Spring plants are taking a backseat to the summer now! Summer bloomers are getting big and bloom buds are showing up in anticipation of July. Following the notes below, there is a section of June photos and then videos.
June Notes
- We are starting to see wonderful firefly displays at night! This is so much fun to watch but it also is satisfying as an indicator of good habitat.
- Vegetables are planted: sweet potato, peppers, and tomatoes. The pea trellis is loaded with peas!
- Bed editing is in process. Two or three beds were being overtaken by an invasive grass, so we got most of that removed mechanically (probably will continue to fight it). We also removed a patch of variegated Solomon’s seal (non-native and very aggressive). In several spots we are removing Canada anemone (great ground cover but very aggressive). This removal has created space for new plants (some from winter sowing, some division/transplanting, and some purchased)
- We are finishing an up date to our plantings around the front sidewalk. We took out a some non-native evergreens and added in native bush honeysuckle, smooth hydrangea, purple love grass and a selection of red cedar.
- Looks like we lost our common boneset to the drought last year… bummer!
- Although we did not spot the butterfly, we have our first Monarch caterpillars of the year!
Growing Degree Days
“Growing Degree Days are a measurement of the growth and development of plants and insects during the growing season. Development does not occur at this time unless the temperature is above a minimum threshold value (base temperature). The base temperature varies for different organisms. It is determined through research and experimentation.” (The Ohio State Phenology Calendar glossary page) We did a post on phenology last year. Check out the OSU Phenology Calendar to see what is happening in your area!
June Flower Photos
It is a little surprising to recognize how much white is blooming now.
Purple milkweed and Butterfly Weed (another milkweed) are coming in now… especially Purple milkweed. We are very happy about this because for some reason we have spotty luck with milkweeds… go figure. One of our Butterfly Weeds is a yellow blooming variation, which Gale Martin at Natives in Harmony says happens periodically.
Most of our coral honeysuckle is waning but this vine we transplanted last year is still in its re-establishment spurt.
Finally, Bush’s Coneflower is opening up. It is an echinacea that blooms yellow, hence the name Echinacea paradoxa.
Landscape Videos
On June 12, 2025 when these videos were made, the growing degree days here was 1,002. For context, the 20 year GDD average for Delaware on this date is 941 and in recent years it has been:
- 2024: 1,197
- 2023: 962
- 2022: 1,005
- 2021: 983
Upper Level (6.12.2025)
Swale (6.12.2025)
Southwest Corner (6.12.2025)
Southeast Corner (6.12.2025)
Video and photos by Randy Litchfield unless otherwise noted
© Randy Litchfield, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
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