I love volunteers in the garden.  This year, as always, sunflowers are appearing all over the place, though perhaps in smaller numbers than in previous years.  Years ago I planted all sorts, orange and red, small and large, and over the years, the volunteers have drifted back to a sort of small-flowered, small seeded yellow variety, reminding me that I need to add some diversity back into the breeding pool.

Pictured here is the Thai Red Roselle that I wrote about months ago.  It got off to a rough start, seemingly unhappy when transplanted to the garden from the greenhouse, but lately, it’s become robust, and perhaps most importantly, has flowered.  The fleshy calyces of these flowers are the main reason I planted these, and with any luck, they’ll continue to develop.  Even if not, they’re beautiful, and I’m happy that they are growing.

I have no idea who this volunteer is, and neither did I realize that an insect photobombed me until just this minute! 🙂  In form, the plant resembles a sunflower in some ways.  It’s tall, and the leaves are arranged similarly.  The flowers, however, are quite small when they open.  I half expect this plant to seed prolifically and choke out the garden, but that’s the risk one takes in letting volunteers…er…volunteer.

Is there anyone that can ease my mind with a positive ID of this beauty?