Zinnias

I'm not particularly gifted at gardening. Sometimes I claim to have a "black thumb". But zinnias seem to be my sweet spot. Plant the seeds, give them a bit of water - especially in dry times, come back in two months and start cutting the blooms.

Not only are zinnias colorful, but pollinators seem to like them. Here you can see a bumblebee and two butterflies attracted to the flowers.

Common Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia)

Even at the end of October the zinnias are blooming. We're predicted to have a hard freeze several nights in the upcoming week, so this is probably the last of this year's zinnias.

Cut zinnias, along with sunflowers and daisies in a shallow bronze bowl from India.