Welcome, Guest

Author Topic: Summer Blooms (Pictures)  (Read 6448 times)

Offline MrILoveTheAnts

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 716
  • Gender: Male
    • Biodiverse Gardens
Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« on: July 25, 2008, 11:52:57 pm »

Probably the most stunning plant out in the yard right now is the Mexican Sunflower. Not a true Helianthus but rather Tithonia rotundifolia. Also known as Torch but common names get tossed around like a bad habit. Torch is also the common name to certain Asters, and Cosmos so it's actually less specific.

Mexican Sunflowers are vibrant, saturated red, or gold orange in color. And against the natural green of the plant you can't help but stare at them. It almost feels right recommending sunglasses to look at them. When one gazes closely at the flower slight blues and greens appear in the flower and is possibly the closest thing any of us will see to ultraviolet colors. (like an optical illusion.)



Despite their attractiveness I wouldn't say they're big with the bees. Considering the number of flowers per plant, bees clearly have different blooms in mind when foraging. I do see honey bees on them but not as many as other things in the yard. The leaves to these plants are pillow soft unlike other sunflowers. 

Simple orange Cosmos have been a hit this year. They have much fewer and smaller flowers but seem to get slightly more attention.


It's kind of funny to see the native bee here looks like she fell into a flower someplace.

Normal Sunflowers seem to get as much attention as the Mexican Sunflowers. However, bees clearly like them more. What they lack in number of bees they more than make up for with time. Participating in the Sunflower project I actually watched a single Honey Bee on a sunflower from start to finish of the half hour I was supposed to watch the flower. Yes, I sat for a half hour watching a bee walk in circles.




Joe Pye Weed has just started opening and should be blooming well into August. For those of you looking for a good Summer flowering plant, or a native alternative to Butterfly Bush, this is it. Even with the low number of buds open I can easily catch 3 to 5 bees on this plant. I would compare it to the Liatris.


Echinops ritro also started flowering. It's a very very weedy looking plant about 3 feet tall with spiked leaves. The fact it's unopened flower buds look like a ball of spikes doesn't help matters. I think this is why so many garden centers suddenly sold this plant this spring then stopped over the summer. If you can still find it, buyer beware! I bought 15 of these and only 3 were successful because those were the 3 I planted in sandy soil. They seriously need well drained soil or they rot in the ground, also rodents like to eat them.


There sphere of blue flowers are very attractive to bees, from the first day they opened I haven't been able to find them without a bee on them since.

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #1 on: July 26, 2008, 12:09:23 pm »
MILTA, again, beautiful and astounding pictures.  Your Echinops is something similar to one that I grow here.  Mine should be blooming soon.  My Echinops common name is Globe Thistle, all the in the same family, I don't think mine is overly attractive to bees.  I really got to take a minute or two and get out and take some pictures of the flowers blooming here, you stimulate me to do that, to show what is going on here too.

I have one very pretty flower in bloom now, Impatiens Glandulifera, the cousin to Impatiens Capensis.  The Glandulifera is pink and kind of shaggy looking, the capensis is orange and is not yet blooming.  Beautiful flowers, resembling extremely close to the snapdragons.

Your Mexican Sunflower reminds me of an annual that I once grew years ago, can't recall the botanical name, but the cultivar was called Tithonia I think.  It was that brilliant, and I mean brilliant orange.  Beautiful plant.

I have a shrub that I bought last spring, called Chilean Broom.  Holy smoking smokin' smoke!!!  The other night I was weeding nearby and I caught a beautiful scent of something, very light, but clearly smelled.  I walked around sniffing and could not ascertain what it was, I thought perhaps it was the Evening Primrose, nope.  Walked back to the weeding spot and it was the broom, very light, but extremely beautiful and fragrant.  Yesterday morning about 9:00 when I was walking to my  Sister's place to take some chick food, I noticed this scent again, but this time it was strong as the day was bright.  I was flabergasted.  I think this is a night scented plant, because when I took my Husband (oh that poor guy, the things I make him do.....) to get a whiff of this broom, the scent was gone.  So....I guess the scent was beginning about 9:00 PM and by 11:00 AM, one could barely smell it.  I am intrigued with this broom.  I am going to take some cuttings off of it so I can have it close to my house, I do so love the night scented plant.

Now, the Night Scented Stock (Matthiola Bicornis) (for Ann's sake, hee, hee), this year is scented even more strongly than I have ever witnessed.  It will knock your socks off.  The fragrance that drifts in through our bedroom patio doors, all night long, is so strong, words cannot describe.  This evening when these flowers open, I will take some pictures.  The flowers during the day close and as soon as the evening begins, long before sundown even, these flowers open, by darkness, the night pollinators have witnessed this scent too, and come to visit these little marvels of Mother Nature.  Thanks MILTA, for all the beautiful flowers that you superiorly bring into our forum, they are a wonderful sight for the eyes, and take me to wonderful places  in my mind's eye.  Beautiful and most wonderful day, love our life.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline eri

  • House Bee
  • **
  • Posts: 309
  • Gender: Female
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #2 on: July 26, 2008, 01:58:47 pm »
The photos are gorgeous! Tithonia has long been one of my favorite annuals as well. What camera do you have?
On Pleasure
Kahlil Gibran
....
And to both, bee and flower, the giving and the receiving of pleasure is a need and an ecstasy.
People of Orphalese, be in your pleasures like the flowers and the bees.

Offline MrILoveTheAnts

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 716
  • Gender: Male
    • Biodiverse Gardens
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2008, 03:46:07 pm »
I am using an Olympus SP-510UZ, and I bought it specifically for it's super macro feature. It's not a professional camera by any means. Usually professionals will buy a Macro lens first (some go for $700) and the camera it's compatable with second. So I was very happy I could buy a camera with this feature included for just $200 or $300. Occasionally stores try to promote the next year's model and will sell it for cheaper than the current year model. That usually happens in the fall time. I think I had my parents buy it because it for me as an early Christmas gift because the store only did the sale for that week. Circuit City I think, so ask around. Also try it out in the store before hand and make sure it's the camera for you.

I also have Photoshop, bought at Journey Ed for cheap because I'm a student. It's a pain buying from them because you have to fax them proof that you're a student (or someone in your family is) and on the paper you need to include your order ID. They refuse to sell most of there products to the general public. And you have to do this yearly. So I use that to correct color and most importunately crop the images. Gimp is a free program that looks like Photoshop but I refuse to use it from there gray bland website. It is such an awful look website that is almost colorless and they're representing an artistic program!

Offline DayValleyDahlias

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1629
  • Gender: Female
    • DayValleyDahlia's Blog
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2008, 01:13:28 pm »
Simply gorgeous pictures!


Offline annette

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 5353
  • Gender: Female
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2008, 02:06:19 pm »
I have yet another new desktop photo. This is at work and the women are going crazy over the photo.

Thanks Mr Ants

Annette


Offline MrILoveTheAnts

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 716
  • Gender: Male
    • Biodiverse Gardens
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #6 on: August 01, 2008, 03:40:04 pm »
Not sure what photo you're referring to but how about this one?


Our dog was so good as to point out a Yellow Swallowtail today in the garden. She likes to go after them thinking they're birds I imagen.



Unfortunately the last storm we had caused a lot of the sunflowers to fall over. That doesn't stop the bees though. Or the Gold Finches.






Offline johnnybigfish

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 2039
  • Gender: Male
    • The World of Johnnybigfish
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #7 on: August 01, 2008, 07:13:10 pm »
Those really are GREAT pics!!
 And, as my wife would say,"What a riot of colors!"
 It looks to me that you put alot of time into your flower garden! It seems to be worth the time!
 Thats a "Kite Swallowtail" I believe...The only reason I know is that I have one tattooed on my left forearm. On my right forearm is a "Tiger Swallowtail"...Got the pictures for these tattoos out of a readers digest Insect identifier book :)
 And, what a coooool bird!!
As a matter of fact, I'm gonna look at your pictures again!..They really made me feel good!

hmmm...Prozac doesnt work in just 2 days, does it?

your friend,
john

Offline JP

  • The Swarm King
  • Universal Bee
  • *******
  • Posts: 11709
  • Gender: Male
  • I like doing cut-outs, but I love catching swarms!
    • JPthebeeman.com
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #8 on: August 01, 2008, 09:45:20 pm »
Very, very nice post, very soothing.


...JP
My Youtube page is titled JPthebeeman with hundreds of educational & entertaining videos.

My website JPthebeeman.com http://jpthebeeman.com

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2008, 10:30:09 am »
MILTA.  You've done it again!!!  Those pictures are nothing short of breathtaking, I kid you not!!!  Wow, you just keep those comin' on here, I love to look at them, and yes, as JP said, they are totally soothing to the soul, it takes me right to your space in our world, thank you for taking us there.  Have the most fantastic day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline DayValleyDahlias

  • Super Bee
  • *****
  • Posts: 1629
  • Gender: Female
    • DayValleyDahlia's Blog
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2008, 10:31:01 am »
you know what I love about these photos?  They are humbling to me...they are sheer, amazing beauty, and you have captured the essence of the beauty of nature/life...really, thanks

Offline annette

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 5353
  • Gender: Female
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2008, 08:31:29 pm »
Not sure what photo you're referring to but how about this one?




This one is on my laptop at home

Offline annette

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 5353
  • Gender: Female
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #12 on: August 03, 2008, 08:35:49 pm »






This one is on my desktop at work. Thanks for the beautiful photos.
Annette

Offline MrILoveTheAnts

  • Field Bee
  • ***
  • Posts: 716
  • Gender: Male
    • Biodiverse Gardens
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2008, 12:53:06 am »
Not a big addition this time but two you all might find interesting.
Joe Pye Weed is one of the only plants in full bloom now, it has a wonderful medicinal fragrance that's been getting stronger with each day, though it's not very strong. Some mornings I can find it completely covered in bees. The swallowtails are partial to it too.


And I finally got a decent picture of a Sweat Bee.


Note I was hoping to include winged sumac pictures as I did last year but a storm we had two weeks ago seems to have stripped the plants of their flowers. I'll have to try next year.

Offline Cindi

  • Galactic Bee
  • ******
  • Posts: 9825
  • Gender: Female
Re: Summer Blooms (Pictures)
« Reply #14 on: August 17, 2008, 04:08:31 pm »
MILTA, beautiful, again and again!!!  Have that most wonderfully awesome day, Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

 

anything