Nature Notes: August on the Balcony

The summer heat has definitely cooled this month, despite it beginning with a heatwave. That broke with a few fantastic thunderstorms and heavy downpours. It’s a much more manageable sort of temperature now.

I’m not sure the plants necessarily appreciate quite how blustery it now is, though, especially the wildflowers. They seem happy enough, with more and more blooming. They’ve been joined by a couple of herbs and an alpine strawberry plant which had previously lived in this particular tub. M had thought them dead and removed them for the wildflowers, but apparently there was still sufficient life left in them to regrow.

And the bee hotel is still attracting new visitors. Or perhaps it’s the various bee-friendly flowers. I doubt it’s the spider which keeps trying to set up its web across the front of the hotel and around the plant pots beside it.

Nothing much else has happened with the balcony. We haven’t added to it this month, or done anything particular with the plants. The herbs have provided additional flavour to food – I especially like using the chives in pizza dough.