Poppies

 I love flowers... natural flowers in the wild, or at least untended blossoms. Horticulturally perfect do not appeal nearly as much as when nature is at work. The bees, the wind, the birds, and the occasional genetic misstep. 

The Kentucky Department of Roads plants flowers or grasses at various interchanges, medians, or margins along the highways. Several around Elizabethtown are planted with safflowers or poppies. The poppies have such a short life... some years I see them and some years I miss them entirely.

Here are a few from the last time I managed to catch them. 

Hey Look at ME!!!

Red Poppy and Daisies

Reminds me of a Tutu

Bud with a cap

Poppies are the favorite at the moment. Tomorrow it might be a weed with a butterfly.

Beth

Going Slow

 

When I am out and about with the camera (rarely when I am running errands, cleaning, or otherwise in work mode)... I try to go slow.

A Bee

I have found that -if I go slow enough to see the smallest bugs and flowers I will see so much more. So looking closely and down low I sometimes see bugs and small flowers that are so tiny that even close up they are still small. I think it is also a metaphor for living daily. If you move so fast that you only stop at the big stuff you miss so much!!!

I really never knew there are so many different kinds and sizes of bees/pollinators. I don't know what kind this one is, but it is yellow and about 3/8's of an inch. They are everywhere in Kentucky. I only remember about 5 different kinds of bees from growing up in CA. Most of them were mean with stingers, (honeybees are the exception, they have stingers but are not considered mean).

Butterflies Big and Small

Of course, butterflies are both, big and small.  A Swallowtail butterfly is huge and easy to see. In Kentucky the Swallowtails are plentiful. I don't ever get tired of seeing them. As a child in northern California, we would see maybe one or two a summer.

On the other hand, a Grey Hairstreak on a just blooming clover flower shows how small butterflies can be. This little butterfly would not cover a nickel. The Hairstreaks are very shy and don't sit still for long, and rarely have the wings open while resting.

Monarch pre-butterfly

During the summer I check the milkweed for the caterpillars of the monarch butterflies. This little fellow is feasting on the milkweed leaves.  I am hoping to have some milkweed volunteer at the pond. I am going to plant some wildflowers and encourage the milkweed to grow there too.

Flowers

The wildflowers also make me stop. This is Ironweed. It grows tall and not crowded in open grassy areas. I love to see it when it is growing with yellow flowers, like the Bearded Beggarticks.

Not a butterfly, but pretty enough

Another winged vibrant creature is a moth. This is a Rosy Maple Moth. I think it should be called the Cotton Candy moth. A bug that has some very interesting colorways.  This one was spotted while house hunting in the early summer of 2019 when life was still normal!!!

A lesson about seeing

So about that go-slow approach. We really learned about it in Africa. No wonder there were so many tales about dangerous animals, If you went fast you missed seeing them altogether. This was a picture I took in the South African bush.  It is amazing to me how sparse the landscape would look... spindly trees, big open spaces, and grasses... Makes you wonder how anything could hide when you can see so far.

More later. Beth

Fall 2020

I never think to post to this blog, or the pictures need to be edited... or I can't find them... But I am going to write several and at least post something monthly. Mostly pictures, because I have taken so many that I have not shared since moving to rural Kentucky. 

As usual, I have focused on the neighborhood, which is pretty much, all nature and well I haven't gone anywhere in a year.

There are fields and forests and little open areas, a creek, a dirt road, some dilapidated buildings old tractors, lots of interest if you care to look!

I'm going to kick this off with fall color. When we moved out here and I saw the field across the road, I knew there would be some great fall color... just not last year. Between the drought, the fall rains, and then the cold, the leaves pretty much just fell off the trees.

The only color in 2019 and most of the leaves are gone

This year's better weather conditions gave us some great Kentucky fall color.

Even on a cloudy day the colors glow

The other side of the field on a little brighter day

As you may know by now, the pond is my favorite place. 

The road side of the pond and dam, looking back toward the creek

A little volunteer Bradford Pear, with great color this year.

This little Bradford Pear was strangling under a heavy layer of vining Honeysuckle. We cut some of the honeysuckle vines off and gave it a little taste of Roundup and we got a nice bit of color from the Bradford Pear this year. I can see that there is another smaller one down the dam hill a bit further too.

Late in the day the field across the road

One late afternoon I caught the slanting rays of the sun low in the sky over the trees. You can see that the tops of most of the trees are bare.

So, that was fall this year in color. I love all of the seasons. Fall is not my favorite all the time, just right now. 

Beth

Wildflowers

Got a bit off track... Not enough time to get everything done... and then how much longer it takes to get anything done... But enough complaining.

Spring in the country and in a woodland forest is fabulously different than in a peopled area. So, far not so much the critters as it is the flora. Every time I take a walk in the woods here, I find a new to me flower- or one I am happy to know grows here.

The Spring Beauty

The Spring Beauty has flowers smaller than a dime at fully open and has been blooming since late March in many locations in the woods

Cutleaf Toothwart

A wildflower that also has very small flowers, when fully opened and is a dappled sun plant that grows best in the forest floor mulch. Pretty much done for the season, but I still find a small stand in hidden areas.

Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)

In the lawn under a big Maple tree in the front I found these. Hundreds of them. I was missing the natural volunteers in the lawn at the Etown house when these started popping up.

Rue Anenome

These are down near the big creek at the back of the property. 

Pear Tree Blossoms

A very large and overgrown pear tree (not necessarily wild) is the only fruiting tree on the property. It had millions of beautiful blooms, which were pollinated and did begin to produce fruit, but sadly we had a late freeze and the little starts all shriveled off. Not that, the very overgrown tree had any big fruit ... It will need to be severely trimmed back this fall if we want anything larger than 2 bites.

Woodland Ferns

Having spent many of my summers in the forest of coastal Northern California, I kind of expect the forest floor to be covered in deep shade loving ferns. While the oak canopy does create shade, it is nothing like the deep cool shade in the redwood forests.

Wild Blue Phlox

The Wild Blue Phox was a neat surprise, especially when I stumbled upon a big yellow Swallowtail visiting. 

One of the scenes I love is this view up the road toward home on the way back from a walk to the end of the road.

What have you discovered in your own backyard this spring?

More Later! Beth

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Nature!

Fair Warning its a bug!

Since moving to Kentucky we have had the pleasure of finding the nymph shells of the Cicada in the yard. Most years just a handful. In 2017 there were quite a few. It seems that the maple tree in the backyard is a favorite place.

I have been trying to find and capture a cicada either emerging or drying. Cicadas are notoriously shy bugs. If you spot one in a tree, they tend to move to the other side of the branch and stay out of sight.

The particular cicada we have here is a beautiful one, with black eyes and lime green wings and body.

Bugs are not my favorite thing... puppies and kittens yes, but bugs I find fascinating from a look and study point of view with a camera. Touching no thanks.

But the other evening, while gardening I spied a nymph husk on the playset (where we usually find them) and the adult emerging!!! Grabbed the camera and started taking pictures. I really wanted to stay outside long enough to see it move off its shell, but the skeeters and midgies were making a meal of me and finally had to call it.

I am so happy to have at least captured this much. And moving forward its all about the bug so feel free to abandon the ship.

******************************************************

Watching how slowly this process takes is amazing. 

Pushing out

The wings 

Expanding the wings

Wings really getting longer

Starting to dry

Stunning in clarity and color

Nearly ready to fly

Such an  amazing thing to watch over the course of about 30 minutes. The temperature outside at 6 pm was 89° and 65% humidity. Just plain hot and wet. 

More later... from the farm soon!

Beth

A Few More Flowers

I guess I forgot to post part 2 of the flowers from the recent outing. 

Thistles are so interesting an all phases …. from buds to full bloom- so many textures and shapes. They never fail to surprise me.





And since it was the sunflowers that drew my attentions to the whole excursion…



One with a bee! Sunflowers are another that never fails to keep me interested. Always…. bright and sunny with lots of friends visiting… birds, bees, grasshoppers and butterflies.


More Later! Beth
check out the guessing game I have going at  www.ihaveanotion.blogspot.com

Longtime…

Its been a few minutes since posting any pictures here…

After a long winter and a very unusually cool spring… hot and steamy summer is HERE! 74 degrees out at 5 am and humid.

I noticed yesterday that one of the highway department fields had been planted with safflowers and had just started to bloom. I have missed my walks and the Kentucky DOT provides such a nice opportunity… and as luck would have it the city has a small Arboretum next door, that has improved steadily since moving here (3 years ago this month).

The flowers….

A Zinnia, I love the 2 colors (3 if you count the orange band between yellow and pink/purple)

Not sure what flower this is…

and

this one is my favorite!

Beth

Dead of Winter

It is Winter.
Feels like Chicago outside.
Looks like it too.

We've had some ice and some snow.... more of one than the other (that would be the good news!!!)

We live in Robin wintering country. Last year I saw all the robins flocking.... and sitting in the trees.... Caught a couple sitting in the Maple tree in the back, taken through the window upstairs.

This fellow was facing the sun.... you can see some snow melt ice on the tree branch.

All the robins are puffing up and scrunching down on their feet while perching in the trees.

We got a little ice too. Pyracantha in the winter is always dramatic!

 More Later- Beth

Happy Holidays and Warm Weather Dreams

The weatherman is predicting a really strange weather patter.... our models are from relatively warm predictions to some really drastically cold temperatures.... Kind of hard to plan what to wear.... ok not for me. We will be staying home for the holiday... we may have guests, still open on that account....

I have not had much opportunity to photograph any holiday items this year, or last for that matter. The pup has stolen lots of my free time... but that is a fair trade, if you ask me!

The photo in the header is one my favorite Holiday pictures, Christmas at Arlington Cemetery in Arlington VA. It reminds me of the many that have served our country for generations at a time when all that we have in part is due to their sacrifice. Thank you to each and everyone! 

Since we are in mid-winter I will share a couple of 'summer' pictures .

Blue Hydrangea:

Best Guess is a Blue Dasher Dragonfly

Found this little guy on the geraniums that I have hanging in baskets on the front porch.

Lastly a rain soaked Gerbera Daisy, also in the front of the house.

All of the above will hopefully hasten spring and warm weather or ward off a bit of the predicted Christmas Chill. 

Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas.... or... that you celebrate. 

More later-Beth

Fall Pictures

In October I visited a friends farm in Versailles Kentucky. Versailles is located on the southern edge of 'Kentucky Horse Country'. I could very easily live over here... and going to and from anywhere that went past a horse farm might delay me by hours!!! I had an appointment, so I could not tarry on the way over, and when I left it was very late in the afternoon. 

After lunch we took a long walk around the farm... I of course had my camera with me.

Maple Leaves

 I love pastoral scenes. In the one above there is a black and white cow. 

I think if you click on any photo you will be able to see it larger???

Looking for more about the Puppy, go to the I Have a Notion blog
More later- Beth

Poppies

In several areas around town the Kentucky Department of Transportation plants some different flowers. I am not sure if they have a plan or rotate areas or crops.... but the first year here where I found these poppies, there were safflowers/sunflowers. I think I like the poppies better, but the season is so short for the flowers....

I found a site with Cosmos and on the Interstate Sunflowers. I didn't get out to either of those sites this year, I will try and do better next summer!

More Later - Beth