A wonderful cloudy drizzle encircles my porch where I sit, looking out onto my garden.  Drizzle usually makes me want to walk but a sore knee says otherwise so I will relax and think about what I might have seen.

If I had walked through my garden to get to the woods, this Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis) certainly would have been seen.  Even now, I see its silently inching its way.  onto the garden path.  Asiatic dayflowers grow by steps.  The plant has a joint every few inches. When these joints touch dirt - "Voila!" new roots and it is one step further along its way.  Yes, I know it is a weed. It can quickly take over a bed choking out many beloved plants in its way but I always leave a few. I leave them to make me smile, first at its cheery little face and then, more deeply as I remember when they grew wild along the lane at the bottom of our hill.  They welcomed to my new home and new life as they sat comfortably with their feet in the water - their arms outstretched toward the lane.

If I traveled on through the Trinity Gate to mosey down one of the mowed paths, I would probably find myself on the gas line right-of-way. It is the most active place this time of summer. It is such an August spot. I have written about it before.  Most recently in MEADOW REVISITED but also a couple weeks before that in INTO THE MEADOW where things are starting to wind down for the summer.  Just about every leaf shows signs of munching as caterpillars of all kinds chomp their way through their metamorphous.   

If I held still, I probably would have seen a butterfly like this Spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) resting on these tangled vines.  

. . . or a caterpillar such as this unidentified (by me) who is enjoying a major meal.

Instead, I believe that I will sit here at my table beside the fountain on the library porch and enjoy the drizzle. I might even take a short road trip out  Carpenter Run to see what is happening this week along the road. I'm sure that this scene from two weeks ago has changed into something interesting.

Chicory and Queen anne's lace combine in perfect beauty.

 

----------------------

Describes a hundred-year history of  a meadow and the people and wildlife it possesses on the Colorado/Wyoming border.