Predictably, with recent heat and humidity, powdery mildew has set into dogwoods (below). Regular spraying with a fungicide will prevent this for gardeners concerned with every little flaw, but there is no long term detriment, so why bother? Perfection is not a requirement in this garden.

A seedling Bottlebrush buckeye is long established beneath a River birch at the rear border of the garden. A second (below), planted along the shaded southern border, flowers two weeks earlier, though I would judge the degree of shade to be roughly equivalent. That a seedling shrub could grow large enough to be identified clearly shows the degree that this wetland area is maintained. It’s not, though the worst of brambles are occasionally chopped out.

Years ago, this area dried out enough to support witch hazel and an evergreen holly, but a mostly dormant spring came back to life, and today it ranges from swampy to damp, but is never dry. Recent deluges, with more rain on the way, will not be a problem for wetland shrubs that were planted after others failed.

While Tiger swallowtails remain scarce, bees, moths, and smaller butterflies are plentiful. Mountain mint (below) is nearly at peak bloom, which will attract pollinators for weeks to come.