In The Ditch

...near the soccer fields where I walk the dogs, there is a deep ditch that runs along the back edge of the parking area.  Somehow, all on their own, these beauties have popped up amongst the weeds and rocks to brighten an otherwise meaningless space...

A Weed By Any Other Name

...would be the much maligned dandelion.  Thirty million years old (yes, really), it's been used in herbal medicine for centuries; the greens--loaded with nutrients--can be eaten in salads and soups; dandelion wine is surprisingly tasty...and yet this plant is generally considered to be a noxious weed.  This morning, walking through my back garden, bright yellow dandelion flowers buzzing with bees, I couldn't help admiring the resilience in this humble little plant, or the delicate beauty in the seeds...

Busy Bee

...walking back from the mailbox just now--the air heavy and humid, dogs panting, me sweating--I heard the hum of bumblebees in the lavender plants that edge the stone wall in the front yard.  I gave the boys their cookies, then went back out into the inferno to see if I could capture a closeup as I'm still experimenting with the new lens. Caught this guy in mid-flight...

Southern Belle

...yesterday I took an unfamiliar shortcut to get myself home from an arts festival before the looming storm broke.  The weather was feverishly hot with large, very black clouds slowly building over the mountains, so when the precursor winds kicked in, I decided it was time to go--along with many other folks, hence the shortcut idea.  The little back road didn't get me home faster, but I did discover the most amazing magnolia tree with the biggest, creamiest blossoms--the size of a salad plate--that just compelled me to stop and take this shot.  Ah, the siren call of flowers...

Wild Blue

...a few months ago maintenance crews arrived at the park where I usually walk the dogs to resurface sidewalks and put in a new paved parking area. Sadly, they also removed two very large, wonderful trees.  I'm not clear why; where they once stood had nothing to do with the project and now the space is just a forlorn heap of trunks, broken branches and tangled roots.  A most ignoble burial ground. But then. Today I discovered several clusters of tall, delicate wildflowers growing amongst the debris. Nature. In the midst of chaos, life somehow finds a way...

Not Gonna Fit

...I haven't posted a photograph for the past two weeks, mainly because I haven't been inspired.  Until this morning.  While making the bed, the bluejays were making such an unholy racket in the backyard I went to the window to see what was going on. And was startled to see a hawk standing in the middle of the bird bath!  The jays take morning baths and were outraged at the hawk in their tub.  I grabbed my camera, but had to hide behind the bed and shoot through the window screen--hence the really crappy photo. Still.  It's a hawk in the bird bath. (For perspective, the bath is 18" wide and this guy pretty much filled the space...)

Cream and Sugar

  ...along one wall of the pottery studio near the soccer field where I walk the dogs is a row of white roses that I have never noticed before.  Today the pure white glow of these blooms caught my eye, although when I went closer to take a photo, I realized the roses were actually creamy yellow at the centers with spun sugar outer petals.  So unexpectedly beautiful...