Tag: photography
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Happy Little World
White Panicle Asters are an herbaceous, native perennial and, at this time of year, their buds are beginning to burst. They are a favourite of all the pollinators and already (the flowers aren’t yet at their peak) it’s a veritable honey factory in our laneway garden. Happy Little World White panicle asters bloom by the…
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The Flower Hour #43: Random August Amble
My Green In-Between Beyond my pillow and my desk,Lies something grand and picturesque!A secret lane where bees carouse,And nodding blossoms gently drowse. I snap a picture of a bee,Chat with any neighbours I see.No longer strangers passing by,We watch the busy Hoverfly. Away from chores and indoor care,We weave our stories through the air,A little…
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The Golden Road
Sweet Yellow Clover, also known as Melilot and Hart’s Clover, is an herbaceous, non-native biennial in the Pea (legume) family. At this time of year, roadsides and meadows in rural Ontario are painted yellow with an extravagance of these pretty yellow blossoms. It is listed on the Ontario Invasive Species register but, despite its status,…
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In Her Sunday-Best
Cow Vetch is an herbaceous, non-native perennial in the Pea family. It is now listed as an invasive species here in Ontario so I’m sure my friend Tyler is rolling his eyes or groaning (or both!) as he reads this. It is in full bloom at this time of year and is truly a glorious…
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Sunday Stills Monthly Color Challenge: #Yellow Hues — Mellow Yellow
I’m just mad about saffronA-saffron’s mad about meI’m-a just mad about saffronShe’s just mad about me They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly)They call me mellow yellow (Quite rightly)They call me mellow yellow* Let’s get mellow, then, shall we…….. And, my personal favourite for last — cutest wee bum of the day: Thanks to my…
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Lens-Artists Challenge #408 — Over the Top Street Safari
Please join me on a short street safari! They say less is more. They are wrong! This post is my celebration of breaking the colour rules, drama, and excess. I believe that the ultimate over the top art form is public street art. It isn’t hidden away in a quiet, white-walled gallery. Instead, it aggressively…
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Pink Bells
Hedge Bindweed is an herbaceous, native, perennial in the Morning-Glory family. This is a smooth, fast-growing, twining vine which always and only curls (twines) against the sun (counter-clockwise). Fun Fact: If you gently pinch or squeeze the large green jackets (bracts) at the bottom of the blossom, the entire trumpet-shaped flower will pop cleanly off…
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Rural Ballerina
Philadelphia Fleabane is an herbaceous, native perennial in the Aster family that blooms May through October. It is a great draw for all species of pollinators — just look at this one picture: Fun Fact: At one time folks believed that using the dried flowers would drive away fleas (hence its name), but this has…
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Woodland Splash of Spring Fire
The Trout Lily is an herbaceous perennial of the Lily family that thrives in moist woodlands. Its fanciful names are Yellow Dogtooth Violet and Fawn Lily. The leaves are edible. It is a spring ephemeral, blooming May to June. Fun fact: Trout Lily, because the speckling on its leaves resemble the body of the Brook…
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Kings and Queens of the Lane
The Black-eyed Susan is an herbaceous, native, perennial of the Aster family. It blooms June through September. The seeds are a favourite of goldfinches, especially in winter when their food sources are limited. Garden folklore is filled with romance, but few stories match the poetic history of the Black-eyed Susan. Unless you’ve flipped through volumes…
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The Flower Hour #42: Six Steps Through the Alphabet Garden
A lens, a challenge, a creative quest,To find the blooms the alphabet blessed.Right in the middle, where letters align,Six pretty frames of botanical design. The journey began with the letters of J,Where wild Joe-Pye Weed was swaying away;Beside it, the Japanese Peony grows,With layers of silk in a stunning repose. An herbaceous perennial of the…
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A Picnic at Point Pelee
This very wee beauty, Star-flowered Lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum stellatum), fancifully Starry False Solomon’s-Seal, is an herbaceous, native, woodland perennial. A Picnic at Point Pelee Deep in the woods of Point Pelee,Where morning shadows dance with glee,A tiny star fell to the ground,And turned into the prettiest thing I found. A Star-flowered Lily, petite and bright,With petals…
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Forbidden Bloom
She invaded our marshland green,Sweetest face, this forbidden queen. The Flowering Rush, not to be confused with the Bulrush, is an aquatic perennial of the Plantain family. Despite its delicate, pink beauty, it is listed as an invasive species here in Ontario. They do, perhaps, have a redeeming quality — the pollinators love them. One…
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The Noble Imposter
Salsify, an herbaceous biennial, is fancifully known as Western Salsify, Goat’s Beard, and Wild Oyster Plant. Fun facts: The Noble Imposter A tiny spark of yellow gold,Decides to be a bit more bold.It laughs at weeds that dot the lawn,And puts its royal top hat on. No common yellow flower this,A fancy snack, a royal…
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Keep Breathing…
And I know what I have to do now. I’ve got to keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?† Fifty years ago in September, four women — Frannie, Laura, Pam and Annie, AKA “FLAP” — came together on a basketball court, thus beginning a friendship based on…
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Whimsical Waltz
Finding a creek bank painted with pale yellow Sulphur Cinquefoil, and watching its lively hoverfly visitors is always a wonderful summertime discovery. The plant has a slightly fuzzy stem and its blossoms have very delicate, heart-shaped petals. They draw Hoverflies by the droves which is wonderful because the more pollinators, the better. Plus, they devour…
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August Poetry Challenge: Wild Hearts
Dawn breaks; wild hearts leap,Young hooves dance through rising green,Life feels sweet and new. Many thanks to Rebecca Cuningham who, in her blog post titled Chilean Citizen Scientists Find Ancient Fossils, asked us, Got haiku poetry? Sign up for the August Poetry Challenge. I’ve never participated before, but this time I’m trying. Rebecca tells us For August’s…
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Carolinian Banquet
There is nothing quite like that rush of excitement when nature decides to put on a little show just for you. This afternoon, two teeny-tiny, spotted fawns confidently walked out of the woods behind our home, noshing away while we watched. ‘Though there was no sign of Mum, we think they are perfectly safe! Mother…
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Yellow Saucers
Wildflowers are the loveliest of all because they grow in uncultivated soil, in those hard, rugged places where no one expects them to flourish.They are resilient in ways a garden bloom could never be.* One of my favourite wildflowers, purely for its magnificent resilience, is the Evening Primrose, which flourishes — nearly everywhere — here…
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Pastel Petals in Presqu’ile’s Pannes
The Obedient Plant gets its name because you can manually swivel its individual blossoms to the left or right, and they will “obediently” stay in that exact position. Being, at first, a skeptic, I tested this theory several times, and on each of those occasions it worked perfectly. Obedient! It is always a happy surprise…
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Date Night in the Forest
We have a regular visitor, an Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) that I’ve named Bismarck (our squirrel in Cobourg was Fargo). Squirrels are known to be meticulous groomers, often spending a significant amount of time licking their fur, rubbing their limbs, and using their front paws to wipe their faces and ears. Bismarck put on…
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The Flower Hour #41: Hardly a Planter to be Found
Welcome to the Dead Plants Society.† Full disclosure: I have two “black thumbs” — I’ve managed (usually quite rapidly) to kill the plants in any and every planter we’ve ever had. Forty-two years’ worth!!! Ergo, there weren’t many pictures to choose from but yes, Terri, I do dare! This is a scan of a photograph…
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Forest Grace
Canada Anemone is such a cheerful native perennial. Its bright, five-petaled white blooms with golden centres are at their peak right now, thriving in moist thickets, meadows, and along the edges of dense woodlands. You’ll see them with nearly every step you take along the trails here in southern Ontario. Forest Grace Beneath a sea…
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A Tiny Surprise
Passing through a meadow filled with blooming Milkweed and spotting a hovering, Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, was a truly magical summer experience. A Tiny Surprise Flashes of pink all through the green,Where meadow milkweed reigns supreme,A tiny guest upon the breeze,That flits among the rosy frieze. With whirring wings and see-through flight,A feathered shadow in the…
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Sunday Stills: Mediocre Reflections of Beautiful Summer Locations.
Photographs that feature or highlight reflections on water are amongst my favourites. Truth is, this is not a genre I spend much time on myself (which will very quickly become apparent). I must admit, though, that it was fun to assemble these shots. Thank you Terri! ↑ Ouse Creek, Trent Hills, ON.Just south of this…