Do I Smell Rotting Flesh?

South African succulent, Stapelia a.k.a. Starfish Flower and nicknamed Carrion Flower because it has a special odour (had to use the "-our") for attracting a certain kind of fly. I forgot what it was after planting it months and months ago, and then, this!


P.S. Somehow, I didn't take a picture of the bud, which was also way neat, but you can see one at http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/1093867692044675570FxxXRJ.

Fermat's Spiral, A Friend of Fibonacci's

I've been watering this one spot by the shed because I transplanted an Iris rhizome there, and this weed came up. Since I didn't recognize it, I let it grow, thinking I'd pull it up once I could identify it. Lo and behold, it was a Sunflower, a stray seed from the bird feeder! I tied it to a stake for support. Below is a picture from the first day the flower opened.


Some things about the Sunflower. It's the Native American fourth sister to corn, beans, and squash. It produces Latex and removes bad things like Uranium from the soil. Considered a weed, especially in the Midwest, some farmers plant it to benefit their crops. Best of all, its floret arrangement is a form of Fermat's Spiral, which has to do with the Fibonacci Series and Golden Mean, which are, as you may know, so integral to nature, art and design.

Violet Spazzing

God, she loves her ball, the park, sunshine, rolling in the grass. Everybody wants what she has, she believes. She may not be wrong. (P.S. A while ago, Pedigree discontinued manufacture of Violet's beloved Funny Ball, so this is the last one. We guard it with our lives.)

African Daisy with Shadows on Lily Pad

R.I.P. Sweet Shalamar

I think it was Ich, but I'm new to fish and didn't treat it early enough.

Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter

Q: What's the best kind of GWSS for your garden?


A: A dead one.