Party Dahlia

This little city beauty was flowering alone in a bed on a sidestreet where we had parked to get some takeout food. The other plants around it had all finished blooming and this one stood out in the drab surroundings in its lovely soft red and white skirt with cream bodice, decorated with a golden centre. It reminded me of Maria in West Side Story or the Rose in Spanish Harlem (though neither Puerto Rican nor a rose, I know). It certainly has some wear and tear, as if after a late party but was standing so pretty and bright that I had to photograph it. I hope this flower lifts any drab parts of your day, my friends. View all posts on the Home page.  A Flower a Day #398 

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Purple Edged Dahlia

This is a domestic flower from our own garden (or possibly from the flower farm down the road) and was so delightful that I had to catch it for you today. The sun was just hitting it perfectly to backlight the outer petals. I never tire of the variety of the patterns and colours on these dahlias. And it seems that you can eat the tubers, rather like potatoes. I have never done so, but if you have, let me know what you thought of them. As I write this it is a beautiful sunny day and I can’t get out into it without first doing a lot of cooking today. So I will love you and leave you for now. Have a lovely Tuesday, my friends. See you all tomorrow. View all posts on the Home page.  A Flower a Day #395 

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Red Chrysanthemums and Friends

There is a privately owned local garden that is open to the public to enjoy, only a short drive from us. It’s on the top of the tall hill referred to here as the “North Mountain”. Don’t mock. We are not blessed with the Rocky Mountains on this side of the country, as our charms are maritime. But we do need our mountains, it seems and so we make ours out of molehills. So we drove up the “mountain” and found this garden and went in and parked. It is beautifully cared for and such a peaceful place to wander around. Something that kept me intrigued for a while was watching the automated lawn mower making its way around the lawns between the flower beds. I guess I am easily amused. Although it is late in the season there are still some flowers to be seen (and photographed), including this patch of red chrysanthemums. I was admiring them, when I noticed these two ‘friends’ quite still, on the top of them. So rather than highlighting one flower as I so often do, I am featuring a landscape view of them with the insects as points of interest. If your life is as exciting as mine you will find such wonderful sights in the most unlikely places. You can click or tap the image above to view in large in the gallery directly now, a new development on my posts. View all posts on the Home page.  A Flower a Day #394 

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White Flower

Speaking of being creative in naming my posts (as we were yesterday) you are no doubt thinking that this is hardly a creative title. This white flower is probably a zinnia, but I am not certain and in any case it doesn’t matter what it’s called! Just look at this little beauty and you can see the reason I had to share it with you today. It has such an extraordinary design, with what look to be little tubes reaching up around the middle, as well as tiny yellow threads of what? They are the same colour as the pollen which you also see scattered on the pristine petals, evidence of bee activity. A reader did say that bees love zinnias and certainly bees like this flower, so I could be right. I’m pretty certain it’s not an aster (but, as always, I stand to be corrected, and frequently am, so don’t hold back!). Whatever the name, it is a gift today from me to you, hoping that your day is a good one. You can click or tap the image above to view in large in the gallery directly now, a new development on my posts. View all posts on the Home page.  A Flower a Day #393 

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