Week sixteen

Contrary to expectations at the end of May, the florets did make it to the very top of the inflorescence. As they did on BH's lupins, at least those which did not succumb to some combination of white fly, slugs and snails. Forget to check the foxgloves of reference 2 when we were there, but inspection of the original snaps suggests that their florets also make it to open all the way to the top.

Presumably there is some kind of chemical feedback mechanism which tells the bit of the plant responsible for pumping the grub up the inflorescence when to stop.

And talking of slugs, both the vigorous sunflowers in the corner at the back of the garage (7 of them) and the feeble sunflowers in the shade by the micro-ponds (3 of them) are now under serious slug or snail attack, and one of the latter was decapitated overnight Friday-Saturday. Replaced by the last spare, the one in the original yellow bucket, snapped at reference 3, also not thriving. Possibly because of a small worm, possibly eating the roots. Hopefully it will do better in its new home.

And while this engraving by Monica Poole is suggestive more than photographic, it does suggest opening all the way to the top. This snap turned up by Google Images and we will know later today whether my telephone can to better with the real thing.

As it turned out, not later that day, nearly a week later. Also, as it turned out, print No.1. A much better job than the earlier snap, despite the wrinkles in the paper, despite the curious damage done by image processing to some of the delicate hatching. Particularly that top right on this laptop, not so visible here. So this digital does not beat the hand press, possibly an Albion, that my print came off. Great heavy thing with lots of iron.

And while we are at it, a rather different version of foxgloves from Poole's friend and colleague, George Mackley. Where the background hatching on my laptop has been badly damaged by digitisation. That said, enough survives for it to be unclear whether the florets will open all the way up or not. Not enough information. Not a typical Mackley engraving either, and, unusually, a run of only 15. Perhaps he was not too happy with it.

I thought it best, for present purposes, not to crop these two images to a more arty shape. One less layer of image processing.

PS: weeks thirteen thru fifteen missing from the record.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/05/week-twelve.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/06/wellingtonia-31.html. For foxgloves.

Reference 3: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2021/03/midwifery.html.

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