What would we have if we didn’t have the little workers who pollinate our flowers? We would miss out on all the photographs plus the unimaginable benefits we get from the work they do. Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge reminds us of the beauty we see all around us throughout the year. So today while I am showing various picture of my sunflowers(before they fell) the true subject is the bees that so loved these huge flowers.
When a bee lands on a flower, the pollen sticks to the tiny hairs on it legs. Then the bee takes this pollen, which is high in protein, to other flowers and finally to feed its developing offspring.
When water is added to the flower’s sugar, it creates nectar. The nectar is a food source for the bees that gives them energy to fly from flower to flowers, pollinating as it goes. If we didn’t have bees pollinating our plants, we would not have the vegetables and fruit we enjoy eating. It is all a part of the many intersecting rings of life.
So enjoy the many circles of life and understand how very much we need each other to survive. And in doing so, remember the extra advantage of being kind within all the circles. Kindness can be sweeter than any nectar from any flower.
Thanks to the fun challenges that we enjoy through blogging, we share that fun with others. Cee’s challenge for Flower of the Day is a favorite of mine, so today, I am sharing my indoor flowers.
My violets are three different colors but right now only two of them are blooming. The baby plant, which is supposed to be pink, has not bloomed yet.
Flowers share their beauty with us so that we can enjoy them and maybe share that beauty with others. Flowers can make you smile, some will make you sneeze, but their beauty can bring you peace. And we all need some of that. So enjoy the flowers you find in your area, smile and remember to be kind. That can also bring you peace.
Today we say goodbye to the beauty of my sunflowers. The tallest of the spiers was well over 12 feet high with over 15 huge blooms on one stalk. Some blooms were over 9 inches wide.
Then Wednesday a storm came through and all but one of my sunflowers hit the ground. The picture below was taken less than one minute before she snapped. The weight of even more blooms that the earlier picture proved she was no match for the wind.
The storm took out power as well as limbs and some trees. One year plus one day ago we had a derecho come through that caused massive damage to trees, crops and power. I am afraid that as our oceans warm due to human carelessness, that the collapse of that important system for the entire globe will only make our weather more erratic.
The weight of each of these blooms was almost too much to carry indoors but the are making my table beautiful for now. I had to use a heavy cut-glass vase to make sure the weight of the flowers did not pull the vase over.
But I enjoyed them so much that yes, I will plant them again next year. If you love flowers as a lot of us do, join in on Cee’s wonderful challenge of Flower of the Day. And as always I remind you of the beauty of kindness. It complements any flower of any garden.
Faith, Hope and Love are to me the top attributes to the Christian faith. Today I want to tie that in with flowers and Cee’s Flower of the Day as I show off my sunflowers, again.
When my sunflowers started growing, because I am on the quirky side, I gave them names. Some got a name change due to how they bloomed and some remained true to their name. First we have the King and Queen. The King was the first on the scene, planted by the local bird population. King kept his name due to his flower being the largest of all at 9.5 inches (214.3mm) across. While his height was less impressive, King still stands 4.5 feet (1372mm) high. He looks to be on his way out but he actually is just about fully ripe. If you look at the top you can see the seeds starting to show their heads. Soon he will be a feast for the birds.
The King
Queen is much more flamboyant and beautiful as any queen should be. While her blooms are much smaller at 6 in (152mm) she does showoff with14 blooms and she stands at 8.5 feet (2591mm).
The Queen
As beautiful as these two are, the three that guard my gate as I go in and out have been named Faith, Hope & Love. Faith is closest to the gate to refresh me as I go in and out. Hope is furthest from the gate but like his namesake, he is strong, protective and holds the three together. Love is in the middle radiating his name by reflecting his beauty with leaves larger than my hands together.
Faith, Hope & Love
These three have yet to show their flowers but their stature is quite impressive. Hope, on the far left, is 9.5 feet (2896 mm) tall showing 10 buds to share his smiles with those who see them. Faith, on the right, is a little taller at 10 feet (3048 mm) and seems to have only 1 colossal bud, which is fitting for our faith should be large and strong to carry us through any crisis we face. Love takes over the center position which is fitting as love should be centered in who we are and how we are. Love is also the tallest and the largest at 12.5 feet (3810mm) tall. Its stalk is so large that I can barely wrap my fingers around it. Love has more than 12 buds thus far and I still see buds forming because it is still growing. This is how our love should be – strong, with multiple buds and height to be seen from afar.
I am a firm believer that God shows His beauty of faith, hope and love in all things that he creates for us to enjoy and learn of His caring nature. So look at nature with a different eye and let the fullness of Christ fill you with its various forms of beauty.
And in closing, I always like to remind us all of the power of kindness. Kindness can calm, soothe, encourage and give hope for almost any situation. So remember to always be kind.
Come join in in Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge and share your fun with all of us. Today I have my neighbors Hibiscus, one red and one white.
This red is almost maroon
I meant to send this out yesterday but got distracted…go figure. So on this lovely Sunday, enjoy the beauty around you but be aware of the heat. here in the midwest we are under a heat advisory. I thought I left this in the south when I moved here. Who knew.
And as always, remember to be kind. It is a simple thing that is not always easy to do but its benefits to receiver and giver are amazing.
Cee’s Challenge of Flower of the Day gives us a chance to share the beauty we see around us. Flowers are a gift that we get to visually share and enjoy. Today I have one of the many sunflowers in my yard and it has a visitor.
This is one planted by the birds,
My giant varieties are out by the fence and will get shared later. And as always, remember to be kind. Kindness like the sunflower can bring about big smiles.
I love joining in on Cee’s FOTD to see all the flowers others post. Such a happy challenge. Today I give you what I call an old southern flower. Other places had them I am sure but when I was growing up, the older gardeners always had them.
When I bought the plant, I thought I was getting the white but it seems that there were three plants in one pot and they are all different colors – white, pink and rose. And there petals seem different as the pink and rose are ruffled or curled where the white is straight and smooth. In the south these pare perennials so I will see if they can survive the winters here in Iowa.
As you enjoy the beauty of flowers, remember the beauty of kindness and share it where you can.
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge gives us an opportunity to look at things differently if need be. Her challenge this week, Orange, could be fruit or color. I went with color and I first look to nature for that.
Sunset after the rain
Then you have the garden where multiple shades of orange show their likeness.
Then we have a purpose. Orange is a standout color to grab attention what what better way to show people the much need value in fresh water to those in need.
I did not take this picture of the young boy who is reaping the benefits of clean water, but what a happy face. I do walk for this cause – multiple times and what a great way to show orange.
Remember in all that you do, the power of kindness. It has unquenchable power.
When watering my yard today, it was hard to pick a favorite. So many were showing their happy faces to the morning sun. But I settled on the verbena because of its varied color and multiple blooms. Some blooms even went through the fence to be seen inside the yard.
The happy face of the Verbena
Remember to share the happiness of kindness wherever you go, it adds to the sunshine smiles of the day.
Yesterday the US celebrated the 4th of July, a day we celebrate our independence. So, belated Happy Fourth of July to others in the US. A lot of us have today off as well so bonus for us. I also hope you are having a good day today wherever you are. It is bit hot already but after watering, I did get some beautiful pics of my yard and thought I would share them with you, they will be at the bottom.
Last night’s devotion in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, combined with the Fourth of July celebration, really gave me pause for who we are. Peter spoke to the Israelites making them understand that they were a chosen people for God’s purpose. For any of us who follow Christ, it does not matter what nation we live in, trust in, or love. That is all temporary. We are His nation regardless of location…even if a nation of one.
The gratitude we feel when we draw near to God, enables us to perceive more clearly the love relationship we have in Christ. Nothing can separate us from His Loving Presence. Sarah Young
That is a huge comfort because I know I mess up every day. We can’t control everything around us but we can control how we react to it. Instead of worrying, trust! In stead of panicking, trust! Instead of clinging to old ways that no longer do us any good, trust! He is always doing something new for us, protecting us for His use. Trust!
He always has a hand out for us to grab. Grab and hold tight, for while it may be a bumpy ride, it will be a glorious ride.
And remember, some are having a bumpier ride than others, so always be kind.
For the Love of 