: Bee Balm var. Jakob Kline. The bees have been abusing it!

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In late May, we were 1" above average for rainfall. Barely 4 weeks later, we are nearly 1" below average. Air temperatures have consistently been in the mid-90s (and topped 100 today), with 70-90% humidity almost every day. With air quality warnings in the Northeast (and a 9-month old baby/toddler in my care), it's been an unexpected stay inside for the last few weeks. The good news is that if you water your plants, they sure do grow in this heat and humidity! Check out my garden plot today (below), vs. just a week ago.

We are eatin' some produce now!!!
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I've also had the chance to get out and explore some previously restored wetlands (part of my day job), which have ranged from relatively urban stormwater treatment wetlands, to restored bogs, to restored seasonal wetlands on agricultural lands. Unless the weather breaks, I'll be following up this post with a post about those restored wetlands....but here are a few shots...
5-year old restored wetland, designed to treat stormwater in Annapolis, Md. Project was a partnership between the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the South River Federation
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Blue Dasher dragonfly perched on an intentionally placed log in a restored bog
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Bullfrog hanging out in a dense stand of Parrotfeather about 10 feet away from the dragonflies. Coincidence? Unlikely. 5 minutes later, we saw a 48" water snake inhale a mature bullfrog. Ahhh, life.

Thanks for stopping by!