A morning of purple and pollinators

I tend to think of hot colored blooms in mid-summer (flame acanthus, firespike, tithonia's velvety orange, pride of barbados), but when I looked out this morning, my front garden was dominated by cool purple flowers. Most striking of all is the sage bush (did we have a drop in barometric pressure last night? they're in full bloom all over town).

Below: a bee in the sage; another bee mid-flight choosing between sage and chaste tree blooms, another favorite with pollinators; and a moth on the wild Mexican petunias.



Eggplant flower; russian sage; and blackie sweet potato vine.



Close-up of chaste tree flowers; more sage bush; and wildflowers (ironweed?) on this morning's walk at Walnut Creek.