The Mystery in the Garden

It’s just a memory now, but what a spectacular one!

The plant in the photo above began life as a volunteer in our garden last spring. I wasn’t sure what it was at first and almost yanked it out, since it was growing fast and taking up precious space that could be used for food production. Its thick stem resembled a fennel, and we had more than enough of those already – but I wasn’t quite certain enough to take action.

By mid-summer it had finally sent out some side branches, and I could recognize it by its foliage as a cosmos. And by late summer I was very glad I hadn’t ripped it out.

The profusion of beautiful blossoms was astounding, well worth the space this giant was taking up. It was food for the soul – and for the bees, who seemed to love it as much as I did.

Available now: my new book. It’s a blend of photography and nature writing, comprising the photos and stories originally published in this blog from 2011 through 2024.

It’s 250+ pages, with over 400 photos, updated from their original blog versions. Like most photography books, the print version is pricy, but the PDF option is very affordable. You can page through the whole of the “Preview” online to see what the printed book looks like. Click on the book cover image to check it out or order the book.