Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 72

SINGING IN THE GARDEN
The Wondrous Urgency of it All
To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. -Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Text and art by GINNY NEIL
B
y the end of July and all
the way through August
the tomatoes, which I
have severely overplanted,
are holding me hostage
in my kitchen. Pick,
blanch, peel, can. Pick, blanch, peel, can. The
urgency of the harvest season defines my days.
Finally, there is a break so I sneak off into the front
forty where the goldenrods are beginning to stretch up to
the sky. They won't be in full bloom for another couple
of weeks, but in late summer they hold a wonder that
gives me a perfect excuse to escape the hot kitchen.
I wade into flowers almost as tall as I am. I'm look72
BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
ing for golf ball shaped overgrowths:
goldenrod galls. The bulging spheres
lodged in the leggy stems remind me
of a rat snake I once caught in my henhouse
working on digesting an egg.
If I were to cut one of the galls in half
it would reveal a spongy, lemon-colored center with a
wriggly larva curled up in the middle: a goldenrod gall
fly. These tiny insects rely on Canada goldenrod (Solidago
canadensis) in the same way that monarch butterflies depend
on milkweed. They are species-specific critters.
In the spring, a tiny female gall fly chooses exactly the
right stem by walking around tasting various possibilities
with her feet and antenna. What does a good site taste

http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM

Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022

Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 3
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 4
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 5
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 6
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 7
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 8
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 9
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 10
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 11
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 12
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 13
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 14
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 15
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 16
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 17
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 18
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 19
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 20
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 21
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 22
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 23
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 24
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 25
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 26
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 27
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 28
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 29
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 30
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 31
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 32
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 33
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 34
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 35
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 36
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 37
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 38
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 39
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 40
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 41
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 42
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 43
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 44
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 45
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 46
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 47
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 48
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 49
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 50
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 51
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 52
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 53
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 54
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 55
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 56
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 57
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 58
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 59
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 60
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 61
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 62
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 63
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 64
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 65
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 66
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 67
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 68
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 69
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 70
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 71
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 72
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 73
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - 74
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country July/August 2022 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-march-april-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/brc-jf-2025
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-nov-dec-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-sept-oct-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-july-august-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-may-june-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-march-april-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2024
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-november-december-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-sept-oct-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-july-august-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-may-june-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-march-april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-november-december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-september-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-july-august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-may-june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/BlueRidgeCountryMarchApril2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCND21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCSO21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brcja21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_11_12
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130708
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com