It's a nice time of year, at least for fruity edibles (the heat and humidity are rather oppressive).

The black raspberries are just starting to ripen, and there seem to be many this year. The cherries on the tree closest to the house (the one that can be seen right out my windows) are also ripening, or ripe (not sure if they get sweeter or stay sour). I just ran into a few small but sweet and tangy wild strawberries in the lawn to the East side of the house; actually the plants are all over the place, so I should start looking for more.

Apples are growing on the red and green trees in front of the house. And I think I saw a small plum on a recently planted tree next to the driveway.

The peonies are actually just coming to the end of their blooming period, which I believe started about a week or a week and a half ago. They were beautiful this year - I guess they always are but I seemed to notice them more than usual. The lillies just started opening a few days ago, with a larger number opening now; especially the ones between here and the chicken house. Though I worry that these are being over run by some new weed with small, bunched white flowers and many-lobed leaves - I guess we'll see next year how the lilies do. It seems the weed flowers a little earlier than the lilies, so maybe they won't compete with each other too much. There also seems to be much wild rose this year - they have small, uni-layered, white flowers, though I believe they bloomed several weeks ago.

Amazingly enough, I found some of my grandmother's "money plants" growing again at the NW corner of the house where they used to grow. I thought they had been all wiped out, but there are at least five plants again, very exciting. Her jack-o-lantern or "pumpkin" plants were taken over by lilies many years ago. There are many broadleaf ferns growing just to the West of the money plants, along the side of the house where it is wet - they have been succeeding for some years now, but they are very bushy this year and cover that patch of ground completely; they are even competing with the lilies at the corner. The grass in the front has really taken off and is lush and green. There is some crab grass in spots, but I think the lawn grass will take it over this year or the next. The clover is starting to come up too, and the clover by the garden is about an inch high; doing very well and starting to look like a carpet.