I could not let May end without mentioning my foxgloves.
I consider them fascinating.
Each thimble is designed to guide a bee into it.
The spots inside are like little landing lights.
The tall spikes of blooms and fluffy leaves below create perfect balance.
I have planted them many places from which they disappear, only to reappear somewhere else.
Seeds sown in the fall will sprout in spring and bloom a year later.
They are self-sowing biennials. Enjoy them wherever they choose to grow.
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This is the most magical plant in my garden.
Its nickname is Fairy Flower.
Most call it foxglove. The scientific name is Digitalis purpurea.
One year I actually hid tiny fairies in the flowers for a post.
Most of my foxgloves are pink this season.
But no two are identical.
The tubular flowers have hairs inside along the bottom.
The stamen with pollen and stigma are under the roof.
Bees go in and get their tummies tickled by the hairs
as pollen is deposited onto or removed from their backs.
It’s the spots that get me.
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If there were an official plant of the fairies, I bet it would be the foxglove.
They are magical plants. They sow their own seeds. They change colors.
Even their flower shapes morph from year to year.
They seem to know where they belong and what form is needed.
Or is it the fairies that do it?
Every year I anticipate some surprises from my Digitalis purpurea.
This year there were several. Some pinks got pinker.
Some whites turned half pink.
Some flower tubes got longer and narrower.
Some seeds sneaked into the bunny yard to germinate and had to be moved. They are poisonous.
Foxgloves are so charming, they must be magic.
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