Morning Dew & Romance

There is something romantic about morning dew...

maybe it's the way the tiny droplets of water hug the tips of flowers and grass

holding on until the very last moment of their existence

or the way they capture the first light of dawn

and magnify its glow, becoming bright as luminous crystals

they'll twinkle like bright stars as they bathe in the morning sun...

then quietly disappear into thin air,

leaving barely a trace of their dewy kiss upon waking blooms.

Pincushion Flower

I purchased a few different plants to test this year- if they make it through summer with me, they'll be on my list for next year's Spring/Summer season.  One such flower I chose for this year is the Pincushion flower.  One look at the flower in full bloom and you know where its name derived from- the stamens protrude well beyond the curved surface of the ball shaped heads, giving the impression of a perfect, symmetrical pincushion.  

Commonly known to gardeners as Scabiosa, it comes both in perennial and annual varieties and it can be successfully grown in most areas.  It likes the sun but does well in partial shade also.   The Scabiosa is one of the longer blooming plants in the flower garden, beginning mid-summer and lingering until winter, if the spent blooms are removed. It will often continue blooming even after several frosts, but a hard freeze will bring the growing season to an end.  Additionally, bees and butterflies are highly attracted to this flower.  Obviously, spiders are attracted to it as well...one or more of them had a busy, busy night!

^(..)^   More blooms to come...   Have a good day :)