I don't have a huge garden, but I love to tend what I have. For the past few years I've been attempting to grow flowers native to this region. This year I stumbled on a beautiful flower - the cone flower.
They come in many different colors. The flower matures differently than any other flower I've seen. The center forms and looks exactly like the centers in the picture. Then spikes appear to grow out (these will become the petals). They are tightly rolled and you can't tell what color they will be. Slowly, over a day or so the spikes unroll and form the petals. It is very interesting to watch.
On another note cone flowers attract butterflies! You can see the yellow tiger swallowtail above and here is his cousin the black swallowtail:
When I first snapped this one I was ready to toss it out, but I was amazed at the detail of the blue on his wings. It looked like fairy dust to me. He is just a pretty butterfly.
And of course one of my favorite garden visitors are my fat bumblebees. I'll admit that this one was on a weed near the edge of the garden bed, but he was so BUSY. I love it when they land on a flower to collect the pollen, but they are so fat that the flower bends. Bumblebees are so dedicated to collecting their pollen. I love watching them.
I find a great deal of peace working in my garden. I often sit and look at the beautiful plants and find myself wondering on God's creative genius. Digging in the dirt and planting things that will grow and flourish nourishes my soul. I love to create things and I love to assist plants as they create flowers. Most of all I enjoy when wildlife visits the garden to partake of its bounty.
What's around the bend? We are trying out two recipes this weekend that I'll blog on! Stay tuned for a pork loin with sauce and my favorite salmon cakes!!!
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