On the Homefront: May and June Flowers

So much has been going on in my life lately that I never got the chance to post my photos of the flowers blooming in our yard over the last two months.  Oh well, better late than never, right?  In addition to the beautiful magnolia blossom pictured above, daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.) and chrysanthemums have flowered and gone:

These mums flowered unusually early this year, like a lot of our other perennials.

Our one and only butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) burst forth in all of its orange glory, and is still flowering:

Colorful lantana (Lantana camara 'Miss Huff') is in bloom as well:

Scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma) blossoms are attracting hummingbirds, as are trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) flowers:

The potted pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) on our deck, which flowered unusually early this year, is also attractive to hummingbirds:

This fragrant herb has just recently stopped flowering, probably due to the intense heat we are experiencing now, but will most likely bloom again in late summer, which is the normal time of year for this plant to bloom.

Potted catmint (Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low'), a favorite with bees, continues to blossom:

Our butterfly bush (Buddleja sp.) is flowering vigorously, much to the delight of the local butterfly population:

A few morning glories (Ipomoea purpurea) have made an appearance already as well:

We also had an interesting visitor on our porch ceiling in May:

This unusual creature is a Pandora Sphinx Moth (Euphorma pandorus).  Females lay their eggs on the leaves of grapevines (Vitis spp.) or Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), both of which are abundant on our property.

A lot of our flowering plants will go dormant as the heat of midsummer descends upon us.  However, a few hardy species will continue to flourish in spite of the weather as long as they get a little water now and then, and I will continue to post their pictures as the season progresses.  Just like last year, a long, hot summer is predicted for our part of Georgia, but I'm hoping that we will at least get a little more rain this time.  Meanwhile, I will avoid the heat in the middle of the day and dream of cooler fall temperatures to come!