Bellflowers, millpond

When I think of the heyday of the bellflowers, I'm looking back to June and July when the edges of the woods and the roadsides hosted lots of upright blue-blossom-bearing spikes filled with bees. There are a number of species of Campanula, some native, some alien, in my area, and regardless of whether they belong here or they're escapes from the garden, the bell-like blooms are a joy to encounter. But not long past midsummer, they give way to other members of the Campanulaceae, most notably the Cardinal flowers and other kinds of Lobelia. The bells stop tolling, and I move on towards new photo ops. But nature is always full of surprises, and on a gray day that threatened rain—it never really delivered—I spotted a bellflower in full bloom by the millpond. Maybe the declining daylength is now a match for the time when the increase in daylength triggered blossoming. Or maybe the plant just had more to say. Whatever the reason for the unexpected flowers, they're wonderfully welcome. I should definitely harvest seeds, if the plant makes any. This is one kind of habit I'd love to perpetuate.