According to Tom Skilling, meteorologist extraordinaire, it's the 19th day with above normal temps here in Chicago. “It's been quite a July! Because of the strong sunlight this time of year, evaporation rates are at the year's high—averaging almost one-and-a-half-inches per week. That's why lawns and other plants turn brown when rains pass by. The hit or miss nature of summer,” he says. My pal Arlene sums up the past two weeks as: "wet air, dry ground."

One of my favorite plants, which thrives in this weather (with the aid of the hose and occasional water-soluble fertilizer) is the very fragrant butterfly bush (Buddleia). To my nose, the purple-flowering varieties have the sweetest and strongest fragrance.



And, in spite of the weather, this has been a great year for butterflies—skippers, monarchs and fritillaries, in particular. Swallowtails (yellow and black phases) have been visiting the buddleia flowers until 7:45 in the evening.

Learn about these winged wonders at the July 29-30 class, "All About Butterflies", a credit course at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum , 2430 N. Cannon Drive. Visit two butterfly habitats and learn about the life cycle of these beautiful creatures. Design and conduct inquiry observations, hear about butterflies from the experts who care for them, and get activities for use in your classroom. 8:30 am-4:30 pm. $14; registration required. Optional: one graduate credit through Benedictine University ($115). Info: 773-755-5179 or email adultprograms@naturemuseum.org.


— Nina Koziol