A Plague of Mosquitoes.

8-9-09 VERMONT: We had Alison’s family here for this weekend, and they’re due back next weekend with up to three dozen friends—yes, three dozen. It’ll be OK as long as they stay out of the gardens.

August started with 0.9 inches of rain, and then there were three or four dry days! Now, of course, it’s raining.

I cleaned the culvert again, repaired a section of the pond bank that had eroded, filled more dog dug holes and weeded. The mosquitoes are out, hungry and frequent. All the rain has left standing water for the bugs to breed, and the bats, big bug eaters, have largely died from white nose disease. The swallows are swooping and, well, swallowing bugs, but plenty of bugs are left to bedevil us.

New blooms: white star clematis, black eyed susan, potentilla has been out, but I forgot to mention it two weeks ago.


Water lilies appear to enjoy the rain.