Bulbs, acorns, accidental melon, and butterflies

The number of acorns that drop from our oak trees varies from year to year, but this year the one in front has dropped a comical number of them. I believe that it has been--and I am not exaggerating--tens of thousands of acorns. You walk across the lawn and you slip and slide; it feels like walking on ball bearings. Nary a falling leaf to be seen yet, naturally, as the tree wants to send out its seeds before blanketing them protectively. But that's coming!

I don't know whether you can see all the acorns, shining a bit in the grass and garden bed on Oct. 12.

Here's a closer look. And there have been a lot more that fell after that!

I have not paid much attention to the acorns falling in the back, because of our backyard renovation.

Every year I stress about planting bulbs because they need to go in the ground just when I'm freaking out about finishing the Halloween costumes. This month I did a couple very long weekend days of gardening, and got the bulbs in the ground in just one day! (One seven-hour day that left me very sore, but at least it was done). I planted the following, all in front because again, the back looks temporarily like armageddon:

• Narcissus Prom Dance (12)
• Crocus Tommasinianus (50)
• Ipheion Constellation Of Blue Stars (50, all in front of the sign posted in the garden with our house #)
• May Day Bouquet Hyacinth Mixture (30)

Above is the front yard on Oct. 7. Note how gorgeous everything looks on the bottom right: the lantana has taken off close to the steps and above the geraniums, and the gomphrena also became substantial and beautiful close to the driveway.

I tried to divide the darned iris just to the left of the steps as you're looking above, and boy was that a chore. I ended up using a shovel, trowel, and knife to hack off a sadly small piece of it that I replanted close to the driveway, but who knows whether it will survive?

We finally got to harvest our small accidental melon on Oct. 4! Truth be told, it did not have much flavor, but it was a truly lovely color, and Emma ate the whole thing.

With warm weather lasting through the middle of the month, we've had a lot of butterflies.

Monarch and painted lady on the lantana

Painted lady

Monarch