I enjoy the blooms of this purple mum every year from mid-July until frost without fail. It's hands-down the longest-blooming and prettiest mum I have ever grown.  I received a division of this mum from my good friend Sue.  Sue is glad that I grow it at my house, just in case something unforeseen happens to her plant, because it's very special to her.

The mum was a gift sent for Sue's sister Pat's funeral service several years ago; so it is a memento as well as a mum.  Pat died from cancer, and although Pat's life was short, she lived a very interesting  one. Although originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin, Pat spent a great deal of her life in Basin View, New South Wales, Australia. She loved the outdoors and was always up for an adventure and trying something new. And she is still missed.

So between Sue and I, we make sure we keep this beautiful mum constantly blooming.

September 21st in Wisconsin and this gorgeous daylily is still blooming. Coral Majority is one of my late-bloomers that starts at the end of July when most of the other daylilies are winding down. The color is almost indescribable -- not red, but not truly coral either. It's sort of fluorescent. Your eyes are definitely drawn to it. And to think I didn't even like it the first year I had it! The plant took a year or two to settle in to its full potential. The hybridizer plant information says that it grows 33" tall, but honestly, this plant grows almost 5 feet tall in my garden. Positive note - It is very happy. Not-so positive note - Now it's too tall and has to be dug up and moved to a different location! Does this scenario sound familiar to all you gardeners out there?

Just last week these three fawns and their mother snuck up on me while I was working in my flower garden. I had an eerie feeling that I was being watched. I quickly turned around and there the four of them were about 20 feet away. Naturally I didn't have my phone or camera with me, and off they ran.

I have enjoyed watching the triplet fawns all summer, and I've been trying to get a photo ever since they were born last May. Seems like every time I see them I don't have my camera or phone with me, I can't get all of them into one frame, or they are moving way too fast. I had all but given up!  But when I got home last Thursday evening at about 6:30 pm, lo and behold, there they were -- taking a nap in our backyard. (Mom was watching them from the treeline.) I finally got my opportunity.

Over the years I've seen lots of twin fawns, but never triplets until this year. After doing a little research I found out triplets can be a sign of a very healthy deer population. Imagine that! Approximately 12% percent of does will bear triplets when deer numbers are in balance with high-quality habitat.

Did you know that twin and triplet fawns are not necessarily sired by a single buck? Research has shown that 20 to 25% of twin fawn sets are sired by two different bucks. Recently, the first case of "multiple paternity" in a set of triplets - meaning three different sires - was documented by researchers at Auburn University in Alabama.

Sometimes multiple does and whitetail deer fawns will group together. Interestingly, the area where the fawn is born normally becomes its adult habitat. So, it looks like I shouldn't abandon my "Liquid Fence" deer repellent applications just yet. Hopefully, I can start training them young to stay away from my flowers!!

American Green Tree Frogs
In August these little critters appear in my daylily garden. They take residence in, on, and around the daylily blooms. They have little suction cups on their feet that hold them in place for hours, sometimes days. They hide and wait patiently for mosquitoes, flies, and other insects to land or fly by so they can have a tasty meal. I have to be very careful while deadheading the flowers each day so as not to disturb any of these tiny creatures.

Trivia: Most of the frogs I find are one inch or less, but green tree frogs can grow up to two and one-half inches long and are often found in small ponds, large lakes, marshes, and streams also can be found at night in a backyard swimming pool. We have a nearby creek, so I'm sure that's where they hang out. The little frogs tend to be nocturnal, and in captivity they will be the most active once the lights are off.  We sure enough hear them calling at night when the windows are open! These frogs are the state amphibian of Georgia and Louisiana.