Bee Parties and Greenery

I’m not very good at growing vegetables, I have found (though I keep trying), but things are happening in my garden, nonetheless! This year, I’ve noticed a few newcomers to my usual flower patches, and one visitor in particular has brought some friends. If you like looking at insects (mostly winged ones), and want to see a few plants as a bonus, keep reading! This particular seed pod caught my interest because it’s the first one that’s shown up in my yard. Unfortunately these are prodigious and grow over everything, so these seeds are destined to be composted. But isn’t it magnificent? This year, I planted some additional flowers out in the front of my yard. This is mainly because we had to cut back the Vitex tree, which is very popular with the Monarchs, and I wanted something else for them to eat when (if) they come by this fall, so I’ve planted a number of Texas natives in the hopes that they’ll have some variety. They’ve grown wonderfully so far, though they’re winding down in the…