Flowers, trees and shrubs have enjoyed fantastic growing conditions in our area this summer. Plenty of rain and warm days have made for colorful, and often overcrowded flowerbeds. Woods, fields and hiking trails are also lush and crammed full of healthy plants and foliage.
After so much rain I’m surprised there aren’t more signs of fungus and other diseases on my crowded plants. Everything looks remarkably healthy!
Of course the weeds are also having a banner year. I try to pull some every day, but I barely make a dent.
Unfortunately enjoying all the foliage and flowers hasn’t been as much fun. I didn’t hike a single time in July because it was either raining, excessively hot and humid or we were under an Air Quality Alert because of wildfire smoke drifting into Wisconsin from Canada. For those same reasons I couldn’t enjoy our screen porch as much as I usually do in the summer.
In early August we notched 8 days in a row of air alerts for conditions in the unhealthy for some or unhealthy for all categories. When it hits the “unhealthy for all” level, I often get a headache and scratchy throat if I spend time outside. Much of late July and early August felt like January (cooped up in the house!) but with better scenery.
Speaking of scenery, at least all that smoke was good for something. It made for some pretty photos:
