I phoned my sister

I phoned my sister, Katja, to hurry up and get over to my place. Last year, she and our mother gave me a gift certificate to a local garden shop and among the perennials I bought to make a new bed in front of my dining room window, were some daylilies. A few days ago, one long shoot had started a slow swirl to the stars and opened last night and so I ran inside to phone Katja to come and take a photo of it before it dies.....tomorrow?

I walked to the back yard, towards the area where I have planted "the tall plants". I can't remember the name of this flower but it is about 6' tall. Bees love it....but so do small white spiders. The spiders catch the bees, many of which are enshrouded under the flower heads, wrapped tight in cocoons of spiders silk. I saw a spider sucking the life-juice out of a trapped bee. Hassan said, "Oh, sister! Let's free the bee! I said, "Don't be silly. It's the law of nature. We should never interfere." Maybe this plant is called Bee Trap"? or Death to Bees?

Also by "the tall plants" this yellow visitor came to st(r)ay among The Queen of the Meadow. Queen of the Meadow is also called Ladies Bedstraw. Properly, she's a prairie plant, tall and regal and oh so sweet scented. Her stalks and flowers used to be strewn on the floor of the house or stuffed to make mattresses because of the sweet scent! You can also drink her as a tea or make mead/ale or black dye from her.

Sweetly scented thy wreath,
Meadowsweet of the cairns,
In round brindled clusters,
And softly fringed tresses.
Beautiful and graceful,
Creamy flowered, ringleted, high,
Around sheltered hillocks,
Where the wood sorrel grows
(translation from Flora Celtica)


Something took a bite out of the Lamb's Ears.