My garden fairy’s tale of the zinnia that grew crooked like a Z

I love moments in nature.  Manmade and nature made combined are exceptionally surprising.  Those that surprise me right in my own backyard rank right up there with some of the best moments.  And handy at that, ‘cuz, you know, I can grab my camera for proof.

If you’ve followed my posts through this our first true spring of empty nesting, you’d know that early on I ventured off into the world of gardening.  I gave some silly plant pods a try to jump-start the seeds.  They were, um, well, let’s say a dismal failure – the damn birds got the best of most of them (I wrote about that here).

After a month, though, some of the Zinnia pods survived and started to grow (again, I wrote about it here – duh…I’m a blogger, that’s what I do?!  Don’t act surprised…!).

And throughout the summer, the magical blossoms impressed me, the birds, and the butterflies.

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Spring forward to Fall, and it’s time to pull those annual plant pods and decaying plants and let the perennials rest in the ground for in the cool (bitter cold) of winter.

All I had to do was pull out the Zinnias and leave the Black Eyed Susan’s.  Supposedly, leaving those for the winter birds to munch on and or so I know where to expect them to pop up in the spring is a good idea?  I don’t know, we’ll see.

As I worked my way around the garden bed trying to discern which was which, I noticed a crooked plant and the remnants of a plant pod poking through the ground.

It can’t be, why would this one grow that way?  I yanked it, and surprise – look…the pod was still there, intact, and the dang thing had grown into one heck of a sturdy Zinnia.  From a Z to a Y shape.

Don’t believe me?  Here’s another close-up.  See…the Z and the Y?

I know, it’s the little things get me all happy in my little blue garden boots, you’d be impressed with me dancing in the yard.  It’s such a simple thing, but dammit…it impressed the heck out of me.  So much so, that I ran back to the house, grabbed my camera, stopped and turned around to take a picture of Copper…(he’s so cute when he’s in his what’s that mode?).

Then I looked down, man…you’re kidding me, is that really a dandelion in October?  So I, of course, stopped to take a picture (I shook my head…what the heck…we’ve had a few touches of frost so far this year…why is it trying to grow?).

I asked Copper, as he sniffed me on his way by, what he thought about my find.  He turned and walked away.  For a dog, there are many things to discover in our yard.  Apparently, he didn’t care, he was more into other little surprises (like bunny poop…yeah, no surprise with him, it’s a delicacy to dogs, so he thinks).

And the biggest surprise of all that I found in the garden…the little fairy who looks like me, dancing in the lower right-hand corner of the photo.  See her dress hanging on the lattice?  Maybe she helped the Zinnia grow from a pod to a Z, to a Y…oh my…

Now, I’m just trying to pull your leg…but…she’s cute, don’t ya think?

Post inspiration:  Dutch Goes the Photo – TPC – Surprise

PS – How do you make your winter garden prep efforts full of surprises?  Do you look for extra images in your photos too?  Do share your link, I’d love to see what you come up with!