This Macro is a Close-up of What Flower?

Introducing a new feature:  The picture shows a closeup of a flower.  Can you tell what type?  To confirm your selection, you can click on the second picture for a zoomed-out view from the same shot.  Hint:  The plant is in one of the SW flower corners at 4th and Dayton. 

Reportage:  Last Friday, Deborah, who is is connected with our fair town's flower program, returned my call about the possibly rogue verbena.  Yesterday I volleyed back to her, and we ended up speaking about several topics dear to a plant aficionado's heart.

First off, Deborah, a pleasant and very knowledgeable lady, confirmed the identity of the possibly rogue verbena as Verbena bonariensis, also known as Brazilian vervain.  Since it is on the state's invasive species list, we agreed that keeping an eye on the plant's spread is recommended.

We also agreed that the all the flower beds were getting a little blowsy and past their prime, probably owing to that spell of hot weather we had a couple of weeks ago.  I just noticed that some good soul has cut back the delphinium; I wonder if they saved the seeds. 

I did not bring up the reputed fact that verbena, or vervain, is anathema to vampires. But, since there is nothing so satisfying to me, in its own way, as cleaning out planting beds, I did ask Deborah to give me a call when she needs help with that volunteer job in the fall.

Of course, that would also give me the opportunity to harvest some vervain if I wanted to keep a little on hand just in case...

Mulling over gender roles in gardening, unable to shake off the pointed words of my interlocutor in the last post, my thoughts turned to what an incredibly primal and vital activity gardening is, and how, as such, it affects both women and men.  Nothing like mucking about in the mud.

With that thought in mind, it's time to get packing for a short vay-cay in Oregon.

But not before a big shout out to all of you Oblitiriders!!