Concord Grape Spiderwort

Tradescantia ‘Concord Grape’ (Andersoniana Group)—three species native to Virginia were used to create these hybrids; photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Rob’s old-fashioned Peonies

My friend Rob grows the most fragrant and beautiful Peonies in his backyard garden. These heirloom plants have been handed down from his grandfather. Here are three from a bouquet he assembled last week. I just wish I could add a scratch-and-sniff button on this photo for you!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Clematis

Clematis (Klematis sp.) blooming in my friend Gina’s garden

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden today: Showy Wild Garlic

New to my garden this year: Showy Wild Garlic (Allium canadense). I’ve misplaced the label from the bag but I’m fairly certain this is what is blooming like crazy in my side garden. The water drops were a bonus—Michael was watering the herb baskets on the railing above this portion of the garden as I made my way over to photograph the blooms.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Tiny mating moths

My neighbor, dear friend and frequent photography companion, Michael Powell, challenged me to get a shot of these tiny moths in my garden yesterday afternoon. They were on the edge of a leaf of one of my many Rose campion (Lychnis coronaria) plants (they self-seed all over the garden). Combined (and yes, they were combined), the moths barely measured an inch in width! If you’re familiar with depth-of-field in photography and how it works, you’ll know that the closer you get to the subject (and the tinier it is), the areas in focus become extremely shallow. I was directly overhead shooting these two moths and they were visually on the same plane, but it was difficult to get a shot where almost everything was in focus. This was my best shot and I’m happy with it overall.

I still haven’t identified what kind of insects they are. Michael and I are fairly certain they are moths, but we could be swayed otherwise with a more official identifications. Takers, anyone?

UPDATE: Thanks to Jane Auty Kirkland (author/photographer of the Take a Walk Books series), for identifying these little moths. She has identified them as Orange Mint moths (Pyrausta orphisalis). Check out this link here for clarification.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blooming in my garden today: Dutch iris

Dutch iris (Iris hollandica); these are a new addition to my garden and I think the combination of royal purple, bronze-chocolate and that pop of Big Bird yellow is stunning! There are just two in bloom today, with about 15 more awaiting their chance to turn heads. I’m looking for the bag I saved so that I can identify the exact cultivar; info to come!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Love-in-a-mist

Love-in-a-mist (Nigella Damascena), photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Doesn’t everyone need one of these?

Many thanks to Michael Armstrong, the newest subscriber to my blog, for introducing me to physicist David Neevel and his exciting invention. Enjoy! 😉

Another lovely Peony…

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Wildflowers, Hwy. 281 in San Antonio

Here’s a record shot of the median strip on Hwy. 281 in San Antonio….there were wildflowers everywhere last month!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Garden phlox

Perennial or Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata); attracts butterflies and hummingbirds

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Love-in-a-mist

Love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Agastache ‘Cotton Candy’

Agastache ‘Cotton Candy’, a pollen and nectar source

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‘Blue Moon’ Siberian iris against a backdrop of Astilbe foliage

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

The much-maligned dandelion

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Ooh….gadget girl wants one of these!

Thanks to my friend Carmen for sharing this with me!

Tibouchina urvilleana

Tibouchina urvilleana, photographed at Green Spring Gardens

I find it fascinating that the buds of this plant are hot pink but the resulting blooms are an intense purple color; some leaves are hot pink, others are solid green; the stamens look like something out of a sci-fi movie; very interesting plant

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Water pearls

Water drops form strings of pearls on a hosta leaf at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bicolor Pansy

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Camassia

Photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Bleeding Hearts

Lovely Bleeding Hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis; formerly Dicentra spectabilis); rhizomatous perennial native to eastern Asia and Siberia south to Japan; also called old-fashioned bleed-heart, Lady in a bath, Dutchman’s trousers; photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Jones’ Bluestar

Jones’ Bluestar (Amsonia jonesii Woodson), member of the Dogbane family; also known as Colorado Desert Blue Star; deciduous foliage, deer resistant perennial, flowers in spring and summer; photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Bearded iris (unknown variety)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Spiderwort ‘Sweet Kate’

Spiderwort Tradescantia ‘Sweet Kate’

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Camassia leichtlinii ‘Blue Danube’

Ladybug on Camassia leichtlinii, commonly known as large camas

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Iris kamaoensis

Iris kamaoensis

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Peony ‘Cytherea’

Peony (Paeonia ‘Cytherea’)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Siberian iris ‘Blue Moon’

Iris siberica ‘Blue Moon’ (yes, they really are this beautifully colored!)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Prickly pear cactus buds and bloom

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Leaf-footed bug on Prickly pear cactus

Leaf-footed bug, order Hemiptera (thanks, Brian K. Loflin, oh bug man!) on a Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.