mid-August 2022

hoverfly on a "pink dandelion" (Crepis rubra)

I am trying to water my pots sparingly, especially those with flowers for pollinators so the "pink dandelions" (Crepis rubra) are still blooming. I'm loving these this summer - fast flowers from seed.

and some of the spent flowers

I love chicory. I grew these from seed but it's been challenging. They're biennial so it's been a long time waiting for flowers and trying to keep the slugs off them. I only have 1 plant left from about half a dozen.

some new chicory buds

my lone water lily this year, it lives in a trug after the barrel it was in collapsed; that got very low on water with the drought and heatwave and I think I topped up the water only just in time

aster in bloom, seems early, I imagine it's the heat that's brought on early blooms

Victor (and all the cats) struggling to find shade to avoid the heat

borage buds

I'm not sure what this seedling is. I think I've seen it before but can't remember.

this amaranthus has self-seeded in one of my pots, will keep an eye on it as it develops to see if I can identify it to species

the flower reminds me of some plantain species