On Dasher, On Skimmer, On Darner...uh...Blitzen?

Reading aloud the names of several common dragonflies sounds kind of like an Insect Santa calling his reindeer. All he needs is Rudolph, the Neon Skimmer to lead his pack...

This little fella -- a Blue Dasher, I believe -- was perched in the backyard and let me get close enough for this great shot:



I got this book as a gift a couple of years ago and really love it. Check it out, if you're a Southern gardener and a fan of dragonflies.

Jungle Fever

Yeah, I'm in Texas.

For awhile there, I was in doubt. Now...no. It's been 100° for a week, and we've got at least another week more to go.

That's all right, though. Everybody was expecting the heat to come. Sure as Karl Rove's resignation, we knew it would happen eventually.

Ok, here's a picture that begs a question similar to "do these pants make my butt look big?"

I'm wondering: does my backyard look jungle-y? I think it kind of does. (Although it's still not as obnoxious as it was a couple of years ago.)



The crossvine has gone crazy. The coleus are out of control. And I went a little nuts when I saw Home Depot finally got their Plumerias in.

Again, I'm pretty much fine with it. The drought is officially over in North Texas and I seriously doubt we will experience this kind of lush growth again for awhile. So, jungle-looking backyard? C'mon down.