Summer Changeover and Too Much Water?

Spotted Bee Balm

 Wow!! What a drenching we have had over the last 2 weeks.  We actually have slime growing on the ground outside the garden where the water drains down our sloping lot.  Could we have too much water? After last year's drought, this year must be the complete opposite.

Our early flowers are almost gone by, but we are starting to get later flowers starting to bloom.  The Spotted Bee Balm that were very tiny when we got them are actually starting to blossom (see above). The Brown Eyed Susans are starting to show their buds.  We also found some hitchhiker Coneflowers that were tucked in with the Beardstongue Foxglove and the Anise Hyssop while we were doing some weeding.  We transplanted them and we'll see what color they actually are (my plant ID software said Orange Coneflower, but we'll wait to see what they really are).

Hitchhiker Coneflower

We have a rock wall that is around our patio and we found a really cool toad there.  I've never seen a black toad before - Does anyone know what kind of toad it is?  It has a non-spotted white belly and very few spots on its back.

We're also seeing many more insects around.  We are seeing Monarch Butterflies but so far no pictures  Here are several insects that I've managed to get a picture of.  I'm not 100% sure of what they are so looking for help with ID.

More Insects and a Toad

 

American Toad

Things are slowing down on the plant front.  The next to blossom will most likely be the Purple Coneflower.  However, the animals are starting to appear.  We found a small toad on the edge of the garden.  As you can see above, it is very prettily colored. We also have several Garden Ghost Spiders (see below).

Garden Ghost Spider

Green and Black Dragonfly

This dragonfly landed next to me on the patio.  I was fortunate to be able to grab a picture before it took off again.  It is beautiful, but I haven't been able to identify it yet.

Columbine

The Columbine blossomed and quickly went by.  Perhaps it was the heat.  I was lucky to get this picture because they have all gone by now.

New Jersey Tea

The NJ Tea bush is still progressing towards being fully opened.  There are several small bees/hornets buzzing around it but so far I haven't been able to get a picture of them.

General Update:  The longest lasting flower so far has been the Beardstongue, followed by the Anise Hyssop.  The NJ Tea also looks to be a contender for this.  Also the Rose Milkweed that wasn't looking so good has recovered and no is doing well.