You have been sending the leftovers of your rain up to me the past week. It’s hit and miss here though with all these little dots on the radar. I got about 3 inches. Great weather for planting some more things. I haven’t seen a single Gulf Fritillary yet. Wonder where they are. It’s a great, early year for Monarchs in my garden. Have also Black Swallowtail, Painted Lady, Tiger Swallowtail and Varigated Fritilary caterpillars.

Right there with you Tom. Just emptied out the rain guage....again. We've gotten 14.5 inches since it started a week ago Sunday. Up until that point, we'd only had 3.5 inches all year.

I'm not complaining either and my plants certainly aren't either :)

The butterflies relish any sun that we get between the torrential downpours.

I'm in Miami FL., and I don't know how much rain we've gotten, but it's been a lot. The grass is really big, but we really need the rain. I haven't seen to many butterflies yet, not like last year, which is kind of strange. I have seen a lot of the little ones in the grass, more than ever.

We got 6+ inches (rain gauge holds 6" and it was overflowing) in 1 hour this afternoon! That makes 24" in 12 days.

Here's what 6 inches in an hour looks like. There are pretty deep swales under all that water that filled up before flooding the street. This was taken around 3:15.

I was wondering about you, Rhonda. I saw that you were getting rain. 24 inches in 12 days is extraordinary. You are going to get more this weekend and Monday. There has to be some major flooding that has happened or will happen near you.

We didn't get anything yesterday, Today looks like more rain--loving it.

I live in Sweetwater FL, across from FIU south. I used to live in a townhouse up to 2002, we would get out street flooded all the time, but water never got into the townhouse. We had townhouse in front of townhouse, parking to the sides. A couple to times, our street would have about 2 1/2 feet of water. In 2002, we bought a house on the other side of Sweetwater, and have yet to experience any type of flooding. FEMA made use get a flood insurance, even though we've never had a flood issue. Today it has been pouring most of the day.

Oh Iris I am so jealous! They're so beautiful! I miss my bee balm :( It just melts in Florida's heat and humidity.

Rhonda, I am used to them spreading sideways in all kinds of directions, but these are now at least 5 feet. Well, don’t ever trust the labels. I do love them though. Whenever it is not raining,it is fun to go outside. Seems in this weather the smells are a lot stronger? Sounds weird, but going out one door the common milkweed smell is hitting you on the head. And the Elderberry smells so good walking by. Both have been there for years. As I said, weird. I am not the one to stop and smell the roses in the first place.

I second what Rhonda said. Jealous because we can't grow them here in Florida and they sure look beautiful, Iris.

Tom,

We're doing ok here. We got 27 inches in total from the 13th through the 27th. Its funny that we got it all before Alberto was to dump tons of rain. We got maybe 15 minutes of rain yesterday and the sun was out for quite a while.

I do think that the ground has about soaked up its limit though as the swales aren't completely draining now and the grass (which is getting crazy tall) is spongy. It will be a while before it can be mowed.

The last three days we had little rain. Was able to mow the lawn on Friday. I’m out of town now and worrying about the garden. Are you seeing lots of butterflies now?

Tom, I've been in Paris (Texas lol) since Thursday for a wedding (did the pics) and am flying home this afternoon.

Joe said we've gotten little rain since I left and he was able to mow as well.

He told me that the butterflies have been very active, especially the monarchs and frits. They're the only ones he knows by name :)

I'm sure that your gardens will be fine until you return and that your butterflies and hummers are enjoying the sun. Safe travels, my friend.

Rhonda

Got home late last night, so, the first thing this morning I looked out the window at dawn and the bronze fennel right under my window was almost gone! A few hours later I was able to spot a bunch of large black swallowtail cats eating the nubs of the branches. I went out a few minutes later and relocated all of them to my other fennels. I now have over thirty large cats munching down on three different fennels--two large green ones and one medium-sized bronze.

I saw two hummingbirds chasing each other when I finished the relocation. One came within a foot of me and settled on a branch about three feet away. She is a juvie, I believe. She then started feeding on my large white cestrum, which is starting it's second bloom cycle.

Checked the weather reports and it's supposed to rain hard for the next four days. Looks like northern Florida, much of Alabama and Georgia are going to be very wet today and tomorrow.

Tom,

Sounds like you had a wonderful day!! I wish I was closer and I would come steal some of your cats for my fennel and parsley :) I did see a black swallowtail checking it out a few times today so maybe I'll see some soon.

It hasn't been a good year for me so far. I think most of the wild milkweed I see driving hasn't even bloomed yet, but mine are beginning to. The rain has put us behind around here. I saw a Comma or Question Mark in the garden center. I'm hoping for a turnaround

Two full months of it has squelched most of the flowering,
because salvias, which are most of my flowering plants,
in mud decline into permanent spindlly uselessness.
Adjacent porterweeds are well.

I have to think that the aquifers must be replenished by now.