This week in my garden - August 11

Smallflower Groundcherry
I have been watching my newly discovered Smallflower Groundcherry every time I go walk in the back wood. After coming back from vacation for two weeks, I was excited to see a small bloom on it.

And just a few days later, the bloom seems to be turning into, maybe, a small fruit?

I'll keep an eye on it over the next few weeks to see what develops!

The flower hangs upside down on the plant

And here is a nice article about groundcherries: https://www.backyardnature.net/n/h/physalis.htm

Gulf Coast Toads

We have been hearing a lot of frog song from my tiny pond recently. When I checked in on them this morning, I found two toads (Gulf Coast Toads, according to iNat). But, upon closer inspection, realized that there were actually three toads. 

The larger toad had a smaller toad on its back. A quick google search informed me that the smaller toad is the male, waiting for the larger female toad to release her eggs, so he can fertilize them externally. So, I am guessing that I might soon have some more tad poles in the pond :)

Flame Leaf Sumac

Our flame leaf sumac is in bloom. Hopefully that is a sign that summer is coming to an end, and fall will soon be here. 

Rain

An unexpected rain shower in August in Texas is a glorious thing!!

We had an unexpected thunderstorm yesterday afternoon. We had some thunder, and even lost power for a bit. This was a very localized cell. I always feel like we are under a rain dome, with the storms hitting all around us. But yesterday, we were the beneficiary. I don't think we got the 1.77 inches that someone in Oak Hill reported, but I believe we got half an inch!  Everything looks very happy right now.