QUEEN ANNE'S LACE

My photos were taken along Skyline Drive.

The following is its story: 

Queen Anne of Great Britain was tatting white lace. (Tatting is the art of making lace by hand.) The beautiful white lace she was tatting became the white lacy flowers of the wild carrot plant. She pricked her finger and one drop of blood oozed out. This became the central dark red or purple sterile floret that is present on some, but not all, of Queen Anne's Lace flowers.

Legends disagree as to which Queen Anne was tatting such lovely lace. Some say it was Anne (1574 - 1619), the first Stuart Queen Anne, who was brought over from Denmark at fourteen years of age to be a Queen to King James of Scotland. Others argue it was Anne (1665 - 1714), the daughter of William and Mary, and the last monarch in the Stuart line. Both died in their forties.

Her lawn

looks like a meadow, 

And if she mows her place

She leaves the clover standing

And the Queen Anne's Lace.

~Edna St. Vincent Millay~

This is from one of my older blog posts.  We were on Skyline Drive.  Wherever we looked there were hundreds of these pretty wildflowers. The one above and below has a little visitor.  I thought the ant was special, it looked almost metallic.

It has another name besides Queen Anne's Lace and Wild Carrot.  It is also called Bees Nest, with a botanical name of Daucus carota.  It usually blooms mid and late summer and early fall.

OUR WALK CONTINUED, NEAR THE OLD STONE BRIDGE TO SEE THE BLUEBELLS

Continuing our walk, I met this young lady and as she could see that I was so taken with her 'back-to-front backpack' that she stopped to have a chat.  There was a compartment - air holes - and inside was her cat lying down very comfortably.  I had never seen one of these before but perhaps if you have a furry-family member, maybe you have.  I found a similar one here on Amazon.  

A great way of taking her cat along and not have to worry about her while she was away.  Not sure it would be a good idea when the weather got hot and humid, but she had so much love for her cat that I doubt she would do that.  Such a nice young lady and one of those pleasant interludes you get on walks occasionally.

We return to our walk by Bull Run, and found the Spring Beauty and Wild Violets, which I mentioned more descriptively here in my post from a previous visit to Green Spring Gardens.  These violets are a darker purple.

Spring Beauty

The following is a Trout Lily.  The name comes from the plant's mottled leaves, which look like the markings on a brook trout.  It is also known as the Dogtooth violet or Adder's tongue.

Some Trout Lily colonies are 200 to 300 years old.

I had such a surprise when I looked at the next picture on my laptop.  I found more Dutchmen's Breeches.  I apparently was so focused on the Bluebells and the Trout Lilies and the Spring Beauty, that I didn't notice those little white flowers in front and on the right hand side of the tree trunk. Rolling eyes to the skies here.

In the next photo you can see hubs pointing across Bull Run, telling me that there are a whole lot more Bluebells on the other side.  Hard to get to though, we don't know a way to get across.  I asked how deep it was and was met with raised eyebrows, oh no, nope, nope, nope!  I was joking, sort of but the grass is always greener on the other side of the hill, or in this case Bull Run.  I was hoping for some stepping stones but had to admit to myself that my hopping-across-the-river-on-the-ever-so-slick-stepping-stone days are done, at least until my next life time.  

And there were plenty of Bluebells on this side of the river.

In the photo below I was staring at what I recently discovered was a Bagworm cocoon.  You can just make it out hanging from a branch at the bottom and between the two tree trunks on the left.

Here's a closer view.  I am used to seeing tent moths in the area, but these are relative new to me and I have only ever noticed them once before on a walk at Chinn Ridge in Manassas.  You can read all about them at this website if interested in such things.  A very destructive little critter!

And talking about critters, I am not sure what this type of ant is.  He was scurrying along near my feet and I didn't see any companions.  I would say he was about half an inch long.  My cell phone impressed me that I could take this photo of the ant.  He was moving fast!

At last we are at the end of our walk.  Hubs had taken a seat on the bridge, grinning and patiently waiting for me as I focused on everything around me.

It is good to be getting out and about again.

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for stopping by. I will be back on Monday.

Stay safe, stay happy and stay healthy.

A BUSY ANT

These photos were taken in July when I was looking around a hotel garden.  I noticed an ant on one of the plants.  These photos were taken with my cell phone (beginning and the last)  The next two photos are cropped versions of the top photo.

The following is not too sharp but I was fascinated with the hair growth on this ant.  It never having crossed my mind before that ants actually had hair!  Blogging can send you in some very interesting directions, and if you are interested in the life cycle of an ant, you can click here. 

This was the plant it was enjoying.  It is called Painted Nettle. If you click on the link it will show you photos of its blooms.  Very pretty!  

"I think everybody should study ants.  They have an amazing four-part philosophy.  Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can."

~Jim Rohn~

Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.

A FAVORITE FLOWER

The common name for this pretty flower is the Obedient Plant.  Its scientific name is Physostegia virginia 'Vivid' and is part of the mint family.

This flower has always been one of my favorites, ever since I first saw it at Meadowlark Gardens.  It was in their native plants area, just like this one which I discovered at Green Spring Gardens.

It is called the Obedient Plant because each one can be curved in any direction, so it is great for flower arrangements when you need a little tweaking.

A little visitor can be seen in this cropped version.  It also attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, bumble bees, bees and sphinx moths, and other pollinators and beneficial insects.  It is also seldom eaten by deer or small mammals.

More can be learned here.