The artichokes are blooming

And they're abuzz with insects collecting nectar. And one tiny little spider who seems to have taken up residence in one of the flower heads. But I don't have good photos of any of that.

Artichokes in bloom.

I have no idea how long these plants will last. This is the fourth year they've come back and bloomed. When we put them in I was under the impression that they might go two seasons if we were lucky. We did lose one or two to cold, but the three others continue to sprout at the slightest hint of warm weather. Sometimes they die back once or twice in late winter/early spring if warm days alternate with cold spells.

Looking down on the flower. The tiny white dot to the right of center is a spider.

I couldn't decide which of these pictures to post, so I posted all three. As I've said before, these artichokes are not so good to eat because they're small and tough. Maybe if we pick them when they're new they'd be tender and good, but we haven't tried that. There's always next spring.

They're quite beautiful, then they dry and make fluffy seeds.