In the garden - and At Coombe Wood

IN MY GARDEN

The other day a beautiful orange butterfly with black and white stripes was fluttering around the garden. It settled on a leaf and folded the black and white stripy part of the wings which unfortunately hid most of the gorgeous orange colour

 An explosion of thistle seeds 

Thanks to a friend - who put a photo of an unusual flower on Facebook - I bought some seeds and grew my own. I think it looks like delicate frayed fabric. I'm hoping that seeds will develop and I can give them away to friends who would like to grow some of their own

but I'm not overwhelmingly hopeful about it producing any - this was the first insect I've seen showing any interest in any of the flowers on this plant.

An unopened bud

Also in my garden - some gorgeous pink flowers - a plant given to me by my neighbours as a thank you gift for watering their pots and tubs while they were away

AT COOMBE WOOD (Monday 10th)

By the pond

Flowers near the entrance

I thought these flowers were pale pink but when I looked closer I saw that the buds have pink tips but are white when open and the stamens have vivid pink anthers which give the impression of the whole flower being tinged with pink

The prairie beds

These are like the plant my neighbours gave me - but they are paler pink

These are the obvious colours when approaching the prairie bed from the top of the steps . . .

but there are various other plants which aren't so obvious. This is one - a mass of buds at the moment with tiny daisy like flowers beginning to open.

Bees

The dark seeds stand out against the light structure of the dried out allium

The sedum buds are opening

 some are like delicate little stars

These orange and yellow flowers remind me of the way children draw flowers.

The flowers on the golden rain tree

I do love this colour combination

Looking closer at the little lilac coloured flowers behind the pink ones

These white flowers have jagged edges to their petals

To the right of the poppy seed heads (any excuse to throw in a photo of poppy seed heads!) are some ornamental grass seeds. My sister said they look like woodlice and my daughter said they looked like dead woodlice. Maybe - but I love the structure of these little heart shaped seeds

Purples

Flower head that looks like a pink tree - I wonder if the little buds will open further

Such variety in textures - bright yellow daisy type flowers, soft rustling grasses and upright purple stems

from different angles, enjoying the different combinations

Resin running down a Korean pine cone. Last year there were a lot more cones than there are this year

Tiny blue flowers

Swaying flowers stems hanging above the shrub like a lilac mist

Funny little cones growing at the end of branches

Bees (bumble bee and another stripy insect)

and more stripy insects

Wild carrot with pink in the middle

The hops are growing around the arch on the way to the cafe. Ladybird larvae are on the leaves feasting on greenflies

Thank you very much for joining me again