Autumn flowers

stand tall, sway

golden autumn gardens

petal power

Rudbeckia – known commonly as black-eyed susans- are perennial flowers common in gardens. We have a lot of these growing at the border of our back gardens and next to the house. In the late summer their delightful yellow petals bring perfect hues to our world, and they bloom for such a long time and insect pollinators are often found on the flowers. Their seeds are adored by birds too, so it’s a plant that sure gives a lot. They seem to grow tall at our place, getting above their neighbors and swaying in the wind.

I read over on Wikipedia that the genus name (Rudbeckia) was given by Linnaeus in the early 18th Century in honour of Rudbeck the Younger – a supporter and fellow botanist, and Rudbeck’s father, Rudbeck the Older (of course). The Older founded Sweden’s first botanical garden.

Linnaeus’s dedication to Rudbeck is lovely:

“So long as the earth shall survive and as each spring shall see it covered with flowers, the Rudbeckia will preserve your glorious name”

The natural history of a species provides us stories for the ages.

The watercolour depicted above is again a tiny one, done in a wee little watercolour album. Not sure why, but I seem to like making small art.