To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it. It was that day when the end of summer intersects perfectly with the start of fall. – Ann Patchett, award winning American writer (1963-)

The days will grow colder and shorter and our skin will once again be pale. – Sarah Maclean, romance, historical, young adult writer. (1978-)

Identifying with the writings of Gladys Taber in her book “Stillmeadow Daybook,” Here shares her thoughts of the August garden. “Our quiet garden definitely sags in August. Before we ever get all the spring bulbs attended to, the roses are all over everything and the Japanese beetles are there, and then my white pansies give up in the heat and the ivy border springs out over the gladstones and then the weeds come in where the lemon thyme is struggling. Succession bloom, Jill feels, would be a joy, but she needs four more hands and a couple of extra backs.”

Schools are starting, summer moves slowly, the garden slows down, the branches and vines hang limp, the tomatoes cease to ripen, the corn never did; nor did the eggplant. This was my first garden to plant so many different garden plants so I think maybe for fall and next year I’ll narrow down to plants that produced better. I think I overplanted vining vegetables that climbed over each other. Sometime in the next few days I’ll rip out plants that didn’t perform and probably leave tomatoes awhile.

Hanging plants are thriving. I don’t think they could have done any better. I’ve enjoyed them so watching hummingbirds and butterflies. I have never had so many butterflies. If you sit still and quiet, they might land on your shoulder, arm, or belly. I’ll miss this when summer season ends. There is a chance butterflies will stay. I don’t know if it will work or not but I ordered a butterfly house and attached to a post in the perennial garden. Even if it doesn’t work, it’s very pretty so I’ll like it there. The roof is a “A” frame with the front side open. It has a little door lowering like a gang plank. Inside are five dividers, close together, where presumably butterflies may winter. By opening the gang plank two little bitty “pools” are exposed, one will hold water, or a mushed fruit and the second smaller pool I added a bit of honey. Everyday the honey is gone. I hope it’s the butterflies feasting. When winter comes the little door will close.

Here in the Prairie house, we’ve been introduced to an unusual critter in the house and out. In the house we’ve discovered camel crickets. They have a few other names such as: spider crickets, criders, or sprickets. They are brownish-tan and have a hump back and long legs. Research shows they tend to jump directly at anything that startles them to scare off predators. Other than that, they are harmless. So far, we have only found deceased crickets with their legs amputated from what we can assume the credit goes to Wilhelmina, the cat. 

Seize the summer day while you may. The autumnal equinox marking the end of summer is September 23. 

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].

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