With the official arrival of summer I'm seeing....

Today, according the calender, summer has officially arrived.
I'm starting to see a few of these...

 

                                                                          Praying Mantis 

 And...

too many of these... Not good! Considering the plague of an invasion last summer, ...and the mild winter...not a good sign. I'm already starting to see leaf damage.

The Hydrangeas are putting on an awesome show!  They are somewhat wilty with the hot weather, but perk up in the mornings and evenings when it is cooler. We could use some cooler weather now. Today it is 90 degrees and humid. Still, the hydrangeas have been blooming profusely. I'm able to enjoy them outdoors and indoors.

Even the BoBo Hydrangea that I got at the JMU Arboretum this spring is trying it's best to perform.

 At only a foot tall, five of the eight stalks have tiny little merging flowers.

Then there is the Miss Kim dwarf  lilac. It was loaded with blooms in April...Showy and fragrant. Afterwards, I dead headed and trimmed to shape it.

 Now...

it's flowering again.

It's not flowering as profusely...nor...

are the flowers themselves as full and showy. But, an interesting first experience for me in the world of gardening. Thus, summer officially begins.