late spring

My garden has lots of pink checkered lilies (fritillaria).  One white specimen has appeared (I swear it wasn't there last year) and matching it is our cat Whitey, who always wants to be part of the picture.

It has been cold this year, with a big slush storm hitting us last Saturday, May 18!  Although we are all grumbling about the freezing weather, it has meant that the tulips and daffodils have flourished much longer than normal.  It's the heat, not the cold, that brings them to their knees.
The picture below is taken out my basement window.  I was struck by the three depths of field:  up close, around the tree, and a big bed in the back, all blooming like crazy.

Last weekend there was a free-for-all at Vanco Farms, a commercial tulips grower east of Charlottetown.  The public was invited to walk the long rows of brightly coloured flowers, and the money collected was donated to a local charity.

the red menace returns

The dreaded scarlet lily beetle was late to appear this year, and I thought I had been granted a reprieve.  But unfortunately, not true.  In an attempt to foil the little buggers, I punished the victims and  pulled out all my lilies last year. But they just happily went on to chomp on the fritillaria.  They are back this year, breeding and munching away very happily. The problem is huge right across the country, and solutions are not yet forthcoming.  There is talk of introducing a predator wasp that will attack only this type of beetle, but tests are still being carried out to make sure the solution does not become another potential problem in the future.  For more info about the beetle, visit http://lilybeetletracker.weebly.com/

Thanks to my lovely husband Wayne for taking these great close-up shots.