The Ranunculus and the Bee

One day in a garden of enchantment and delight, a bee who just happened to be passing by, found a little ranunculus that he thought was very pleasing.  The nectar was not too sweet, not too sour.  Not too weak, not too strong.  It was just right.  So he decided to light on the flower and have his supper.  And then another bee just happened by, and another, and another.  Luckily the little ranunculus had many siblings, and they all hosted the bees in a most hospitable way.   

And luckily, dear reader, I saw it all.

And it happened just the way I said.  

Ranunculus? They're just ridiculous!

Whenever people ask me what these flowers are, I first think of the word ridiculous, and from there I remember ranunculus.  Do we grow to live up to our names, or in this case, the word that calls up our name?

Annuals can be lovely, and sometimes feisty.

Usually when I take photos, it's of the perennials in the garden.  The annuals sometimes seem so garish.    They are hybridized to the point that, although beautiful when viewed from a bit of a distance, up close they almost mock you.  

Well, that's how I see it anyway.

Luckily others are a bit more sedate.

Maybe a bit too happy?

Okay, everyone, group photo.  Squeeze in.  Good!

Now I know what color the snapdragons are going to be.  Wow.

Um, so what color is it exactly?

Heeeeere, Hummingbirds.    

Just a few more flowers that drew me in

At the end of a busy day it feels so relaxing with the camera in hand to just walk through the garden, see who is willing to pose.  The geraniums, when viewed from afar, simply look like some pleasant clumps of pale pink flowers.  But up close, they are sweet, sweet, sweet.  I'm glad I took the time to get to know them.

And for that reason, the lowly geraniums win flower of the day.

The veronica gets the award for spire-iest.

And I just like this.  I don't even know what it is.

 And last but not least, well in this case maybe least.  This one is definitely the teeny tiniest.  About a third of an inch across.

Seems like summer is really here now

Summer is here.  Lots of beautiful flowers blooming in the garden now.  Unfortunately, the flower I awarded Flower of the Day to closes up early.  When I went to take a photo of it, it was shut tight.  Tomorrow.  But here's the ones who weren't so shy.

Before and After

Nature is kind.  And full of beauty.  Unlike those awful photos on TV of people before and after they used some miracle product, nature's miracle is that you can look fabulous both before and after you bloom!

Ta

Da

The honeysuckle is just starting to flower.  

Look into my honeysuckle. . . . 

 

Real spider relaxing on ceramic mushroom.    

 These guys seem to be making kissy faces. 
 I, myself, think it's a bit much.  
Faery flowers for sure.

It rained all day

Although it's been raining almost daily for quite some time, it's been a polite rain.  It rained only part of each day so we could still get outside and enjoy ourselves.  Until today.  Drizzle, drizzle, drizzle.  And then, late in the day, the sun came out.  So did the people.  Everyone was out walking dogs, letting the kids get the wiggles out.  And me, well, I grabbed my camera in search of the late day light, the raindrops, and the garden.