Sunday, July 7, 2019

Bees and Mallows


The wildflower garden is going gangbusters -- we have lots of these beautiful pink mallows, which, as you can see, the bees love. They get in there and just camp out in the middle of the flower, sometimes two or three at a time. Bee orgy!

We also have bright yellow evening primroses, which I'd never seen before yesterday, when the blooms were already fading. I don't have a decent picture yet but as soon as they flower again I'll get one. The yellow ragwort is blooming, too, as is the wild carrot.


I took Olga to the Heath yesterday, where more wildflowers were out in profusion -- mostly purple knapweed, in this case. I had Olga lie down in the field, and some passers-by were amazed that she obeyed me. "Is she doing that just for the picture?" a woman asked. I said, "Well, I told her to lie down and she did, but I'm not sure she understands the concept of photography!"

Who knows what animals understand, though?


Here are yesterday's pottery-chip findings -- an interesting assortment with a few unusual colors.

This morning we're getting a nice slow rain, which is great for the plants. Plus, Olga isn't going to want her walk, which means I can just hang out on the couch and read!

14 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Little did that woman on the heath realise that Olga is the most photographed Staffie in the world!

P.S. Good luck with your genital herpes! I guess you must have been googling the condition and that is why the kind Jason Ruth messaged you.

Sharon said...

Great photo of the bees doing their thing. Those pottery shards are fascinating. It makes me wonder if parts of the Heath were used as dumping grounds at one time. If only they could relate their history.

crafty cat corner said...

Genital Herpes? must have missed that post.
Love the shards, if you get enough you could do a bit of mosaic.
Briony
x

Steve Reed said...

YP: It was Olga using my computer! I swear!

Sharon: Parts of the Heath were used as a dump over the years, which is undoubtedly where some of those shards come from. In other areas, I think the paths were hardened with pebbles, and there are pottery shards mixed in. Makes me wonder if the pebbles came from the Thames, where there's loads of broken pottery.

Briony: YP is referring to a spam comment that I have since deleted. LOL! Yes, I'm thinking about ways to put those shards to use.

Ms. Moon said...

Mosaics! What pretty shards.
And your mallows are gorgeous.
Olga is a very well-behaved dog. That says a lot about you and Dave. And Olga, too, of course.

Anonymous said...

Love the flowers there, and those shards are just waiting for their inner mosaic art to bloom.

ellen abbott said...

amazing that you find so many shards on your walks. do you have any idea why they are there in such abundance and so many different ones? I love that pink mallow. we have many kinds here but I've never seen ont that blooms quite like that. do you know which it is specifically?

Linda Sue said...

comfy mallows! The bees look well ensconced , camping out! Olga's grin is utterly endearing, who could not love her??? Adorable girl- I noticed in her film with the other dogs in the pond that she really was above identifying with them- it was like she was watching over them, because she is NOT a canine, thank you, she is royalty and a species all her own.

The Padre said...

Way To B - HA
Love That Smiling Pup!!
Enjoy Your Week

Cheers

Catalyst said...

Okay, you can send me some of that nice gentle rain.

jenny_o said...

Love the Olga photo :)

I commented a bit ago that we rarely see bees here, maybe twice a summer. Yay for this year - I've had quite a few sightings, and there MUST be some around our back deck because my potted zucchini plant got fertilized somehow and I have a two inch squash growing! lol

Sue said...

One part of the back of our property must have been a dumping area for the farmer who owned the land many years ago. We've found many, many old bottles and loads of broken glass. There is a little bit of old china and pottery - small pieces like you show. But the other day I found a complete top that looks like it was on a sugar bowl in a sweet blue pattern. Wish I could find the bowl!

Steve Reed said...

Ms Moon: She IS very well-behaved. She surprises even me, honestly.

Robin: Aren't they? I need to think about what to make!

Ellen: I think it's the musk mallow, Malva moschata. I think parts of the Heath used to serve as a rubbish dump long, long ago.

Linda Sue: Yeah, Olga can be around other dogs, but she's sort of indifferent to them. She's always been that way.

Padre: She always looks very smiley in photos!

Catalyst: I would if I could!

Jenny-O: GREAT! I'm so glad you're seeing evidence of bees!

Sue: Maybe you can find one on eBay? Might be worth excavating that dump a little to see what else is in there! Are the old bottles interesting or collectible?

Sue said...

Steve I'm not sure any are collectable, although the National Bottle Museum is in Ballston Spa, NY just a 15 minute drive from here. I haven't been there for a while; maybe I should go again. Some are very interesting - especially the small ones which I'm thinking held medicine. I have quite a few on my mantle and they line the window sills in our breezeway.