Cosmos – a balanced universe

We have this beautiful little forest of cosmos flowers in our garden at the moment. Taiji calls it his secret garden and loves to disappear in there with his friends looking for fairies or trying to find caterpillars to feed the ever elusive robins that he plans to catch (“just to look at and give some food Mama, then I’ll let them go”). Lately I’ve become obsessed with taking photos trying to do the cosmos justice and capture on camera just how beautiful it is. I haven’t succeeded yet (partly my limited photographic skills, partly the limits of my little camera).

Here a locust (?) sits on our french door window in the late afternoon. I had a chance to have a very good look at it close up from the other side of the glass and pondering whether I could ever eat one like they do in Thailand and Africa – very nutritious I’m told. I decided it would take a lot of self-persuasion and hunger to overcome my aversion to eating insects. Funny how culturally conditioned we are to food. Recently, John Palmer showed Taiji how to eat little green grasshoppers and Taiji and I have since been having lots of discussions about insects and how edible they are.

I just love this sea of orange flowers. Everyone who visits comments on them. Kacey used them to decorate Sandy’s wedding cake.

Apparently cosmos is derived from the Greek meaning “a balanced universe”.

Morning dew on cosmos.