My weird wisteria is at it again...

Don't ask me why. I've tried to figure it out to no avail. My wisteria thinks it's great to bloom in late August or early September after a full growing season. 

No matter how many times it's done it in the past, I'm still surprised when I come upon a bloom. The heady fragrance is fantastic... but somewhere deep in my head I know that scent belongs to the springtime.

There were years after I first put it in that it didn't bloom at all. I was dismayed and tried carefully not to over-prune it in the fall or winter so it would bloom in the spring.

It didn't work.

The first time it finally bloomed was in the autumn with all it's gorgeous green leaves still intact. I should have known that was a portent of years to come.

The past couple of years, the silly thing has decided to bloom twice a year. Yes... TWICE. And it isn't a prolific bloomer for either the spring or late summer/early fall blooms. I get a few clusters and that's it.

I always had visions of a wisteria like my mother's. Hers grew huge on a latticed pergola with the massive bluish-purple clusters hanging down through the lattice to brush my head as I walked under them causing the petals to flutter down at my feet.

Yes... that was my vision. But that isn't what I got.

Instead, I got a weird wisteria that does things completely out of sync from what wisteria is supposed to do.

It shouldn't surprise me though. I do pretty much the same thing. *wink*

The hummingbird calls from the winter wisteria

I hear him before I see him.

His tiny chirp

Easily missed by unaware ears.

He sits atop a leaf-bare vine

Singing to the mid-day sun.

Weird Wisteria and Territorial Dragonflies

Even though it's a scorcher of day outside, I had to go out and photograph my weird wisteria and share. I don't think I've ever known a wisteria to bloom twice in a year. It bloomed earlier this spring and then I guess it's decided that it's time to bloom again. This is such an odd wisteria. I've had it for over five years and it's only bloomed once before this--in September of 2006. Maybe it's making up for lost time? Regardless of the wisteria's weirdness, Mr. Bumblebee seems quite happy at the unseasonable bloom.

While I was photographing the wisteria, I noticed this gorgeous dragonfly buzzing around the pond. Usually we have more dragonflies than we do this year, so it was a pleasant sight to see. It lighted on one of the drip-mist heads on the edge of the pond and let me get very close for some shots (click on the image to enlarge).

The only time it would fly away was when another dragonfly would come flying around the pond. Then this one would take off and chase the other dragonfly away. Once the trespasser was gone, my subject would light on the sprinkler head again. It was quite interesting to witness this territorial display. I'm used to hummingbirds being like this but not dragonflies, as they usually hunt in a cooperative darting canopy on summer evenings over the garden.

I sat back in my chair under the plum tree only a foot or two from the brave little dragonfly and watched. Over and over, I would see the other dragonfly come into the pond area. If the trespasser stayed behind a screen of one of the potted plants, my subject would stay content on the sprinkler. But as soon as the trespasser came within my subject's line of sight, it would take off and chase the trespasser away--over and over, again and again.

So maybe this is why we don't have as many dragonflies this year.

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