Courtesy of S.T., intrepid Chimp Refuge photographer on assignment, I offer a cast member of the V Monologues for your consideration.

Now what pollinator could resist this fine beard? The rest of the flower and a little Darwinism (of the Erasmus variety) follow.

Cue boom-chukka-chukka soundtrack. First, hat tip to loyal reader Suesquatch for calling my attention to the photos that have been making the rounds. In a vain attempt to find credits for the work, I stumbled across a video by LukaIsntLuka (that link is rated SI for extreme self-indulgence but with a certain appealing eccentric banality)…

Finally, the much anticipated return of Friday Flower Porn! For you debauched botanical voyeurs, I have two offerings for you today: a purple posy and turgid Darwinian prose.

Er, make that just pumpkin. This little critter was caught crimson fisted packing her saddle bags with pumpkin pollen recently. I wonder if they fly around looking for some nutmeg and cinnamon, too? In any case, in spite of the numerous pumpkin blossoms that have been produced in the garden over the past couple of…

…coneflower Echinacea purpurea. Double your pleasure, double your fun; two heads, as they say, are better than one:

This spicy babe doesn’t need a thong to look good. The plant is colloquially known as Brazilian Jasmine and more formally as Mandevilla sanderi. Its original habitat was in the hills above Rio de Janeiro, but it no longer grows in a native state there. Here it struts its stuff to a bossa nova beat…

Today, small, simple, pale white, and dare I say it, almost virginal. But soon, red, swollen and sweet on the tongue. Yes, we’re talking Rosaceae fragaria, strawberries. This particular cultivar is an everbearing variety called Berry Basket. About a half dozen plants sit in two long window boxes on our elevated deck. The berries are…