Aunt Hollyhock

Day 273: Single Hollyhocks always remind me of my grandmother, and they're not easy to find these days. Most seed dealers only offer the showier doubles, but in my book, those just won't do. A Hollyhock should be a saucer with a central structure, not a bowl of frills. While searching for singles some years ago, I struck upon a bonus: a black-flowered variety. I love black flowers, so I promptly purchased a packet and planted them beneath my kitchen window. Since that time, a friend has given me more seed, so I can't say for sure whether these are mine or hers. In wanting to portray the richness these plants lend to my garden, I inadvertently captured another "bonus" in the person of an ant hiding deep inside the blossom, a pollinator ensuring future generations of single black Hollyhocks to grace my yard.