RAIN, RAIN, IT’S HERE TO STAY?

It’s been a long, hot, and dry summer. Morning temperatures were in the high 80’s. Plants looked tired and thirsty.  The zebra longwing butterflies were absent – maybe they were having a beverage on the Drive, but they were not diving into the passion vines looking for a date. The sulfur butterflies were around, but even they seemed to be waiting for better days.

Then the rain came- and came- and came- and came. The giant swallowtails and the pipevine swallowtails came back with their dramatic displays of black wings and bright yellow spots. The careful observer might be seeing an Atala flitting by or a hummingbird making a few more stops at the firespike bushes before heading south for the winter.

Fall is a glorious time, especially for the gardener who no longer walks through the garden with eyes downcast, finding weeds stuck between pavers or sticking up straight as if to defy the nimble fingers of a gardener who is determined to have a weed-free landscape – but always fails. It is a wonderful time to visit Wilton Manors Parks and enjoy the breeze and the “40 Shades of Green” – yes, this is a Johnny Cash song – that are the colors of our parks. While you’re there, browse through the little libraries, borrow a book and just read. By the way, the little red libraries are being painted to reflect the history of Wilton Manors and the peoples who have lived here from the Seminole Indians to an Apollo 7 astronaut.

Whatever your purpose and wherever you wander, take a minute, and go to a park. You might see a zebra longwing or a monarch; just make sure you are wearing your umbrella hat in case it rains.