Here Comes the Sun...

110 degrees in the shade

We had a record high temperature yesterday of 114º, easily surpassing the day's previous record of 107.


This morning it was 110º in the shade at 10:30am, on its way to another record high of 114º, for the second day in a row.

The sunflowers in our backyard are coping pretty well with the heat.

They are volunteer plants, growing from seeds that dropped from last year's plants.


We grow sunflowers to provide food for the birds (seeds and greens) and for the bees.

They also provide shaded areas and cover for the two Spiny Lizards that live in our yard, as well as the Shovel-nosed Snake .

There are red and yellow sunflowers growing in clusters on single plants, and some giant sunflowers that have just one flower at the end of a 7 to 8 foot tall stem.

















Lesser Goldfinches have been nibbling the large sunflower leaves, and leaving the lacy veins and stems. They eat the leaves in addition to the Nyjer Thistle seed we put out for them. The sunflower leaves are way less expensive than the thistle, so they can help themselves.

SUNFLOWER LEAVES NIBBLED BY GOLDFINCHES

"For myself I hold no preferences among flowers, so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous. Bricks to all greenhouses! Black thumb and cutworm to the potted plant!"   ~Edward Abbey