Early Heat, Little Rain

With June already here, the effects of  an unusually warm May can be seen all through the landscape. Rain has been scarce also, so with days of temps into the upper 70s and low 80s, some plants are already showing the stress of excelerated growth combined with lack of water. My caltha have all but faded from the landscape, and the rhododendron and azalea show was much shorter than in past years when the spring was cool and wet. My iris flowered in a flash, hardly giving me enough time to enjoy their already fleeting show.

Insect populations are taking full advantage of the stressed plants and early warmth. Scale insect; aphids, mealy bug and all manner of sucking & chewing insects are off to stellar start, the wasps, ladybugs, and other predators scrambling to keep up with their exploding populations. Finally today rainfall of an inch has been predicted. Let's hope so, as we sure do need it.

An ornamental rubus doing it's thing in my yard...