Flower Power

I have a number of plants and shrubs that flower throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall. I enjoy them all, and they provide nectar for pollinators as well, which helps my garden. But there are a number of other "volunteers" that spread and grow throughout my yard, and they serve much the same purpose. So while some people may refer to them as weeds, and you do need to be careful lest they choke out other items you want to preserve, for the most part I give them free reign and let them do what they do best.

The first flowers I notice in the Spring are violets. Usually just one will open up to start, then the rest will follow within a few days. I find them everywhere, as they spread easily and persistently, but they are still beautiful:

Another favorite is this little flowering stem which, as of yet, I haven't been able to identify. But I love those delicate blooms and the dark indigo stripes at the base of each milky-white petal. They are so short, they usually escape the lawnmower completely:

I call these creepers bugleweed, which might not be correct, but the blossoms do have a bugle-like shape. Butterflies in particular seem to love those purple blooms, and while they tend to overrun things if they can, they are easy to pull back without having to remove them entirely:

And, of course, no lawn would be complete without "the yellow flower" :-)

>o<