Time ran out for this hollyhock, which appears to be deep pink:
Late-season resurgence
Even as most of our flowers were winding down for the year, some took advantage of the early October rain and unseasonably warm weather to come back to life.
Like the geranium, which bloomed in spring and again in late summer…
The white coneflower, which was eaten by rabbits in the spring before it could bloom and finally decided to try again…
The tomatoes, which did produce lots of fruit during the normal growing season and tried again anyway…
A sunflower that sprouted extra blooms after the main flower head had gone to seed…
The broccoli, which didn’t make any progress until October…
The dahlia that didn’t even send up leaves until late August…
And the feverfew that has been blooming all season long.
Where do bumblebees sleep?
Judging by our front yard, bumblebees sleep in hollyhocks.
They rest in or cling to the blooms, sometimes upside-down.
This sleeping bumblebee must have been too tired to leave after gathering so much pollen.
I gently petted this bee, and he kicked his legs out but didn’t fly away. It made me think of a protesting teenager: “Five more minutes, Mom!”
Looking bedraggled after spending a night in the rain.
Do not disturb.
Autumn in the park, two ways
I couldn’t resist stopping on my way to work to take photos at Como Park. The trees were spectacular in the morning sunshine:
On the way home, I had to stop to admire the artistic clouds from the storms rolling through the Twin Cities:
Fall foraging
Our perennial garden has been full of bees, wasps and other insects for the last couple of weeks.
The pearly everlasting is especially enticing to this pair of paper wasps.
crystallofolia 