Zinnia Power.......

The zinnia dies gracefully with its way of saving the center piece last.  The faded colors of a declining flower does give it a whole new set of colors. I had a perfect pink rose to share today but a zinnia gets to be first for me when it comes to sharing a sculptural form.

The whole patch is looking pretty worn out but this new bud that is opening gives me hope that I will have a few good blooms through to the first frost.

Sedum Shot.......

The buds are starting to open into star shaped flowers.  The five petaled flower really is unique.  As all the blooms open up then the sedum looks like a larger bloom and it takes all of those flowers to make it happen.

Put Up or Shut Up.....

I have blogged about these vines way too much but now it has happened.  I stepped out to feed the neighbor cat some dry food and kapow, there were blooms.  They all bloom toward the light which is away from the porch.  It wasn't a problem though as I hung onto the corner post and swung around and took some macros. I will name that procedure Tarzan shots.

Now that I see the color of the bloom I can now remember that I could only buy this one color.  I wanted mixed colors and that was not available.  It is strange how the growth cycle all work out. The vines  put out five to six of them with all blooming on Sunday at the very same time.  It was a foggy morning and it was warm and I bet they really did like that. They were opened by nine in the morning.

Southern Iowa Scenes......

The rolling hills are green from plenty of rain falling all summer. My dad's farm was made up of a lot of landscapes like this and he planted them with corn or beans.  Cattle grazing on the hills seems to be the only use of thie land.

Unfortunately I did not get photos of cows. Maybe I can dig into my archives and find cows on the hills for you to see.  Black angus seems to be the breed that is dominate in southern Iowa even though I have seen some of the others in the area.

Great Climber.......

The morning glory is growing out of a planter on my side porch.  It has taken it a long time to grow but it seems to be established now.  I can see at the top left that there are buds developed that will finally give me blooms at the end of August. The sun shines through these leaves in the afternoon creating great color.  I do have to water it everyday to keep the vine from getting wilted and wasted. 

Open Winged Warrior........

He is a little battered but still in good form.  As he sat on the zinnia he spread his wings to feed from the flower. The monarch can be seen from afar so I had time to run out a couple of times to get a shot.  The first time I went out the battery light came on and the camera shut down.  I was charged and ready to go the next time I went out to the garden.

I Was Missing in Action.....

Starting back to school with my day busy spent at school meant that I didn't get to sign in on any blog. It was an interesting day of workshops and planning for my new long term substitute job.  I am alive and well.... just very tired.  Tomorrow I will be back on duty.