Helenium

The heleniums have just started to flower. They're one of my favourites - I love the combination of yellowy oranges and rusty reds, and they go on for ages. And the insects love them too. They're tolerating the dryness so far, but I think will start to protest eventually. We've probably lost my most favourite helenium, which was smothered by a large euphorbia in the spring, and is clearly not going to flower now. It had never been as vigorous as the other heleniums, but the flower colour was beautiful. Perhaps it'll just rest for a bit and re-emerge next spring, if I can hold the neighbouring euphorbia back.

Yesterday evening we paused during dinner to watch a sparrowhawk dismembering and eating a bird (unidentified) on the lawn - one of those gruesome but fascinating sights that occasionally show up in your back garden.