Bright colors on a gray day

7.07.12     Blue Vervain may be considered a weed in places where it's too plentiful, but around here, its purple-blue spires are infrequent enough to be welcome.   Showy Tick-trefoil is at its prime with pink pea-like flowers;  but Japanese beetles are attracted to its showy blossoms and can chew through buds and blossoms in short order.  These alien insects were first observed in New Jersey in 1916.  They are very destructive to many food crops as well as grass and ornamentals;  control measures have, for the most part, prevented their spread west of the Mississippi River.