Ode to the Pansy

pansies
Originally uploaded by Randuwa.

My favoritest flower! Hardy enough to withstand a winter which, though more often than not mild, had its share of harrowing windy nights with wind chills in the single digits. But nary a complaint from these little Lions of the garden. And always such butterfly beauty: the colors, the patterns, the playful way they wobble in the May breeze.

I am in the midst of reaping a pansy harvest as I transform my beds into summer annuals; (mostly salvia, begonias, petunias, zinnias and marigolds this year.) And while the lionshare is fodder headed for the compost heap, I couldn't help myself from pressing at least some of the hundreds and hundreds of blooms. And, of course, share a few with you.