Thursday morning I had a harsh surprise when I looked out of my apartment window, the landscaping crew had destroyed my flower beds. Every single pansy, some still blooming, had been eradicated. The petunias, which had mostly gone to seed, were also gone. I was shocked & when it began to sink in, I burst into sobs. I don't know why they did this. All of my work & money that I'd put into those flowers for the last 2 years were completely wiped out.
On Friday when I was a bit less upset & could look at the flowerbeds without crying, I was able to see that the pansy stems had been cut off with the weed whacker, leaving the roots still in the ground. There's one patch where they seem to have pulled the plants up, but most of them still have roots in the dirt, which gives me hope that they will sprout again come next spring. They did not appear to disturb the iris bulbs in the ground or the hostas.
I left a voice message with the maintenence staff, as well as sending an email complaint asking why the landscapers had been allowed to do this, but have not had a response back. No apology, no explanation.
I'm hoping that, despite the surface damage, that the roots are healthy enough to regrow next year. I'll cover the beds with dead leaves & mulch to keep them safe this winter & hope for regeneration when spring comes next year.
Here is a photo of part of the flower beds in happier times this June.

   This is the other new drawing I did this summer for the Cold-Blooded Creations exhibit. It's a hawksbill turtle, which is where the term tortoise shell originally came from, since the species was driven nearly to extinction by overhunting for it's shell, which was used in a multitude of decorative items. Thankfully, the turtle is making a comeback, though it remains endangered, especially after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. There are 2 subspecies; one in the Gulf/Atlantic area and the other in the Pacific ocean, which is the one in my picture. The Pacific version has a more heart-shaped shell.

   I imagined the one in my drawing swimming past coral reefs on its way to tropical seas and titled it "Heading to Hawaii". It's done in pen and 2 color inks on calligraphy paper.