Happy Thursday, Everyone!
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Yesterday afternoon I walked out to the herb garden
and there they were...
Naked Ladies!
They hadn't been there the day before, honest!
(Well, they probably actually were, but they are so unobtrusive, with no leaves and all...)
Do you have them in your yard?
I can drive through the older neighborhoods here and see where they have popped up
all over the place now...I actually brought these from our "vintage" house in the
old section of town; they lived in pots for a time until I settled them into a corner of
the herb bed here, next to the Butterfly Bushes.
Naked Ladies...
Magic Lilies...
Pop-Up Lilies...
Resurrection Lilies...
Another friend referred to them as "Pink Ladies"...
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Whatever you call them...(and what do you call them?)
they are lovely...such a beautiful clear pink, and so fragrant...
they are actually Amaryllis Belladonna,
native to South Africa.
Plantingflowerbulbs.com said this about them:
Named after a beautiful shepherdess in Greek mythology, Amaryllis means
'sparkling'...Belladonna means 'beautiful lady'.
Amaryllis belladonna has many common names. For example, in the United Kingdom
it is known as the Belladonna or Jersey Lily. In South Africa it is known as the March
Lily, and in the United States the flower is referred to as the Naked Lady.
Amaryllis belladonna has also been called St. Joseph's Staff in Portugal,
St. Rosalina in Sicily, and the Madonna Lily in Italy. In Spain, one might hear it
referred to as 'Meninas Para Escola', meaning 'girls going to school' because they
bloom at the beginning of the school year, when girls in pink uniforms begin attending classes.
You can read more about them here.
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Don't they just look magical?
Like Faeries should be perched on the petals sipping honeysuckle tea?
(I think they do smell a lot like honeysuckle.)
My friend Becky told me about a book called Passalong Plants by Steve Bender;
and I'm getting ready to order a copy (Amazon).
I love the old-fashioned plants and flowers...they truly are living heirlooms!
A friend once told me about an acquaintance; someone she didn't know well...
and she referred to her as a "Flower Friend"...
Someone in her neighborhood who had given her cuttings or had divided
and shared flowers with her...I think that would quickly evolve into
just "friend"...but "Flower Friend" is so sweet-sounding!
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Look at this little fellow!!
I was taking photos of the Naked Ladies and went over to sniff the
Butterfly Bushes...the honey-wine scent is so lovely...
and this moth (I thought he was a hummingbird for a second)
was having a feast, flying from blossom to blossom...
I couldn't get the best photo of him, as it was so windy...the gust kept buffeting
him this way and that, but he persevered!
Missouri Conservationist says it is a Snowberry Clearwing Moth...
in the Sphinx Moth family...and that it also
"looks like a bumblebee and flies like a hummingbird"
it does indeed!
You can read more about them here.
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In just the past week they have begun to set buds on all the new tendrils...
I tried growing them once at our old house (very shady yard) a few years ago,
but I didn't get any flowers ~ just vines...so I'm very excited!
They are supposed to be exquisitely fragrant and the night-time "unfurlings" quite dramatic...
(you can search for "Moonflower Blooming" on Youtube);
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Future Moonflowers!
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"Second Family"
You can see the robins' nest used earlier this year right behind the current,
larger nest...evidently the first one just wasn't big enough to re-use!
(Actually it had already been used a second time the year, so maybe it
was just a little worse-for-wear...)
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"Come over, Dear..."
A Moonflower tendril reaches out and (and grabs) a Zinnia!
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Zinnia "Cherry Limeade"
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Zinnia "Envy"
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A TINY little White-Spotted Jumping Spider (cute!)
in his huge (relatively) Zinnia Mansion...
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Cypress Vines!!
(If I promised anyone seeds and didn't "deliver", please let me know!
I'm just so scattered at times!)
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A new hybrid??
No, one of my Balsam Flowers (Impatiens balsamina; another "passalong"~ type flower
from seeds gifted by my friend Elaine ) being given a friendly hug by a Cypress Vine...
I think I need to break up this little budding (couldn't resist) romance!
I read this on the About.com site here.
"Before the ubiquitous impatiens of today, there were Balsam Flowers.
Victorians loved these Asian imports in the early 20th century,
but the flowers' popularity waned as the interest in hybrid annuals grew after
World War II. Today's gardeners are bringing this heirloom back to the seed rack
as they discover how easy and adaptable it is."
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Squeal!!
The Tuberoses will be opening soon!
(I know, way too excited...)
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This Turban Squash blossom reminds me of a sea-star...
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...And here's the baby Turban Squash!
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Look at this ruffly gourd-flower!
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A little gourd...a future Faerie house?
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These little ornamental gourds will also dry (in the oven) for crafting.
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A baby watermelon...
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Baby Okra!
Future Okra-Pod Vultures...or corn-mealed and fried, depending on who harvests them...
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Now, this is not in my yard, but it is growing in a field right down the street...
Cotton blossoms start out creamy white...
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Then they turn pink, and finally a dark rose, before the flower withers
and the cotton-boll starts developing...
Do they look familiar?
I knew that cotton and okra are related, but I just found out that they
are all members of the Mallow family (Malvaceae) which also
includes Hibiscus (including my Althea/Rose of Sharon) and Hollyhocks.
Interesting! You can read about it here...
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Just a couple more...these two of the Fur-Baby variety...
Above, Leo in the morning sun...
(He was quite shocked that I was up and taking photos at 6 a.m....)
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(Please ignore the "fluffy" underside of the chair...I will never be remembered
for my excellent house-keeping! ~ And that's fine by me.)
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And lastly, Mr. Cyrus...rolling in the sun!
Doesn't he have amazing whiskers??
That's all for now, folks! Have a wonderful evening!
(Linking "The Ladies" to Beverly's Pink Saturday!)
Love,
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