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Here and There…Now and Then |
Daffodils
We’ve had some little daffodils out for a while but now all the larger varieties are starting to bloom. These were given to my by a good friend and were planted the fall after we moved into our house (2006) so they are well established and thriving.
Hyacinth
I thought I’d post another hyacinth photo, now that they are fully open. Julia, this one’s for you.
Camellia japonica ‘Pink Perfection’
Most of the camellias in my mom’s yard have been touched by the cold weather we’ve had lately. This bush is absolutely covered with formerly perfect pink blossoms but now most of them are touched around the edges with brown. Still, from a distance it’s an amazing sight.
Oh, and they make me think of my dad, which is also really nice.
Sedum Jewels
We saw dem jewels so I took pitchers o’em. So, now you can sedem, too. These are water droplets in the emerging leaves of a sedum in a pot in our front yard. More water droplets in Extras.
Tree Flowers
These are the flowers on a small tree. Not sure what. Adds a nice touch of yellow to the otherwise mostly brown woods, though.
Grass
After a very chilly morning it was a beautiful afternoon. I didn’t take a lot of pictures, except a few of some pictures of moss, which I’m not very happy with them, and this tuft of grass.
Pink Hyacinth
I’m not a big fan of hyacinths in general. They’re pretty enough but they smell quite awful. Some people like it, I guess but it’s too much for me. Anyway, they are pretty cheery in the garden.
Forsythia
The forsythia in our back yard started blooming today. It’s a day or two behind the bushes in our neighbor’s yard because it’s not in as much sun, but it’s still nice and bright when in bloom.
Maple Flowers
These are tiny flowers, with stamens about a centimeter long. They are the flowers of a maple of some sort (I think) and they were beautiful in the afternoon sun.
The First Scilla
The white crocuses and this white squill started blooming yesterday. The binomial is Scilla mischtschenkoana which has to be in the running for the word with the most consecutive consonants. Anyway, it’s a pretty little thing. Some daffodils started blooming today, but I can only post one picture here, so you’ll have to wait. I have a feeling you’ll be getting sick of my flower pictures before too long.
Crocuses
If snowdrops signal the end of winter, then crocuses signal the beginning of spring for me. None of the bulbs planted last fall have started to come up yet but that’s usual. Those planted two years ago are coming up and these, which were planted in the fall of 2006, are looking good.
Dried Tomato Skin
I was out cleaning out my vegetable garden today and found this old, dried out tomato skin, which I thought looked pretty cool, in an old, dried out sort of way. Some days I feel a little like this.
Moss Sporophytes
This moss is growing under the large maple tree in our back yard.
Bracelet
This is actually more ring size, the branch is about a half inch in diameter, but in this picture it looks like a bracelet, I think. I imagine it worked in silver.
Rose Thorn
I didn’t find much to photograph today and wasn’t out very long. I did take a few pictures of this rose thorn with my micro set-up. It is about 3/8 of an inch long.
Gill-Over-the-Ground Leaf
I decided to try something a little different today so I went micro. This image is the underside of a leaf from a Gill-Over-the-Ground plant (Glechoma hederacea). The section of leaf shown is about 8 by 12 mm. It isn’t quite as sharp as I’d like. Still, the damp, soft ground isn’t the firmest base for a tripod and the wind kept moving the leaf.
Are You Frond Of Ferns?
Or are you Pterrified of Pteridophytes? These are the sporangia of a sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis. Aren’t they nice? It was much warmer today and I noticed the buds on a rose were already swelling. They won’t really start to grow for a while yet, but spring will be here sooner than you think.
Leaf In Snow
I like the shape of this leaf silhouetted against the snow.
UPDATE: It was suggested that this could be named “Fire and Ice”.
Rubus Thorns
There’s a lot of this growing in the lot next to my office. A couple times I’ve come back with scratches on my hand and arm and once a pretty wicked gash on my ankle. Still, they’re really beautiful, in a sinister way.
Japanese Painting
This reminds me of a Japanese painting (which sort of explains the name I gave it). This is next to the stream near my office.
Golden Weeds
It was a relatively exciting day in the empty lot today. I started by slipping and putting my foot in the creek as I crossed. Then I startled two deer, who bounded off into the woods. Two days ago I found and photographed a bone. Today I came across an entire (or nearly) deer skeleton. I decided not to post that picture here, though. I picked this picture for its rich color.
Bracket Fungus
I think this is Daedaleopsis confragosa. I love the patterns on the pore surface of bracket fungi.
Icy Rose Stem
The picture isn’t as sharp as I would have liked but I love the pattern in the ice on this rose stem.
Butterfly Weed
Back to the empty lot today. It was cold and a jacket would have been a good idea. Or gloves, anyway. It was also overcast and not terribly bright so getting a sharp photo with a frozen shutter finger was difficult.
Rose Hips
As I was taking this picture, I startled (and was in turn startled by) a rabbit who took off into the grass. I was able to track him in the snow but each time I got close, he saw me before I saw him and he darted away. Anyway, I’m a sucker for any sort of berry, particularly red berries. And yes, I know rose hips aren’t berries. Strawberries and raspberries aren’t berries, either. So there.
Red Honeysuckle Leaves
It was overcast and a bit colder today (upper 20s) with a light dusting of snow on the ground which stayed all day in shady spots. On days like this, little bits of color really stand out. I’m not a big fan of Japanese honeysuckle but these are pretty, I think.
Teasel (Dipsacus sp.)
I’m not sure how I’m going to have pictures every day. Today, as I did yesterday, I went into the empty building lot next to my office. There are plenty of things there that I find interesting and I have a feeling you’re going to get tired of them over the next few weeks. These are pretty common weeds around here and amazingly beautiful in bloom, but pretty awesome dry, as well.
Grass Tassel
You know how when field grass goes to seed it has little, soft tassels at the top? And if you pick one off and put it in your shirt pocket it will crawl out? That’s what this is. Close up.
Amaryllis ‘Ruby Meyer’
This is a lovely, small amaryllis, blooming on our kitchen table.