Black Eyed Susans

The relentlessly hot days continue. While petunias wilt and tomatoes wither, the black eyed susans stand in sturdy groups with sunny upturned faces. What marvels of geometry, mathematics and design they are: Fibonacci-series buttons surrounded by the radial symmetry of their stamens and petals. But wait, there's more! Don't those buds look like bottle caps? The stamens make me want to grab some bugle beads and begin stitching. Some gardeners consider them too coarse, too common. The black eyed susans may be lacking in refinement, but they are there when we need some inspiration and a bit of color on a sweltering day.