My Phlox is Blooming

I always look forward to this plant blooming near the end of each summer. This was one of the first plants I put in the ground at this house decades ago. It was a clump from my mother's garden. Every summer it perfumes the air with the most lovely smell. I have some growing under my living room window, so I like to open the windows at night and let the perfume in. This is a cultivated phlox. I also have the wild phlox that has volunteered and blooms in the spring, but this one is very special to me.

I also noticed this phlox, which is a different shade of pink than most of my phlox. This is the frist year I have noticed this pink with white color. I like it!

Something Is Eating My Elderberry Bush

For the second year in a row, something has eaten most of my elderberries from the bush. I don't mind, as I can find plenty of elderberries in the wild and this bush attracts wildlife to my garden.

 It's hard to see in this photo, but this cluster of elderberries is nearly gone. I'm curious what is eating it. I can't imagine green elderberries taste very good!

Grape Vine Disaster

When I looked at my grapes yesterday, they were simply beautiful hanging from the arbor. The bunches were looking fine and healthy.  I checked them for picking, but were not ready yet. Today, I couldn't believe my eyes, just 24 hours later. Nearly every bunch of grapes turned brown. Some are completely brown, some partially.

I  did a quick Google search to see what on earth this could be. I read about black rot, but it looks different than this, with the grapes all shriveled like raisins. But perhaps my grapes are in the early stages of that. These grapes are still fully formed and firm to the touch.

Some of  partially brown grapes have a line of division that is perfectly straight, reminding me of an equator on a globe.

If it is black rot,  I read it is exacerbated by rain. As I mentioned, we've had a particularly rainy summer.

I won't lie, this is quite a disappointment. It was the first year this vine produced such a large amount of fruit. But that's the way it goes with gardening. There are no guarantees.