Scruffy, who got her name because of the way she looked when she showed up here as a stray.

Tussock moth larvae....don't touch it, those hairs will sting. Daughter knows!

cherry tomatoes

Nicole, I love the colors in your flower. What it is? It's so attractive!

My daylily collection is coming along nicely. Even more today than a couple of days ago when I took this.

murraysmom....my notes say it's an annual, but I don't recall what it was....:0)

Your day lilies are gorgeous!

I believe Nicole's lovely flower is Clarkia.

Love that colorful caterpillar igmd_gaz! The unusual combination of features and bright warning colors are so pretty to look at--but, not to touch.

Thank you, Gyr. Please don't tell me you can keep orchids alive too?!!! I so envy that trait in a person. :) Yours is beautiful. I love the color.

I went through my serious orchid phase starting about 15 years ago. When the collection reached 100ish, I decided it was too much work. I kept the ones that do well outdoors, a few to enjoy inside, and now regularly gift after bloom. That den was a purchase during my "orange-flowers phase" within the orchid phase. :D

Yeah, that would be a lot of "children" to look after!! LOL I do admire your ability to keep them going. I buy one every once in awhile and love it while the flowers are there, but then it ends up just be leaves for me. I have two right now that I have had for a few years and nothing but leaves to show for it. :)

On the other hand, I have an aloe plant that is producing a flower. That was a big surprise!

I love surprise flowers! Maybe not as much as reliable flowers :) , but there is a thrill that comes from first seeing an unexpected spike. I've lost patience with many an orchid (and a couple of garden aloes too, come to think of it) for reluctance to rebloom. For orchids, sometimes it is just a dip in night temperatures that is need. Or a dry period. Some species I never mastered--or there were hit and miss years.

So many of the common orchids for sale can bloom for 4-6 months, or longer, and be purchased for $15. I prefer to think of them as replaceable floral features; they are a better value than a cut flower arrangement.