Tree Frog

Cute, isn't he?  Or is that she?  I wouldn't know how to tell, not that this little creature would have put up with my checking.  I came home to find this Upland Chorus Frog sitting on the edge of a large terracotta pot on the front porch.  The edge of the pot is 1/2 inch wide, so that gives a sense of how tiny it is.  Looking at the linked website, they don't grow much larger.  So, tonight I listen to hear for "its call, the slow ascending scale of the sound of a finger running up a comb, Creeeeeeeeeek."

Reds in August

With the intense sunshine the garden gets during the summer, dark or intense colors work best.  Those light yellows and blues that are so appealing in the spring get washed out when the sun is ramped up.  Also, since I spend more time looking out at the flowers from the inside a cool house, they are much easier to see.

Yet, this modest Oxblood Lily, Rhodophiala bifida, hides near a peony bush and is only up for a short time.  Researching its history, it is originally from Argentina, and was planted by settlers all across Texas.  This one was planted six years ago, and has fought to keep going since one of the furry plant eaters likes the leaves, sapping its energy.  But it is tough.

Also tough, and quite visible from the house is this hardy Hibiscus, "Robert Fleming."  I dug out a large clump of roots from the now shady place where it was growing.  I moved it to the South side of the labyrinth, in a very sunny and visible space.  It has been blooming all summer, with lots of flowers. I suspect it has also be browsed by our new deer, but the new individual pickier in eating habits, so there is a lot less damage.