I was walking the dog around the lake when I came across this impressive clematis growing around an otherwise humdrum mailbox. The mailbox was in the shade and the sun was going down in the background. I particularly liked the bright colors of the clematis and the way it frames the mailbox.

Another picture in the “By the roadside” series. I have no idea what this flower is, and my efforts to find out have so far led to nothing. I suspect that it’s not a wildflower as it’s the only example I’ve seen during my walks around the lake (I’ve seen multiple examples of all of the others in the series). I believe it’s probably a cultivated flower of some kind, a seed having been blown from the garden to the side of the road where it’s flourished. It’s a very attractive flower though.

Or at least that’s what I think it is. Continuing the ‘By the roadside’ series. According to Wikipedia:

Securigera varia (synonym Coronilla varia), commonly known as crownvetch or purple crown vetch, is a low-growing legume vine. It is native to Africa, Asia and Europe and is commonly used throughout the United States and Canada for erosion control, roadside planting and soil rehabilitation. It has become an invasive species in many states of the US.

Crownvetch grows 1 to 2 feet tall and bears small clusters of 1/2-inch pink and white flowers from early summer to late fall. The variety Penngift produces mounds of pink flowers. Crownvetch is a tough, aggressive spreading plant that will crowd out its neighbors in a show garden but is well suited to a sunny bank, where it will grow for decades with little to no fertilizing, mowing, or weeding since the thick foliage prevents weeds from growing amongst it. Its deep, tenacious, complex root system and thick, fern-like leaves provide excellent erosion control where it is used as a ground cover. However, this legume has a very long germination period of about 6 months and does not create full coverage until two or three years later.