And the clouds break today for flowers!

 It is wonderfully breezy but warm, no need for second shirt layer at all, even considered not wearing heavy socks but they're extra padding for walking.

So garden was done in two trips due to having to cook this morning so I used the last of the fertilizer on everything and watered lightly because I was cooking and had to get back upstairs. Got back down around 4:30 and watered the raised bed and south bed better.

The lantana is blooming downstairs and it reminds me how much I love the flowers for the multiple colors. Just love it when they open yellow, turn orange then pink/red and all the colors are on the bush at the same time. I think this one is Radiation now that I think of it and is one of the more vibrant ones. There are pastel colors and all yellow or all red orange... great tough plant and despite it being a drought tolerant bush and loving sun, this one is doing really well. Despite being hacked back a few months ago. 

The Jacarandas are late this year. This is the one outside my window around the corner and there's one across the street at the front of the complex just starting to bloom as well. May is usually prime blooming season and even the news covered that they were late this year. The skies today are wonderfully blue with patchy puffy clouds. By the time I am writing this the haze is starting to creep back in from the west turning the sky a more dusty pale blue.

The Watsonia is done for the season. All the flower stems are bloomed out and actually a few have some seed pods forming. Since it is a tuber taking seeds is a multi year process from planting to blooming so as much as I would like to try it, not worth the hassle.

 

One thing that I noticed as I was watering in the evening was several hoverflies and at least one, maybe two small houseflies visiting the coriander flowers. It was hard to get a still photo of the hover flies because they rarely settled down in one spot (hence the name) but they were all visiting the flowers and pollinating them willy nilly. 

 

 I also discovered a near microscopic inch worm on one of the leaves. I thought I got a still of it but it's almost the same color as the leaves so I got video of it moving. I gently cut the flower head off with my fingers then went and put it in the green compost bucket. I'll have some food but it won't be on my plants.

So pollinators aren't always just bees, butterflies, moths and hummingbirds. Those hover flies and house flies were definitely lapping up the nectar and pollen in those flowers. So I'll be having lots of seed for next year.

Almost messed up the seeds in the north bed though. That bed got plenty of water but I had to dig in a corner to double check. Might have disturbed a few seeds in front of the left tomato but if they all germinate it's not a big deal. Since it warmed up today and continue being warm it should be perfect weather for them.

So yay for cloud break!