A lot has happened in the garden since my last update in May. Flowers have blossomed and gone to seed, and now that we’re in August, butterflies are everywhere.

Everything starts out so fresh and clean in June, and by August things are looking pretty raggedy. But August is when the butterflies are laying eggs. Soon it will be caterpillar season and I’ll have to be patient with the spent plants — I’ll want to rip them out, but you never know when butterflies might be pupating under leaves. In a few weeks I’ll find chrysalises dangling from porches and fences, and then the new butterflies will be out drying their wings before their first flight. That’s worth letting plants hang out in the garden past their prime.

Until then, here are some photos from the summer.

I post photos and butterfly updates more frequently on my gardening blog, if you’re into butterflies and gardening.