Butterflies, birds, and blooms

It's late August and the garden is changing. Let's take a walk through, and I'll show you what's happening these days.

 A butterfly on a zinnia in the cottage garden

 I was so glad to see these guys! They are monarch caterpillars, and there were two on this common milkweed plant, one on another common milkweed, and three on a butterfly weed (below).

 Annuals are the stars of the garden now - annuals are great for season-long bloom. Above, an annual rudbeckia

 I planted tall mixed zinnias from seed this spring. Love 'em; they are so colorful!

 Verbena bonariensis is a butterfly magnet! It's a self-sowing annual and it is interspersed throughout the gardens.

 An heirloom sunflower, planted from a sunflower mix from Seed Savers

 The rudbeckia vine is starting to show a lot of flowers.

 Kiss me over the garden gate, another self-sowing annual. Tall and colorful!

 The Supertunias ('Vista Bubblegum') have done, well, SUPER this year.

 These two pots started out on the front porch but the location wasn't sunny enough; moved to the deck, they're thriving.

 These on the potting shed usually look better, but heavy rains have taken their toll when they "poured" off this roof (there are no rain gutters on the shed).

 The phlox are re-blooming after being deadheaded.

 The coneflowers are fading. The goldfinches love sitting on them and eating the seeds.

 There are a few daylilies still blooming. This tall one is 'Autumn Minaret.'

 The elephant ears are getting big.

 I hope my mums will bloom till frost.

 The hostas are blooming now too.

 The hummingbirds continue to visit.

 The hummers and other birds, particularly wrens, seem to spend a lot of time in the honeysuckle.

Honeysuckle berries, beloved by birds

 Ligularia - a gift from a friend

 There are still a few clematis blooming (2nd flush)

 The Rose of Sharon is blooming now too.

Gone but not forgotten: Resurrection lilies - they bloomed for a week or so - they were gorgeous, and very fragrant - gone now for the year

The garden is changing. I strive to have something to enjoy in every season, although peak time is now past.