September Pinks

It felt very autumnal this morning (that's one of my favorite words), and Chuck was out with his camera in the garden at the Big House just after sunrise. There was a little rain last night, and it was still overcast, so a good morning for photos.

There were blooms in all stages of life, from just opening to barely holding on, so I thought I'd share a few.

The top is a very early camellia, which started blooming a couple of days ago. It typically doesn't show up until around Halloween, so I'm hoping this isn't a sign of a colder winter.

The Chelone (Turtleheads) are just starting to open, and the bees are loving them!

The Balsam is one of my new favorites, though a very old flower. It's the type of impatien that self-seeds itself readily here in Atlanta, and was a Victorian favorite. The plant is about 18 inches tall and just covered with those blossoms. When you touch the seed pods, they literally explode all over the place! It can be invasive, but what a beauty to have coming up here and there!