Ingaborg's Mallow

Only here will anyone find this plant identified as Inga's mallow.  Her gift to Becky many years ago is the original source of this plant and its continuing presence in our garden.  Malva sylvestrs is the plant's proper name.  In our rather northern garden, this plant is a self seeding annual.  It chooses where it will grow while we provide some assistance. This plant sends down a sizable taproot so if it is to be moved that must be done early.

Ingaborg emigrated to this country from Germany between the two world wars.  We do not know if mallow seeds were included among the items that she brought with her from her homeland.  We do know that in her later years she would frequently weed out this plant since it was not the vegetable that she had planted.  Our transplants kept this plant alive in her garden for several years.  Now these beautiful flowers connect us with many pleasant memories of our various interactions with Inga.

One amazing feature of this plant is that its seeds continue to sprout all summer.  All of these pictures were taken on the same recent day and new plants are growing close by ones in full bloom.  These young plants will insure that we have flowers well into the fall.  We planted the purple flowered Helitrope while the mallows are self seeded and appeared well after the others were planted.  Our choice was to leave the grouping alone.

These seedlings are much younger and protected inside of a wire cage.  This cage provides protection from rabbits and keeps taller neighbors from shading out the mallows.  Function won out over appearance in this instance.

This poor plant lies just outside of the circle of protection.  Rabbits had a meal here but the plant does not look like it intends to give up.  We will watch but there is simply no way that a cage can be placed here.  This plants determination to continue in the face of adversity reminds us of the strength of character displayed by Inga.

Bloom While You Still Can!

 DST is official.  We set our clocks back.   Daylight hours will keep getting shorter until the Winter Solstice on December 21st.  Flowers in the garden are getting down to a precious few.  If you are a Gloriosa Daisy you have no time to bother with a nice long stem.  Right down next to the still somewhat warm soil is the way to go.  If a few more warm days happen and pollinators fly by, this flower is ready!

Growing out over a stone path works pretty well too.  This Gaillardia, Arizona Sun, flower is not a perfect specimen but it is November and getting very nippy here at night.  Bright red and yellow color is  a welcome sight.
 

I don't ever remember the Malva sylvestris lasting this long.  After a magnificent showing this summer, this plant is nearly done.  Some of its leaves have rust.  Many of its seeds have already been dropped.  Something is nibbling on its petals.  This last flower  is still beautiful for November!

I never get tired of thyme plants and stones.  This wild thyme  takes the cold in stride.  When the snow comes, and it will come, this plant will be just as happy and green as it is now, but  the flowers are best enjoyed now.  I noticed that a large flock of slate gray juncos is hanging out in the garden.  I don't need a crystal ball to predict that a change of seasons is in our very near future.

September Splendor

We have been having warm sunny days and walking around outside in the garden has been truly splendid!   For someone who has purposely loaded the garden with nectar plants preferred by butterflies and their caterpillars these are the best of times.  Most of the time butterflies take off when you walk by or even if your shadow passes over them.  Just one click of the camera  usually sends them off.  Sometimes they speed past directly in front of you.   The beautiful creature you see here is a Painted Lady butterfly, Cynthia Vanessa.  I have seen painted ladies here before, but never so many as this year.  Several years ago it was Red Admirals that were so plentiful.  Their caterpillars practically ate all the stinging nettles to the ground!

This Painted lady is enjoying the October Skies asters in front of the house.  All of the asters are having a magnificent year and these purple beauties are one of my favorites!

Many of the blooms on my butterfly bush have gone past, but the ones that are still blooming are fragrant and welcoming.  There are four Painted Ladies in this photo.   Each one sits on a plume of pink flowers except for the one that is flying and I think just about to land.

This amazing clump of  Malva sylvestris is in the same bed as the butterfly bush.  I am lot more accepting of the holes in their leaves now that I know mallows are a favorite food of painted lady caterpillars.  We still see some Monarchs, Sulfurs and others, but this year the Painted Ladies have made for a splendid September!

Wet Flowers And Bugs

With all this rain the garden is lush.  The plants have all the water they could want.  There are some beautiful flowers out there and there are lots of bugs.  It was my intention to take pictures of flowers , but I soon learned that every flower in this weather seems to come with at least one bug.  It's not much of a challenge to see the ants on this butterfly weed.  Maybe it's because the flower is wet but the color seems more vibrant than usual to me.

The bug on this Lily Regale is easy to see.  Perhaps this lily would look better with a bit more sun, but any  flowers are always welcome, especially Ed's lilies!

The Lilium farolito is shorter than usual this year, but the aroma when you walk past the plant makes up for any lack of perfection in the blooms and leaves.  The tiny fly on this flower is a little harder to see.

My first first flowering tobacco flower is open.  These plants come up from seed here and I love their  evening fragrance.  Hummingbirds are big fans of these flowers as well.  On the wet white flower even this teeny bug is easy to see.

Another plant that comes up from seed is this gorgeous mallow that I got from Ingleborg.  I'm always happy to see these beautiful flowers.  The bug here is really small, but this flower has one too.

The Art's Pride coneflower was a real surprise.  We were sure that this one was gone.  We saw nothing of it last summer.  The bug on this flower is  incredibly small.

It has been a real challenge to get a nice picture of my favorite pink poppies.  Rain knocks the petals off the flowers so easily, but this one is a beauty.  The bug on it is slightly hidden behind one of those beautiful, wet, pink petals.  If you click on the pictures to make them larger, you may find the bugs easier to spot.  I won't spoil the fun, but if clues are needed I will add them in a comment later!