Linden, Tilia tomentosa, Silver linden, basswood, lime

Last year the flowering of the Silver linden brought hundreds of Japanese beetles which were apparently attracted to the sickly sweet smell of the flowers. This year I have only seen a single beetle so far and it was on the Edith Bogue Magnolia flower. I'm hoping this means a smaller infestation of beetles this year.

Delphinium

White clover

Red clover

Presented to look like a large flower the common red clover blossom can surely rival any ornamental flower? Please click the photo for an enlargement.

Dying leaves of the water lilies

The leaves of the waterlilies are in a constant state of dying and renewal until the cold weather arrives. The dying leaves exhibit the same brilliant colors of some tree leaves in the fall. They were so brilliantly colored that I was compelled to photograph them.

Clematis

We've never had much luck in growing Clematis. This is the third year this unknown variety is in the ground. It produced only two flowers last year and only three so far this year.

I like the seedpod pinwheels as much as the flower!

Plantain flower

Some of the weeds have the most interesting flowers. This is of the common narrow-leaf plantain, Buckhorn plantain, Plantago lanceolata. The tan skirt which forms the under part of the flower is actually the spent dried stamens. Click on photo to englarge.

Here's a good University of California website with extensive information on the two most common kinds of plantain - not to be confused with the banana relative.

A bed of poppies and other wildflowers

Lupines

I think these lupines came in a box of wildflower seeds because I don't remember planting any where they are located. The seeds were planted many years ago but the flowers still appear every year.

Water lily, hardy Nymphea

This is a cold hardy water lily, probably Nymphaea alba, a common but beautiful water plant. It over-winters in our pond which has frozen over to a depth of about 8" thick. The fish and water lilies survive under the ice.