Mystery solved!

I used my sherlockian power again! This time not to identify, locate and defeat a sunflower thief, but rather to identify a mystery flower. Last year we came upon this strange flower in the park and we were unable find out which genus or species it belong to and I was quite flustered by that.

Last year’s pictures

[ iPhone 8+, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2017-10-22 ]

This year’s pictures

[ iPhone 8+, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2018-09-29 ]

Last year, the plant we found was more developed and mature. This year, it is a little earlier in the fall, so it is at a younger stage of its development. However, it is clearly the same plant, with several stages of flower on top of each other, tubular flowers (undeveloped this year) and long lance-like reddish leaves.

Today, thanks to the Reader’s Digest A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants (I tried before with various other books like Daigle’s Les fleurs Sauvages du Québec or Parent’s Fleurs des champs du Québec et des Maritimes, without success), I was able to find enough clues to establish that the mystery plant that eluded identification for nearly a year was… the Monarda Punctata, also known as the spotted beebalm or horsemint.

It is from the family of the Lamiaceae (to which many herbs like mint belong) and it seems that at least one of its sub-species (Monarda punctata var. villicaulis  / Monarde ponctuée à tige velue) is  pretty rare in Quebec (see also this study, in French). There are several variety of Monarda in Quebec (like the Monarda fistulosa / wild bergamot or the Monarda didyma / Crimson beebalm) but, after comparing plenty of pictures, I am pretty sure that my mystery plant is one of the two varieties (var. punctata or var. villicaulis) of the Monarda punctata.

Mystery solved!

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A walk in the park in late September

Today was the time to relax. In the morning, I read a pile of couple of weeks-old newspapers (mostly The Gazette) while listening to smooth jazz on the internet. Then, in early afternoon, I went for a walk in the park with my lovely wife. It was a beautiful day of late September!

The deep blue sky was dotted by luminous clouds. There was still plenty of colours in the field and a great variety of flowers: a few Sweet William, many Asters and Sunflowers, Thistle and Chicory, those tall Dandelions like in spring, some Mint and plenty others that I couldn’t put a name on. It was full of life as grasshoppers and crickets were jumping all over in front of our steps, bees and bumblebees buzzing in the air, as well as blue and orange butterflies dancing around in the wind. We also saw a dead rat, a murder of crows and even a flight of Canadian geese flying high toward warmer skies in the south. A great day — even if we could smell in the air that rain would come later…

I took many pictures. Unfortunately no camera could render the richness of details that the human eye can capture. And the memory is fleeting. We have no choice but to rely of those imperfect pieces of frozen time to remind ourselves of this moment: the blue sky, the green grass and yellow flowers…

[ iPhone 8+, Parc Frédéric-Back, 2018/09/29 ]

Pour en finir avec les tournesols

A sunflower finale

If you have followed the sunflower theft / case / saga, you’ll be glad to know that the case is finally closed (I hope). After nearly a month, the police finally intervened by visiting the culprit. He confessed his crime and said he was sorry. Apparently, he was so shocked & surprised to be caught that he was shaking. He also promised to return the stolen property to all the places he had taken them. Our stolen pots and sunflowers were returned by the police. I noticed the next day that the flowers stolen from the city’s flower beds were back. We didn’t press charge, but if he ever do us wrong again he would be in serious jeopardy. It was a great occasion to demonstrate my detective skills (elementary my dear Watson!), but now I can finally relax and start to enjoy the flowers again!

 

Si vous avez suivi le vol / l’affaire / la saga des tournesols, vous serez heureux d’apprendre que l’histoire est finalement close (j’espère). Après près d’un mois, la police est finalement intervenue en visitant le coupable. Il a avoué son crime et a dit qu’il était désolé. Apparemment, il était tellement choqué et surpris d’être pris qu’il en tremblait. Il a également promis de rendre les biens volés à tous les endroits où il les avait pris. Nos pots et tournesols volés ont été retournés par la police. J’ai remarqué le lendemain que les fleurs volées dans les parterres de la ville étaient de retour. Nous n’avons pas porté plainte contre lui, mais s’il nous faisait du tors à nouveau, il se retrouverait vraiment dans le trouble. Ce fut l’occasion idéale de faire preuve de mes habilités de détective (élémentaire ma chère Watson!), mais maintenant, je peux enfin me détendre et recommencer à apprécier les fleurs!

Sunflowers in bloom 2

Tournesols en fleurs 2

[ iPhone 8+, 2018/07/28 & 2018/08/04 ]

No, I’m not obsessed with sunflowers. It’s just that, this year, they really dominate the front garden and a lot of them were blooming this week. It’s really getting better and better… And none have been stolen in a while!

Non, je ne suis pas obsédé par les tournesols. C’est juste que, cette année, ils dominent vraiment le jardin avant et beaucoup d’entre eux fleurissaient cette semaine. C’est de plus en plus beau… Et aucun n’a été volé depuis un bout de temps!

Sunflowers in bloom

Tournesols en fleurs

[iPhone 8+, 2018-07-22]

Enjoy them while you can, ’cause they may all be stolen tomorrow!
Profitez-en pendant que vous pouvez car elles auront peut-être disparue demain!

Le jardin en juin

Le jardin avant s’est extrêmement développé dans le dernier mois. Il semble que, cette année, les tournesols auront le dessus sur les cosmos… Ce sera très beau à voir.

On y constate là aussi une explosion de couleurs florales.

La plupart des plants de tomates sont sur le balcon avant pour des raisons d’ensoleillement. Il y retrouve déjà quelques petites tomates cerises…

IMG_2735

Le jardin arrière est maintenant terminé. On y retrouve quelques fleurs (principalement en pots mais aussi des Hostas, des rosiers et des Belle-de-jours), de la vigne, des fines herbes (ciboulette, persil, basilic, menthe, shiso rouge, etc.) mais surtout des légumes: bette à carde, tomates, piments, poivrons, plusieurs variétés de fèves et de cucurbitacées (courges spaghetti, melon kabocha, concombres). Je ne suis plus trop sûr des variétés qu’on y a mise mais on verra bien quand ça poussera…

Vive l’été est les joies relaxantes du jardinage!

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Le parc se couvre de couleurs

Le parc se couvre de couleurs
Avec des milliers de fleurs
Qui enjolivent le paysage

Plus la saison avance plus le parc Frédéric-Bach se couvre de couleurs, formant une mosaïque de centaines d’espèces de fleurs. De semaine en semaine, certaines espèces se fanent et disparaissent, laissant la place à d’autres… Dès la fin mai, les premières couleurs se répandent mais c’est en juin que le canevas explosent de richesse florale.

26 mai : lin bleu & trèfle incarnat

Linum lewisiiLupinus perennisAnthemis cotulaTrifolium incarnatum

10 juin : trèfles & Oeillets du poète

Desmodium canadense, Trifolium pratenseTrifolium hybridumVicia craccaDianthus barbatus, Trifolium repensLupinus perennis

23 juin : explosion de couleurs !

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The garden is (almost) done!

After a couple of trips to the garden center and a long day of hard work, the garden is finally (almost) done… And, I must say, it looks darn good!

We’ve come from a long way…

And now I am quite happy with the result !

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