Tiny flowers

Carolina Elephant's foot (what a great name, see here)

Tiny little daisy

Portulaca

Sneeze weed. 

 

Tithonia

Finally the Tithonia is blooming.  The bees are happy about that.

 

Grape Hyacinth

They do look like a bunch of purple grapes, don't they?

 

Azalea season

The Azaleas are popping open.

 

Lenten Rose

It's not a rose, but it does bloom at Lent.  Its other name is much less lovely...Hellebore.

 

Golden

The goldenrod is beginning to flower already.

 

Not welcome

This lovely little flower is a Chameleon Plant.  It comes from Asia and is very invasive.   An article from Southern Living magazine says that the only way to get rid of it is to "Set off a tactical nuclear weapon in your garden. Pave over your garden with a foot of concrete."(see here)

We found it growing wild on the banks of a wetland.  It has already invaded!

 

Blue or is it purple?

Just a pretty flower.  

 

Gardenia

Gardenias are in bloom.  The scent is unmistakable.

My husband says they smell like soap.

  (I think soap smells like gardenias.)

 

Big Bee

This bee was so big he had trouble hanging onto the blue vetch flowers.  The vetch is not native to North America, but it has become common in wild areas.

 

Hazel

The Hazel is blooming all around Durant Lake.

Does it look like a flower?  The long yellow catkins are the pollen producing male parts, the red at the top are the female parts.

Spring in mid-winter

The first sign of spring.  

 

Theme day: Soft

The theme for this month is "Soft".  So here are the soft pedals of a pansy.

 

Last Rose?

I don't know if this is the last rose of summer, but we have to savor each one this time of year.

 

Yellow coneflower

The yellow coneflower looked like they were wearing skirts.

 

Zinnia

This zinnia reminds me of fireworks on the fourth of July.

 

Life imitates Art?

Sometimes flowers actually do look like a child's drawing.

 

Yucca

Yucca in North Carolina?  Yes it does well here and blooms prolifically.

 

Legal?

 

I think these are Opium Poppies.  They must be legal in North Carolina, they're blooming in front yards in the neighborhood.

In a row

The tulips line up in red and white.