marigolds

I am usually not too fond of marigolds (tagetes)- I grow them just because the scent is supposed to deter some insect pests. Mine are doing better this year than before- whatever plauged them last year is not so bad now. Most of them in the past have looked like these above- ruffly and fat.

Or like this one- mostly yellow.

But my favorites are a new kind I have- just one layer of petals, a deeper red edged with gold.

They really seem to glow against the green foliage (like my tithonia, the 'torch flowers'. That's what my brother-in-law's new girlfriend calls them. Well, not new anymore but I have only just met her. She is a gardener too. She calls the celosia 'brain flowers' haha.)

There are a lot more of these flat red tagetes blooms, too. And their petals have a very soft, velvety texture. I was feeling one when found this bug- for a moment I thought it had a weird narrow head but then I saw it appears to be eating an aphid? what is this insect? I think I was looking at its underside.

Hm, another little garden mystery to figure out.