finally

a wonderful shirley poppy bloom. Countless seeds last year, with sad results. But this year, I shall have at least two plants of this kind, and several of some other type of shirleys. This girl makes me happy, when outside, I rush over to her and coo, telling her how pretty she is. Thanking her for growing, for blooming in my garden, now her garden. Our garden. I have heard that poppies reseed themselves wildly. Really? Really, 'cause mine never have. Now the cosmos they are a lively prolific bunch.



Right next to this poppy, which might be called falling in love, I should check I have sooooo many empty poppy seed packets and so little plants, I should find out who is who, and who never showed. Anyway right next to her is this site

the devastation of rose petals
by

these nasty J Beetles. I knock them off into this jar of water, letting petals fall in, and sometimes clipping the whole bud into the vessel, and then seal them up. I can't really imagine a good way of killing anything, but here they die among the flowers they devour.
I am soon off to the beach, just in time for what threatens to be days of rain. Hopefully we will have a good time anyway, and hopefully the threat of rain is over-estimated.
At any rate, the beetles will enjoy their vacation from me. And I will no doubt return to a roseless garden.