Love, Joy and Peas: June 2015

Friday, June 26, 2015

Sunflower, Day Lilies, Vinca and Mystery Flowers

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" Above is our first sunflower of the year. Bees love sunflowers and I love them both.

Our double bloom orange day lilies started opening this week too.

As did my favorite bicolor day lilies, the El Dorado style. We originally had six of these pretty plants but are down to three (I think this was mostly because of the backhoe situation).

The vincas have been blooming since we planted them but this is the first decent photo.

And these tiny but pretty yellow flowers started blooming this week too. My dear friend Missy gave me the original plants and they spread a bit wider each year. Neither of us knows what the plant is but I think Missy said it's an herb of some kind. If you know what it is, please share.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you this summer and always!

Which is your favorite flower/photo from this week's post? What is blooming in your area?

Related posts:
Black eyed susans, sunflowers and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/teddy-bear-sunflower-black-eyed-susan.html
Sunflowers and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/sunflowers-dahlias-marigolds-verbena.html
Bees and sunflowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/08/bees-fighting-over-sunflower-photo.html

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Cute Critters on Flowers

Happy wild Wednesday! Here are the critter on flower photos I promised last Friday. We've planted several specialty echinacea (also known as coneflower) varieties but this yellow is the only one besides the old fashioned purple that survived our last few frigid winters. I was really happy to see the cheery yellow flowers and the bees were too.

Of course, the old fashioned echinacea are still a big draw. Bees and butterflies usually flock to them. This year we've had a few moths but so far, only one butterfly that I've noticed. I did plant some milkweed for the monarchs a couple years ago but it didn't survive the winter. If we stay here through another spring then next year I hope to plant some more milkweed and some butterfly weed to help these beautiful creatures survive.

My husband pointed out this pretty green dragonfly resting on the green daylily leaves. He has a good eye for noticing seemingly hidden creatures.

This bug (a beetle of some kind?) surprised me. I was taking a photo of the dark purple butterfly bush flower and it popped right over from the back side.

Here's a macro (super close up) shot of that same green dragonfly from above. It's amazing the creatures you can find in your own back yard.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Monarch butterfly: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/10/monarch-butterfly-on-pretty.html
Dragonfly and butterflies: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/08/dragonfly-and-butterflies-on-flowers-at.html
Butterfly preserve critters: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/wildlife-at-glendening-preserves.html

Friday, June 19, 2015

Coreopsis, Zinnia, Hydrangea, Dahlia and Golden Sundrop Flower Photos

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" I had so many "critter on flower" pictures that I'm saving some for the next "wild Wednesday" post so be sure to come back for those. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy today's pretty blooms. The red coreopsis are still going strong and the bees are enjoying the sea of flowers.

I was super excited to see our first giant zinnia bloom. After falling in love with the giant red zinnias at the National Arboretum last year, I bought a seed packet that was supposed to produce only red flowers in hopes of having some of my own. Even though this one is clearly orange (and not red), I love it. Since this flower opened I've seen another from the seed packet with white blooms. I think more than 20 of the seeds sprouted so there are at least 18 more changes for an actual red zinnia.

Last year I don't think our hydrangeas produced any flowers so I was thrilled to see flower heads forming this year. This is our very first bloom of the year (it's just starting to open).

The miniature dahlias I planted earlier this spring are producing another rush of flowers.

And the heliopsis plants (also called golden sundrops) are producing a lot of bright yellow flowers which have been atracting golden finches. Usually I deadhead flowers this early in the season but I've been leaving spent blooms on these because I like watching the finches feed on them.

That's all for this week's mini flower garden tour. Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Giant dahlias: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/08/four-dahlias-and-dianthus-for-floral.html
Sunflowers and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/sunflowers-dahlias-marigolds-verbena.html
Bright dahlias: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/10/delightful-dahlia-close-up-photos.html

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Cute & Interesting Zoo Photos for Wild Wednesday

Happy wild Wednesday! I took these photos on our last trip to the zoo and hope you enjoy them. I think the tiny mongoose peeping out of his cave is super cute.

And this brightly colored reptile was apprently in the process of shedding its skin.

The cute and furry lemur was very interested in something below his tree.

And the teeny tiny Amazonian frogs are always a delight. It's rare that I get a decent picture through their steamy glass enclosures. That's all for today. Thank you for visiting! May God bless you today and always!

Related posts:
Dwarf mongoose in pumpkin: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/11/cute-dwarf-mongoose-enjoys-pumpkin.html
Cute baby tigers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/11/sunlit-tiger-cub-cuteness-photos.html
Cute lion cubs: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/06/six-cute-little-lion-cubs-romp-and-rest.html
Cute chipmunk: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/03/cute-chipmunk-on-bird-ball.html

Friday, June 12, 2015

Shasta Daisies, Coreopsis, Sweet Peas, Marigold and Echinacea Flowers

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" The heat and humidity are back but the flowers still look happy. This week brought our first shasta daisy blooms of the year.

And also our first red coreopsis blooms. When we bought these plants they were pure red flowers. But as time goes by little bits of two of the plants produce orange and red bicolor flowers. I like them both but think it's interesting that they come from the same plant.

Our sweet peas have started blooming too. I waited too late to train them up a trellis so they're sprawling all over the place.

I love the French marigolds, possibly even more so because I started them from seed. It's exciting to see the first blooms in these easy to grow flowers.

The bees love the purple coneflowers (also known as echinacea). This flower is about the size of my palm so you can imagine how tiny the bee is.

It's fun to have so many flowers blooming in our Maryland garden. Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

Which is your favorite flower from today's post? What flower(s) remind you of summer?

Related posts:
Funky flowers and freeloaders: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/09/flowers-freeloaders-and-funkiness-for.html
Day lilies, French marigolds and more: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/06/dahlias-day-lilies-daisies-and-more.html
Raindrops on pretty flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/10/raindrop-drenched-dahlia-chrysanthemum.html

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Catbird and Robin

Happy wild Wednesday! The birds have been enjoying our new birdbath (the old one broke in last winter's freeze) and I hope these robin and catbird pictures make you smile.

This robin is a frequent birdbath visitor and definitely makes a splash.

The catbirds are more delicate in their use of the bird bath.

But they definitely enjoy it, particularly on hot days. I'm thankful that we can provide a fun spot and needed water for our feathered friends.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

What birds do you see in your neighborhood? Which was your favorite photo from this post?

Related posts:
Wet and wild birds: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/wet-wild-birds.html
Fish grabbing bird: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/04/fish-grabbing-bird-photos.html
Eagle nest: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/04/wild-eagles-nest-at-us-national.html

Friday, June 5, 2015

Day Lilies, Carnations, Pansies, Primrose & Fire Poker Lily

Happy floral Friday and welcome to "this week in my Maryland garden!" Our Stella d'oro day lilies (a repeat blooming variety) have started flowering. I love that we get a big rush of blooms now and they'll trickle in through frost.

This is our first carnation ever. I planted them last spring but only two of the four plants survived. Neither bloomed last year but I'm thankful that now they are both blooming. The flowers are much smaller than florist's carnations but it's neat to have our very own.

My husband warned me that he's taking the pansies out this weekend so this is my last pansy photo until fall. I'm glad he gave me advance notice so I could get this shot with raindrops on the petals.

I'm really loving the yellow primroses (thank you, Mary!). I know I shared a photo last week but this week's has raindrops on the petals so hope you agree it's worth posting again.

Apparently it's been three years since I posted a fire poker lily photo! I believe they're also called torch lilies. My photo from three years ago was actually better (because the flowers were fresher) but I thought it'd be nice to have a new one and this is likely the last week to get a photo. All in all, it's a lovely time in my Maryland garden.

Thank you for visiting! I'd love to hear from you! May God bless you!

What's blooming in your area? What was your favorite photo in this post? Do you have any happy memories that go with these flowers?

Related posts:
Little bees, big flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/06/little-bees-and-big-flowers-this-week.html
Fancy day lilies: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/06/dahlias-day-lilies-daisies-and-more.html
Lotus photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/06/lotus-flower-photos-haiku-poem.html

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Yellow Finches Feeding

Happy wild Wednesday! We're enjoying some lovely cool weather here in Maryland and the little birds seem especially happy. I hope these two bright yellow finches make you smile.

Someone told me that they're not really called yellow finches but are truly golden finches. I haven't looked it up yet but I imagine either name is ok. To me, they look more yellow than golden.

I love their bright yellow color but like their distinct white and black markings too.

It's nice to see them enjoying our feeders and flitting about our rose of Sharon bushes.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless our feathered friends and may He bless you too!

Related posts:
Wet & wild birds: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/wet-wild-birds.html
Find the yellow finch: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/08/yellow-finch-feeding-on-black-eyed.html
Blind baby finch: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/04/primrose-blind-baby-finch-angelique.html