Flowers
Charmed
I found these charming wildflowers flourishing along a Lake Michigan beach. I don’t know what species they are but they seem to be rather common in our area.
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Of Tulips Past
These tulips have long past, but their memory lives on in digital form. Long live the tulips!
As you can see from the cropped, color image of this same stand of tulips on the right, they were two-toned in color – not your typical red or yellow. Ironically, I thought the unique, contrasting colors made them good candidates for a monochrome treatment.
To me, the detail in the petals are much more interesting in a higher contrast B&W. In fact, I think this would make an impressive, large print. May have to do that.
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Pink Pom Poms
While visiting relatives in Kansas, we enjoyed a stop at the Topeka Zoo. Along with the expected variety of animals, they had a unexpected collection of attractive flowering plants. I spotted the beautiful, unique blooms on this large tree and took a few photos. I later learned this is a Mimosa Tree (Albizia julibrissin).
Though it is revered for its beautiful and fragrant blooms, the mimosa tree is considered an invasive species. It was brought to this continent from China as an ornamental plant about 250 years ago. Like most invasive plants, it reproduces prolifically. The flat seedpods are numerous, tough and can remain dormant for decades, even over long periods of drought.
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Sisterhood
These are delicate wildflowers found on an early spring walk through the woods.
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Cluster
This delicate bloom is known as Crown Vetch or Axseed. It is a summertime wildflower classified as an herb in the legume family. (The same category as peas and beans.)
These flowers seem to be popular with bees and butterflies. In the area I found this, bees were busy working the few flowers there.
On the downside, it is a serious invader of prairies and dunes and, apparently, it’s poisonous to horses.
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Right at Home
This soldier bug seemed snug as a bug…in a marigold. These flowers are part of a potted arrangement my wife, Sara, put together to brighten up our driveway.
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Bumbling Bees
This is summertime scene that can be found everywhere in the world where flowers bloom. These bees are busy collecting pollen needed for producing honey. This small clump of flowers in the flowerbed on the side of our house seemed to be a popular spot.
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Sun and Stars
These are wildflowers found on our property. They are in an area where I scattered a bunch of wildflower seeds last year. We never saw any of these last year, so it was a pleasant surprise to see these big, bright blooms among the weeds this year. The white dandelion-like seeds in the center of the flower blew over from some nearby weeds.
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Coming Attractions
At the very beginning of their blooming season, these daylilies show a lot of potential. Each year these wild beauties grow, and faithfully bloom, around a utility pole on our rural Wisconsin property.
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In Praise of Yellow
On a recent hike through the woods, I was delighted to find a variety of wildflowers. These are some of my favorites from that day.
The one flower seems to be raising a hand in praise of the creator. (Or, maybe just hoping to get noticed.)
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