Tuliptree Blossom with Guest
Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Flowers
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.
You can view a larger version of this photo by clicking on it.
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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Bodacious!
My wife’s flowerbeds add a variety of shapes and colors to our yard. These bold, red lilies seem to be in their prime and showing off.
It pays to view this image in the larger size. To do so, simply click on the photo.
Shuttlecock
The shape of this cosmos, in the processes of opening up, reminded me of a badminton shuttlecock. Of course, it’s the back-lighting that brings a richness to the color and texture of this simple wildflower.
To view a larger version of this flower, click on the image.
Serendipity
Looking back over the past several posts, I thought it was time for a bit of floral beauty. These cosmos brighten up the edge of our garden.
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Technicolor Throne
This skipper moth was overlooking the splendor of his kingdom from the comfort of his technicolor throne, a purple cone flower.
This is a photo taken on our recent vacation. This image came from a flowerbed just outside the gift shop of the Topeka Zoo. While the rest of our party went to look through the shop, I stayed outside to snap more photos.
To view a larger version of the king on his throne, click on the image.
Wild Roses of Kansas
These are wild roses found on a hiking trail at Perry State Park, Ozawkie, Kansas. (About 20 miles northeast of Topeka.)
This was our first visit to this park. We were visiting our son, Aaron, and his family in Topeka and decided to venture out for something new. We found an area of trails through the woods, grabbed a map, paid the park fee of $5 and started our hike. The party included four adults and an 8-month old in his stroller.
These flowers greeted us at the very beginning of the trail. We made it about another minute before everyone started noticing ticks – lots of ticks – from the tiniest specs to the normal sized rascals. An occasional tick is tolerable, but a couple of minutes into our walk they were crawling all over us. We high-tailed it out of the woods and spent 15 minutes in the parking lot trying to remove the beasts. We got most of them, but did find a couple when we got back home. Can’t imagine the ordeal we would have had is we hiked an hour or so.
It was too bad because all of us were looking forward to a little outdoor activity and I wonder what other beauties we might have missed.
If you look closely, you can see a spider’s legs on the flower on the right. Click the image to see a larger version.