Nature's Revenge

For those of you who haven't visited lately, here's what we get for being away from the Butterfly Garden for 3 weeks. Roses and everything else choked with weedy vines... wild grape and morning glory. This is bad as they shade, smother, and take the water. They have to be pulled out from the base by hand and then stripped out of the rose branches.
Really nasty work, especially with fire ants and on one of our typical Houston summer mornings.

It seems not many of the joggers, walkers, plant pilferers, and other passers by, are "forgetting" to stop and pull many out. But other than this, the garden looks surprisingly healthy, all things considered. The almost total lack of butterflies must be due to the winter cold and the ongoing drought. The next Garden Work Day is scheduled for Aug 12 and will be badly needed. You can double click these pictures to enlarge if you choose.