Big Rain.

7-14-23 VERMONT: The big rainstorm from Monday caused severe damage and flooding many places in the state and the clean-up will take a lot of time and money. We had virtually no problems. 

Last night there was another storm, with lightning and wind, and tornado warnings that gave us another 0.5 inches of rain. The big storm dumped 4.65 inches on us. The forecast warns of possible T-storms everyday.

The area between the new, upper dam and the big pond is a swamp that gets swampier with each rain. It all drains into the big pond, which has had a layer of cloudy stuff on the surface. Judy did some searching on line and identified it as a biofilm. The film is not toxic or harmful, just unsightly. Nobody seems to have a clear cure, but barley straw pellets and lime are recommended. I have done both. 

The barley straw is an oxidizer that fights algae, and the lime is to raise the pH of the water. A lot of lime, 80 pounds, hasn’t changed the pH more than a tweak, at most. I think the swamp drainage might be a factor, so I am liming those areas. We’ll see.

New blooms: lambs ears, summer azalea, milkweed, evening primrose, phlox, blue-flowered hosta, hybrid daylilies.

Hybrid daylily. How about that color!

Or this color.

Here's the whole bed.

Asclepeas incarnata, a milkweed, on the pond bank, beloved of all insects, especially butterflies, and of the butterflies, especially the monarchs. Monarch larva are usually all over these plants eating the leaves. I haven't seen any monarchs yet this year.

A monarda, bee balm, with a gorgeous color. I planted it last year and apparently didn't realise how short it is, it might need a different spot, althpouigh it seems happy.