The Cat Days of Summer

The Dog Days of summer

The Dog Days of summer are typically the hottest and most humid times of the year so it makes perfect sense to me, that the coolest days should be called The Cat Days of Summer?

Lets write our congressmen :)

Dog Days usually usually fall between July and very early September but the actual days vary greatly from region to region. It depends the latitude and climate of the particular region. The term 'Dog days' has also been used to define a time period or an event that is very hot or stagnant.

It is believed this seasonal period originally was named Dog Days by the Ancient Romans. This is the period when the star Sirius, which is the brightest star that can be seen from Earth, is also known as the Dog Star. In ancient times It was also believed that the heat from Sirius increased the heat of the sun.



Evil Missy in the garden
;)

The Mayapple is also called a Devil's apple

American Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum


The Mayapple is also known as the Devil's apple, Hog apple, Indian apple, Umbrella plant, the Wild lemon, and American mandrake.

All the parts of the plant, except the fruit, are poisonous...

;)
I like May Apples...


According to history, Native Americans and early settlers originally used the rhizome of the mayapple for a variety of medicinal purposes. The plant grows in patches or colonies, usually in open woodlands.

Go here to see a beautiful mayapple photo.


I can't figure out why the May Apple is called May Apple...
the flower appears in early May, not the apple. The so called apple appears later during the summer and it is NOT even remotely related to apples. HA, How about that !!!!

I like May Apples.

The May apple is a perennial plant, native to the eastern part of North America. The stems grow to between 12 to 16 inches tall, with palmately lobed leaves that have 5-9 deeply cut lobes. The plant produces two forms. The ones with a single umbrella like leaf do not produce any flower or fruit. The plants that have a twin leaf structure bear a single small white flower with six to nine petals.

I like May Apples.



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Venus flytrap - meat eaters from Venus ??

Venus flytrap - meat eaters from Venus ??

Venus Flytrap
Dionaea muscipula


The first person to describe this plant was Governor Arthur Dobbs of North Carolina.
In 1763 , he originally named them 'Fly Trap Sensitive'. A few years later they became known as Venus Flytrap after specimens were sent to England. When studied it was the first plant ever suspected of being carnivorous. These teethy perennials, insectivorous 'carnivorous' plants, can live from twenty to thirty years.

Venus Flytraps lived naturally in boggy areas of North and South Carolina.
Because of people's fascination with these plants, they harvested so many of them they became endangered in their select habitats. Today, most Venus Flytraps are grown in greenhouses. Many nurseries sell the seeds and plants because of their unique habits. There are several varieties of the Venus Flytrap available.

The typical plant has long, thin teeth along the edge of the trap. Another common variety found in many nurseries is the Dente Flytrap. This variety has shorter and more pronounced teeth.

Other specialty varieties that are slowly becoming available are the Giant, Royal Red, Big Mouth, Red Piranha, Paradise and the Sawtooth. Another variety that is becoming available in some areas is the Red Dragon Flytrap, it turns completely red when grown in full sun.

Many gardeners find the specific needs of the Flytrap to be too demanding, for example they grown better outdoors, in a sunny location in containers and you must over-winter them in an unheated garage or basement area. Even while dormant, your flytrap will still need to sit in a small amount of standing water to prevent their soil from drying out. They are not very cold tolerant and do better in areas with little to no snowfall. You must have just the right - extremely specific - "bog" garden conditions if you are entertaining the idea of planting them in the ground.

If you decide to invest in one of these beautiful plants be sure and research them further. Keeping in mind potting soil and fertilizer will kill your Venus Flytraps.




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