This year has been a nightmare for mosquitoes in my area. It was a really wet spring, which allowed some species of mosquito to hatch out in unprecedented numbers. In order to go out in my garden- even in the full sun- I have to keep myself slathered in DEET. They bite me anyway.
I've taken to walking down by the river, as I do most summers. I can usually keep the mosquitoes at bay if I don't stop. Today, however, I had to pee, so I had to step off the main trail into the shade. They were all over me instantly. God, I hate those little fuckers.
I came back out into the sunshine, where there are lots of what I take to be Clarkias. I know they are in the family Onagraceae, at least. I suspect they were planted there with a mix of wildflower seeds, since I don't see them growing in other areas.
For the past couple of weeks, I have been thinking of collecting seeds from these plants this fall. they are really pretty impressive.
Today, as I was cursing and fleeing the mosquitoes, I came across this plant:
The markings on the petals are really striking. I will definitely be collecting seed from this plant, if not cuttings. I'm not sure if this is an annual or perennial species, so I will try both. The variation was not quite as unique as I had first thought, however. I found a handful of other plants with similar markings- though not quite as dramatic as these. I doubt this is a rare mutation that is one-of-a-kind discovery, but it will be a fun plant to grow in the garden.
Now if only those fucking mosquitoes would die...
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