Shivering Starbucks Espresso Dreams

Spiderwort

Vomit, Bumblebees, Spiderworts and the Eastern Goldfinch

I had Starbucks espresso dreams last night- falling asleep for 10 to 20 minutes before subconscious images bolted me awake with flashes of orange panic. It didn’t help that an unnamed someone set the A/C to 69 degrees Fahrenheit before going to bed, so in the middle of twitchy espresso dreams, I would cough uncontrollably and fetal position my body under the heavy comforter. Perhaps drinking espresso before bed was the cause.

Although I shivered through much of the night, I was still pleased it was a cool breezy morning in the garden because only a few minutes before switching on the coffee machine and then skipping off barefoot into the great outdoors, my cat vomited twice after apparently eating grass according to my interpretation of the vomit. After vomiting for the first time, he must have been hungry, because he scarfed his food so quickly that he immediately ejected the contents on to the floor for a second time.

“Reflect on your behavior,” I told his furry backside because he had once again returned to a bowl of his $57 a bag cat food for a third time and was eating quite aggressively. Does a cat ever reflect on his behavior? In my house, the answer would be “NO!” Rather he expects his owner to clean up his vomit after a habitual cycle of binge and purge.

Naughty kitty.

Once I made it past the vomit, I was graced enough to see the state bird of Iowa, an Eastern Goldfinch, and her mate perched on opposing branches of my phlox plant. The couple was enjoying a morning snack of Lady Beetles. The male was yellow like the color of an overjoyed shout, while she was coyly camouflaged- sporting dull earthy feathers offering her chicks protection and anonymity from predators.

After giving my flowers a drink and determining that I still need to buy one or two more Bigleaf Ligularia plants, I watched awkward bumblebees settle on moist delphinium leaves to drench their thirst building from yesterday’s wind and heat advisory. I often wonder what the large buzzers are thinking as they stray from flower to flower looking for the nectar that hits the spot.

The Spiderwort opens its blossoms in the morning, and its time-released beauty is a gift to the early riser. Many of the plants I have growing in my garden are Iowa prairie natives, vegetative magnets for both bumblebees and ruby-throated hummingbirds alike.