Happy as a bee in pollen!

Normally I wouldn't think of posting another 2 pictures of bees - and on the same plant (Echinops/Globe thistle) - but these fellows were so covered in pollen and looked as if they were having such a good time, I couldn't resist it.   In the background of one are the first to open of my shocking orange dahlias.   Dahlia pics to follow soon.

I was pruning and tidying today when I made a lovely discovery.   The Clematis "Pistachio" which I thought had succumbed to the hard winter has 2 sturdy new shoots and even some tiny flower buds - so I may have a late-flowering clematis just where I wanted it after all!   Still looking for a relatively small-flowered mid-late season variety - most of the white clematis on the market seem to be fairly huge....

The less lovely discovery was a lily beetle.   It's easy to forget about them once the luxury of their flowering is over.    I would love to find some later flowering lilies to extend the season and read about Lilium Formosanum in Christopher Lloyd's "Garden Flowers" but my first attempts to grow them from seed were a miserable failure.   I think I rather overdid the copper fungicide spray.   Will have another go.