Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) grows very happily in Pittsburgh, and the first warm winter day from January onwards it will open up these curious little flowers. If you cut some twigs in the cold weather and bring them in to put in a vase, the flowers will open in a day or two and start filling the room with perfume.
In the garden at Robin Hill.
Lonicera periclymenum is the honeysuckle Shakespeare knew and celebrated. A number of cultivars with flowers in different color combinations have been bred; this one is called “Peaches and Cream.” Unlike Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), it does not take over whole counties, so it is a responsible garden flower in our area.
Three different colors of morning glories were blooming in this patch in Beechview, and in one spot all three colors happened to line up and beg to have their picture taken.
Among wild morning glories, deep violet and pink are the usual colors. The pale blue is much rarer. Here is one of those blue flowers on its own. Enlarge it to see the tiny fly with bright red eyes, which shows us that nature is never at a loss for decorative ideas.
More of the flowers that bloom in every season can be found at Flora Pittsburghensis.
There is always room for more zinnias, which give us some of the most outrageously bright colors in the annual garden.
Father Pitt is fairly certain that the insect enjoying the pollen of this Cosmos sulphureus flower is a Pennsylvania Leatherwing (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus), a common kind of soldier beetle that prefers yellowish flowers that match its own snazzy uniform. He is always delighted to be corrected, however, by someone with more entomological expertise than he has.
Zinnias are everywhere these days, and they make the world brighter. Here are a few different varieties of zinnias from here and there.
A field of native flowers in Robin Hill Park, Moon Township.
