Heat.

 6-6-21 SHORT HILLS: Mid-nineties today, and it’s hot, hot, hot and humid. Two weeks until the solstice arrives. I have been busy pruning. I also re-potted Judy’s famous ferns. The largest one was so big that I had to cut it into three pieces and repotted all three, so now there are five total ferns. 

We have been getting regular rain and have had another 0.85 inches over the past few days and nights. 

The house wrens are using the bird house and are busy flying in and out, presumably feeding chicks.

New blooms: southern magnolia, hydrangea, Asian holly.

I saw this handsome guy flitting around and thought he was a butterfly, but he is an Ebony Jewelwing, Calopteryx maculata, a damsel fly. The females are brown.

One of the House Wrens about to pop into her nest. They are very difficult to photograph because they are always moving, hopping from branch to branch.

Here's another pic of the St. John's Wort after an over night rain.

The lawn looks great this year. I use no fertilizer on the grass, just let the leaves remain in the fall, chopped up by mowing. Plenty of rain helps. Sun and shadow. 

Southern Magnolia makes big flowers. They open, almost one a day, for several weeks and each one lasts only about three days. This first one is on the tree top so I can't get the best pic until one opens lower down.