Abuzz

Japanese knotweed, fallopia japonica

An old adversary has taken over a corner of Halibut Point. I had  rarely seen Japanese knotweed in bloom because its galloping expansions make it an unwelcome rogue in most landscapes.

During late August Halibut Point's knotweed hedge offers a perfect salon for making acquaintance with bees, hornets and wasps. Insects with a sweet tooth congregate to the flowers appreciatively. They would doubtless applaud further expansions of the hedge.

Close-up photographs drew me into their beguiling pastures that should stagger them  with visual if not physical inebriation.  But the winged ones are all business and can still fly.

Both the plants and the creatures in the hedge salon draw nervous attention from people. I am among the majority who have not embraced them before. But these portraits from a recent morning suggest new potentials for astonishment in the natural world.