Storm damage

This is what is left of the Carolina Silverbell (Halesia tetraptera) that was on the property line with the park.

The newspaper reported 60 - 80 mph winds during Wednesday night.

Ironically we had talked about how the canopy of this tree was starting to encroach on the power line to the house, well nature took care of that for us.

My husband is trying to use large branches that come down to make a deer fence in parts of the garden, so we hope this will be of some use. Sad to see the tree go though.

Rudbeckia variety

Just one of the many versions of Rudbeckia hirta in my garden

Allowed to go to seed & multiply this native, sometimes perennial, annual produces amazing variations. Saving seed of a particular one of these will not necessarily produce like offspring. 

Enjoy the genetic diversity of this fabulous flowering plant.

Pale Purple Coneflower

Echinacea pallida the Pale Purple Coneflower is native to much of the USA

My clump now in it's third year is very tall this year with all our recent rain.

Often, in the early morning, bees are waking up on the cones.

Below you can see the difference between species pallida & purpurea

The pods are from poppies

I read that Echinacea comes from a Greek word meaning hedgehog in recognition of the bristly cones

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ECPA