We were blessed with another inch of rain on Saturday. Fields are green and my fall perennials are smiling. This also makes for moist soils, and combined with the cool temps in the early mornings,  everything gets covered in a magical layer of dew. It is my favorite time of day. Morning dew on fresh new leaves and blooms – there is nothing better for me. You can almost see the plants growing with eagerness. Personally this even beats the beauty of ice crystals sparkling in the sun that I used to see in New England – on hard foliage frozen in time. That can look lovely too, but after 20 years of dealing with that bone chilling cold, I am happy to see tiny water droplets encapsulating the world around me at a crisp 67 degrees.   Here is some the enchantment that awaited me early Tuesday morning:

The whole field of grass covered in water. Sparkling in the sun.

The dew covered Artemesia almost looked like it’s encrusted in ice.

The Lantana looked lovely in it’s shroud of water.And this little wildflower looked like it was frozen in time.Woolly Butterfly Bush looked anything but wooly!

The blue blooms of Mystic Spires Salvia have gotten so much more intense with all the moisture.

And the Autumn Sage was just dripping.

Doesn’t the Four Nerve daisy look enchanting?

And I just can’t get over this Artemisia – it’s like an abstract work of art.

The blue from the Plumbago always has a lovely tendency to glow in the dusk or dawn light of day. Stunning!Nature brings us so many special, subtle gifts, if we take the time to look closely enough. Cooler temps are finally here and I am grateful.  Whew!