Making a Splash

Oh, what do you do in the summer time when the temperatures turn above 90 F well our littlest grand daughter decided to play in the hose as I was washing livestock equipment.

The water was refreshing and fairly warm as it comes from a tower that sits on the hill and is warmed by the sun.

What did I do except work and wish I could take the day off. Well, I photographed my small flower garden. I've become facinated this summer at what insects are attracted to what flowers.

Here's a flying ant on my ??? plants. I can never remember the proper names of most of the flowers. When I use to take care of an older friend's yard when they were gone, I rename all her flowers. Oh she told me the proper names more than once but I have no short term memory and I gave up trying to recall them so I gave them all new names, names I could remember - The Can Can girls, Macy's parade, and Flopsy and Mopsy for example. All titles that the flowers reminded me of. The funny thing was when we would talk on the phone, she knew just what plants I was talking about. I would give her an update just as if they were her children. The Can Can girls have spread their pretty skirts and they're flying in the breeze or the Macy's parade is looked rather peaked no matter what I do. It would make her laugh.

I don't have very many flowers as the vegetable garden is about all I can handle but I tore up the front flower bed this summer and moved the plants to a new spot in the back. It brightens my days as I can see it out my kitchen window when I'm doing dishes - which is all the time with three little ones.

These pretty little daisy like plants come up every year. Can't tell if they reseed themselves or come up from the roots but they volunteer and that's huge in this area where nothing, not even Russian Olive trees sprout up on their own.

What has me intrigued is that this bright yellow flower does not attract a single bee, not a bumble bee, a honey bee, a sweat bee - nothing. There are some grasshoppers just now making an appearance though the county has been spraying against them for weeks. There are also lots of different kinds of flies that are busy pollinating this plant.

Where are the bees?

They are all over these purple flowers. I have been trying to photograph them but they are flitting faster than I can focus in. My poor little ol 50 Macro has to be manually focused in order to get a real close up shot and ... the little beggars won't hold still long enough. I've even tried focusing in a spot and waiting for someone to arrive to fine tune. I'm not done trying as long as they aren't done coming to dine on the nectar. Haven't seen any pollen on the bumble bees legs with this plant.
Now this is what I need to add near those pretty yellow ones - daisies. This was taken next door to our oldest daughter's home in Colorado. Daisies is one flower I know. They were my choice for my wedding 31 years ago this August.