Thursday, October 7, 2010

Asters and the Butterfly Effect

With pretty much everything else winding down, purple Asters are suddenly the name of my game.

The latest of my autumn perennials, they're happily blooming in every nook and cranny. Though, I can't take a whole lotta credit for that. Seeing ash how they're weeds.

Well, they started out as weeds. But, I'm an equal opportunity flower employer. You don't need a fancy resume to get me all excited. Once I discovered how pretty the wild Asters were, I eagerly promoted them to flower status.

And, I help them along a bit. Me and my 250 foot hose. :) Which I schlep up the hill to the undeveloped portion of our backyard where I play favorites with the wildflowers. If I happen to like the looks of you, you'll get a drink. And, if I don't, then you're on your own. It's working. Little Asters are taking over and that fits neatly into my grand plan ~ of not actually having to pay for any of the flowers growing back there.

What's so great about Asters?

Well, if you're dreading the onslaught of winter, they're just about the latest 'Daisy' to bloom in the garden.

And, they're so easy. Even if you break down and actually buy the hybridized perennials, all you need is sun. They grow in dry, wet, clay, sandy soils, too cold to imagine Canada and too hot to handle New Mexico.

Plus, they're good eats for our favorite hobos... traveling bees, butterflies, and birds. The Migrating Monarch Magazine recently reviewed them as the 'perfect flower dinner for a long road trip.'

The Butterfly Effect:  
* I found this to be the most enjoyable story! Perhaps you will, too... 

"I asked the waiter standing outside the door of the steakhouse to find a corner table for me, my colleague and the butterfly."

"Right away, sir," responded the waiter, acting as if there was nothing extraordinary about a butterfly dropping in at a steakhouse... Read the rest of this marvelous story.

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