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Sunday Scenes

| Flower Roberts

I took photos as I wandered around the yard donating blood to the mosquitoes.

It is hot and dry. Our sprinklers and soaker-hoses are preparing our gardens for another scorcher day in North Carolina.

Instead of featuring a single type of plant today, I have chosen to post a sampler of what my plants are doing on this sultry Sunday morning.

One of the Night Blooming Cereus is making buds along its leaf margins.

Some sunflowers are glowing and buzzing while others are nodding with heavy seeds.

The largest butternut squash are mellowing in color.

The orange hibiscus is blooming again.

The begonia has blooms hanging low.

The Sweet 100 tomatoes are ripening faster that I can pick them.

The Creeping Fig is creeping over the Lily and Moss statues again. It should be called Leeping Fig!

Happy Sunday from Flower Roberts

Devils in the Ground

| Flower Roberts

I hate to admit that it has taken me this long to select a suitable site and plant the three Devil’s Tongue plants that were gifted to me by my friends, the Popes.

I have moved them around in their pots to try out various locations. They seemed the most at home under the fig and beside a clump of Japanese Sacred Lilies.

I hope they will thrive in their new home.

Leaves emerging from Amorphophalus konjac stalk

Are wondering what configuration they are planted in? I bet you could guess. A triangle of course!

FLOW

Flyer Meets Flower

| Flower Roberts

When flyer meets flower

Swallowtail butterfly on Stargazer lily

they both get a treat.

Bumble bee on blue lace cap Hydrangea

The flower makes some seeds

Swallowtail butterfly on Tiger lily ‘Splendens’ Double

and the flyer gets to eat.

Blue Crown Passion vine with unknown bug

FLOW

Teeny Tiny Nests

| Flower Roberts

Fluted Bird’s Nest fungi look like the nests of teeny tiny birds, but these ‘eggs’ are really spore cases called periodoles. The ‘nests’ are actually splash cups called a sporocarps.

The scientific name for these tiny, wondrous fungi is Cyathus striatus.

The immature nests are a lighter color and have a thin skin on top, so that the ‘eggs’ will not get launched out by a raindrop before they are ready.

Fluted Bird’s Nest / Cyathus striatus

The mature nests are darker brown with gray ‘eggs’ ready for takeoff during the next rain.

This last shot shows a mix of mature and immature nests. Nature is beautiful and magical.

Cyathus striatus

FLOW on Fungi

Peach and Plum Mullein

| Flower Roberts

I cut an advertisement out of a magazine for Burpee’s Southern Charm Verbascum in 1995. It has been in my files since then. I finally found one in 2020. This Flower plays the long game.

This Verbascum/Mullein has not been happy here. I have moved it… I thought. Now a struggling plant is in the old spot and another in the new location. I will keep moving it until it is happy.

Southern Charm Verbascum and tiny bee(right)

In the mean time, I will enjoy its scraggly spikes with the color combo that I love and the tiny bees that fascinate me.

The anatomy of this bloom is not the usual centered symmetry of stamen and pistil. The stamen look like purple pipe cleaners.

It struggles along but survives. I know how it feels.

Grow(and bloom)where you are planted.

FLOW

Grandfather Mountain

| Flower Roberts

We took a trip to Grandfather Mountain last week. I wanted to see the new Wilson Center.

We also wanted to see the animals in their habitat-mimicking enclosures.

There are Bald Eagles and cougars(not pictured). Also otters, elk and black bear.

We have a favorite picnic spot with a great view.

I took my eyes off my child for one second and look where I find him!

The Mile High Swinging Bridge is a big draw for Grandfather Mountain.

The twisting road up was the site of a scene in the Forrest Gump movie.

I hiked all over this mountain as a teenager. It requires grit. My dad was an avid hiker.

If you are craven some adventure, you may want to swing by Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.

http://www.grandfather.com or email habitats@grandfather.com

FLOW

Trail Riding in the Mountains

| Flower Roberts

We spent a day on the trails last week. This is a rare treat. Our son came along.

We saw mama deer ( jumping out of right side of photo)

with her tiny fawn which paused to pose in the middle of the road.

This road is part of a gated community. Most owners show respect for the land and nature.

We came upon a fallen tree across the community road.

I am glad my son was there for the cutting, pulling and pushing so that I could be the photographer.

The raspberries and black berries by the road were ripe. They were sweet and warmed by the sun.

We always eat lunch at this bridge.

It was a great day to check on nature.

That side-by-side isn’t just for working. It transported Mama to a July 4th party in style.

The Queen Mother July 4, 2022

FLOW

(Photos from my phone. Sorry for the blurriness)

Tigers with Spots

| Flower Roberts

Color is a function of light, so variations in color are caused by differences in the reflection of light. If you are a photographer you know that morning light, high noon sun and evening sunlight change the colors of the same subject. This is true of my Tiger Lily ‘Splendens’ petals and spots. Most of these photos do not exhibit the peach and plum that I love so much. Only the evening rays reflect these hues. The are gorgeous no matter the light. An added bonus is that the local deer do not love them.

I have three generations of these Tigers now. I raised the second and third from bulbils that I removed from the stems in the fall. I have these tall beauties scattered throughout the gardens. They tower over everything else at their five feet plus height.

Tiger Lily ‘Splendens’ Double

The blooms are double/complex and open incrementally, another layer peels back each day. The bottom blooms open first in the array.

I cannot think of any other flower that has such delicious spots except the foxglove. I am fascinated in variations in coloration of blooms and leaves.

Plum spots on peach petals

I love Tiger Lily ‘Splendens’ in any light.

FLOW

My Reading Porch

| Flower Roberts

Now that I have the attention span of a gnat, I have to avoid all distractions to concentrate.

Gone are the days of coffee shops reading, studying in the quad or listening to music as I read. I must put my brain in time-out with a book.

I usually read non-fiction. I am trying to gain insight into man and nature since I become more perplexed and puzzled each day. I am avoiding all feeds and media and going back to the printed word. I can slow my reading pace to a speed that suits me. I ponder with a pencil in hand.

I got this bistro set for the porch for my birthday last week. I had to unclutter and clean the space. I added a few pieces of art and a tiny wind chime that sounds like tinkling fairy music.

It is my new haven. My space without dishes and laundry. No phone. Leave me alone.

If you need me and cannot find me. This is where I’ll be.

FLOW