Tag: poetry
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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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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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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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Lens-Artists Challenge #406: The Lazy “Daze” of Summer
Summer Daze Summer is the flutter of a painted wing,Where sleepy pollinators and beetles sing.A rustle in the stalks of emerald corn,As raindrops reflect the light of early morn. Summer is feathered, marine and furry folk,Within and beneath the shade of ancient oak.Where petals proudly unfurl in vibrant hues,And painted boats go cruising Lake Erie’s…
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Summer’s Stars
We have a glorious copse of these beauties on the edge of our woods. Multiflora Rose is a non-native, sprawling, perennial shrub that climbs over other, native plants, choking them out in the process. ’Though included on Ontario’s Invasive Species list, I cannot help but think that it is absolutely okay to celebrate any beautiful moment in nature. …
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Cerulean Snub
Blue Jays are very intelligent (if loud) birds but often, in our woods, they seem to be a wee bit mischievous. Tricksters, perhaps. For all the world, after a bit of a ruckus in the branches, these two looked to be having a bit of a lovers’ tiff. Cerulean Snub A cerulean snub! A cobalt…
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Parasols
I saw a glorious copse of Wild Parsnip in bloom and their intricate clusters of tiny, yellow blossoms looked remarkably like the delicate lace parasols used by women of the Victorian Era. Far more than mere sun protection, they were vital, class-signaling, snobbish, fashion accessories. Parasols A copse of gold along the lane,Defying clouds and…
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Camouflage
Female Northern Cardinals wear warm, pale-brown and olive-tan plumage, accented with subtle dusty-reds on their crest, wings, and tail. When pressed against the textured, earthy grays and browns of an old-growth tree bark, this rich earth-tone colouration serves as highly effective natural camouflage. Camouflage A shadow carved of root and wood,Where time’s slow, textured bark…
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Ballerinas
Watching the breeze ruffle the petals of our Rose of Sharon blossoms, I thought how much they resemble the layers of delicate tulle in a ballerina’s tutu. Ballerinas Beside the lane, a quiet stage,Where summer turns a graceful page.In skirts of pink and mauve so deep,The dancers waken from their sleep. Upon the branch, they…
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Garden Gold
There is a joyous humming in our laneway garden as bees galore feast on the pollen and nectar in the masses of Cutleaf Coneflowers. An absolute haven (and heaven) for our local pollinators, and pure delight for me. Garden Gold Upraised against the summer sky,Golden coneflowers reach up high.With lobed and leafy stems they stand,A…
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Woodland Dancer
One of my favourite wildflowers is the White Campion, an herbaceous annual of the Pink (Carnation) family. Its corolla appears to have ten parts but it actually has five deeply cleft petals. Its blossoms open wide in the evening, emitting a sweet, clove-like scent which attracts many species of nocturnal moths for pollination. As daylight…
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Wash and a Brush-Up
I caught a juvenile male robin grooming himself, sitting on the top of our fence. He was comical. Robins really do have the best personalities, especially when they think no one is watching. Wash and a Brush-Up Upon the fence a feathered knight,A flash of rust and belly white,With twitchy tail and awkward pose,He preens…
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Essex Erato #16
Tranquility Entering the woodshearing the wind rustle the leaves —a paean to peace. But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.† ’Til next time, y’all… †John Muir, “Steep Trails” — Page 1343, Chapter IX Mormon Lilies from his anthology “John Muir: Ultimate Collection”.