Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Mid-October Garden


The garden is well on the wane by this time of year, but we've still got a fair amount of activity out there. This zinnia, for example, just bloomed -- it's probably going to be our last one. Most of the zinnia plants are looking pretty rough around the edges, and even this blossom looks a bit gnarled.


The inulas are completely done, their yellow petals and green stems having turned brown and their flowers gone to seed.


But the verbenas are still plugging away...


...as are the cosmos. And there's still some insect life, as you can see. There's a bee on that central flower, and right next to it is a crab spider, lying in wait for a smaller, more manageable insect than that gigantic bee to consume.


Here's a closeup of the spider. Autumn is spider season, and the garden spiders have been out in force for several weeks, their webs suspended everywhere. Maybe that's how spiders came to be synonymous with Halloween?

12 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

There appears to be a massive black spider north of Mr Bee. Both he and the ghost spider had better watch out!

Colette said...

Nice closeup of the spider. Now you have me wondering how spiders came to be associated with Halloween!

Anonymous said...

Amazing photos!, I love the garden all times of year even the wind down at Fall, I do not love spiders though, although admire them from. A distance is finešŸ™ˆ

Ms. Moon said...

You may be right about the spiders. I have so many webs on my porch that I don't need to decorate for Halloween. Nice shots.

Red said...

I never thought about spider activity in the fall and Halloween. That makes sense.

Anonymous said...

Love seeing your fall flowers. Makes me want to go out and photograph our front yard here where the flowers are still surprisingly blooming away. I love your thought about spiders and Halloweens. Great observation.

Catalyst said...

Just hope the spiders don't get into your home.

ellen abbott said...

I never really thought about spiders and Halloween either but it makes sense. my cosmos will bloom just about all winter as long as we don't get a freeze.

jenny_o said...

A bit gnarled notwithstanding, that zinnia is gorgeous!

My cosmos did poorly, and then the deer ate the blossoms :)

The Bug said...

I love the tiny ghost spider - so cute against that vibrant flower! And now I remember that last year I crocheted a spider web with a spider. Wonder where that is? It wasn't all that fabulous...

Elizabeth said...

Such remarkable photos!

e said...

Lovely...