I noticed some new, unusual flowers growing in one of my garden plots in late summer (pictures were taken in September, the first one on Sept. 18). I used my Garden app to find out what it was: willow gentian (gentian asclepiadea). I waited for the flowers to open but they never did. Perhaps because it was their first year.  It’s a trailing plant that grows 2-3 feet, producing paired leaves and blue flowers in late summer.  It requires rich, moist soil. (We had a dry summer – is that why the flowers didn’t open?). I love the flowers’ rich blue petals.  Notice the bee on the lower set of flowers!

Here are two more views of the same plant (taken on Sept. 27):

Cee’s Flower of the Day, 11/11/17