The little bird sits in the nest and sings/ A shy, soft song to the morning light;/ And it flutters a little and prunes its wings.

Paul Laurence Dunbar ..."Preparation"

The whole poem -

Preparation

The little bird sits in the nest and sings

A shy, soft song to the morning light;

And it flutters a little and prunes its wings.

The song is halting and poor and brief,

And the fluttering wings scarce stir a leaf;

But the note is a prelude to sweeter things,

And the busy bill and the flutter slight

Are proving the wings for a bolder flight!

-Paul Laurence Dunbar -

I wonder if the bird knew the night before when he went to sleep that tomorrow was going to be the big day.

I get the feeling the finches are just waiting for the sparrows to start something.

A milk thistle , sometimes referred to as a musk thistle. I like the old Scottish name, Cardoon.

Course, ugly, prickly plant with these beautiful blooms…

Rudbeckia -

Erigeron philadelphicus -

Fleabane, which does nothing to repel fleas but does make a pleasantly flavorful tea that was supposedly help you with a headache. Cute little flowers!

Coreopsis - Tickseed . Young, Prime of Life , Old and Fading Fast

This soft yellow shade of Lantana is amazing.

I've driven by the stairway a hundred times. I don't know where it leads.

Polka Dot Plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya) These propagate easily from cuttings. The plants really love being pruned. Stick your cuttings in a glass of water-In a couple of weeks you will have many many! You can also cut the seed heads, let them dry and plant the seed next season. It's an easy start. A good one to get kids interested.

I love these plants!

The Glorioso Lilys are particularly exuberant!

The dogs wait for me to come in.

More Fleabane. So beautiful! And if you don't stop and lean over and look closely -you miss it all.

That's all I got room for - thanks for dropping by!