Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Hydrangea........


This was such a great bloomer again this year. I really do like white flowers even though I post mostly red ones.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Delicate Daylily......


This particular lily tends to bloom differently than the rest with it's way of spreading it petals.  It  has one smaller one that tends to shoot off informally and the rest stay pretty uniform in shape. It has a delicate color.  Our rains have really messed with the quality of blooms this year. Our state has accumulated 13.41 inches of rain for this month while the avearage is 3.4 inches.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Seeing Red.........


I am walking by this truck and there is no way that I could not resist.  At the art festival, pop and beer trucks were parked down one street sitting there keeping supplies cold.  Any vendor who needed more wares, they could just contact the Coke man or Budweiser and they would have instant delivery.



A bonus picture to show you how strong the color is on these trucks.  Coke was smart to get a hold of this as their product color as when you see this color you think Coca Cola.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Free Spirit........


As a photographer I do look for good specimens to take, but I also like to find the natural looking a little unnatural.  The design quality of this coneflower is so informal and yet so expressive.  I don't have that many of these opened and in full color but the color of this one is stunning.
I saw a lot of photography on sale at the art festival in Des Moines and I do conclude that the photographer does need to leave their mark on their work just like one does in a painting.  Otherwise, all the pretty pictures do look like all the others who are taking pretty pictures.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

William Baffin Rose......



I was going to enter this photo in a contest and I decided on another picture instead, so I will now share it.  From old to new you see the cycle of three different flowers. This was taken in early June when I was busy pruning the dead limbs from this large rosebush.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Regal Lily............


I have these placed outside of my fenced backyard so I have to go out to see them. They were all in bloom instantly instead of a few at a time.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Early bloomer........


This is the first of this one on the plant.  The rest of the buds look like they are going to take there time.  I do know that they open one at a time each day.  I will work at this to take a picture of it with it's true color.  I will have to go out in the evening and not use the macro.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Old Fashioned Rose.......



The rose that grows next to my house was here when I moved in to the place 32 years ago.  It was growing on the north and west side of my house and it just keeps spreading.  This is the rose that took a hit from my neighbor's weed spray.  It is tough.  It bloomed out  pretty well but now has started to just shoot out all new leaves.  I didn't get a chance to trim it back as it still is putting out a few blooms.
I have never been able to identify it but it is a one time bloomer and I assume is as old as the house.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Lily explosion......



I am being overloaded with blooms for blogging.  I will try to spread them out as I do run out of material off and on through the season.  The macro made this a brighter colored photo that it should be but it is still captures what it is expressing to the viewer.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Creeping Bell Flower......


This plant really enjoys all the rain we are receiving as it doesn't do well in the heat.


A bonus photo today I am providing of the full stand of the bell flower in my front yard.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Dragonfly, maybe.......no it is a Damselfly!!!!!!



I have a few of these hanging around my water this year.  I just read in a magazine about fish ponds and that they are hatched out of the water of a pond.  I guess I thought dragonfly insects had a double set of overlapping wings.  These wings appear to be a single set and are not clear as you can see. I had a hard time getting one of them to stay still, but finally it landed on this leaf and proceeded to clean the leaf of something that was living on the leaf.  I really like the glow of the tail section.

I have sources who helped out here and it is a damselfly.  The pictures below came off the internet but they too wouldn't tell me the name of the insect. Thanks for the help.


 Footnote:  a few minutes later,
I found two photos of it on the internet and you can see with the better camera that it picks up the double set of wings.  I still didn't find a name for it.

A male Ebony Jewelwing as identified by Randy.  Thanks everyone!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Backyard view......


There has been not lack of water this year for the plants to grow. The ditch lilies are about to bloom and the phlox is starting to mildew from so much moisture. The Asian lily is going strong, the one in orange, and right next to it the yellow one will take over once the orange one is done.   The fog is actually my burgers burning on the grill. It is almost ghost like but it is just smoke.  Strong winds today took a chunk out of my chokecherry tree and I have a few other branches to get picked up.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Monochromatic greens and yellows........


I have a lot of flowers yet to post but I had to catch a view of the pin oak tree in my backyard.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Let this brighten your day.......


I have had this lily for a long time and I know that it reminds us of a tiger lily,  but tiger lily hang their blooms downward.  I have always liked this one with it's spots. 

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Hydrangea bloom.......


As they mature they become more white and less green.  I saw a variety in a magazine called limelight and I want to compare it to the one I have here.  I liked it because the shape of bud head was more pointed. I know this one is an old historic foundation plant that was handed back and forth throughout the community. I actually saw the limelight on sale at Kmart today but it really didn't look that much different from what I already have.


As a bonus photo I want to show you the whole plant.  I am going to take a couple of side shoots and move it to the other side of my steps.  The privet looks great against it but it dies down each winter and then sends out new sprouts each spring, thus it never gets very large.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Tuesday........

My garden angel is taking a break from all the rain. The sun looks so good to me when I feel like we have been shut in because of the rain, just as much as we were the past winter because of all of the snow and cold.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Green explosion........

Are you getting tired of my red, orange, and peach flowers?  Maybe this will give your eyes a chance to rest on this hosta. Green and yellow green is a nice change.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Two points of view........





When I get excited about seeing the new color in the garden, I just start shooting because I see color. Then I get my brain reworked a little and say let's go for the design this time with some perspective.  One can like them both as each view has it's purpose.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Red.......


I don't have a filter to get red to work on my camera, but sometimes it just catches it correctly anyway.


This is how it takes red normally and I just take for granted that it is going to pick up a yellow for light red. These geraniums are doing so well in our rainy season and hot temps.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Macro Moss Rose.......


It seems to rain every 12 hours or so. It is Friday morning and we received almost a inch more of rain.  It is over now and will be hot and muggy the rest of the day. The moss rose really would like it to keep raining.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Clematis.......


The rain caused the clematis to droop so I had to take a photo of it upside down, pointing the camera upwards. The foliage with backlighting creates a special effect.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Red Lily Day.......


We had another rain in the afternoon and I could tell by the radar that it would be done in less than twenty minutes.  We had sunshine and out I went to capture this Asian Lily.  It is the only bud that it developed on the stem so I didn't want to miss out on getting a shot of it.

I bought the bulb  in bloom from a man in Grand Marais, Minnesota probably seven summers ago.  It was at a Saturday farmers market and I love attending the ones that they have up there. The nice man apparently bought the bulbs and planted them individually in quart size pots and sold them to people like me.  I am a sucker for red so paying out four bucks for one of these was easy for me.  Even the two for seven dollars tempted me.

I do think I will move this after it is finished blooming as I want to it grow and enlarge and where I have it nothing seems to change.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

"Knock Out" rose.......


Another photo of my yellow Knock Out Rose.  It really does photograph well.  This rose tends to have a weathered look once it opens.  A camera on macro setting can redeem it a little.
Our blogger was down for almost 24 hours so I haven't been able to comment on anyone's blog. Maybe I can work double fast to catch up with viewing your wonderful posts.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Creature feature.......


I am not going to pretend to name this insect. I assume it is like a locust but I have never seen one that looked like this.  I had my camera outside and this guy came down falling out of the sky and landed on the table in front of me.


A bonus picture today of the hydrangea that is starting to bloom. This is the second year for this plant to bloom.  It is an old fashioned foundation plant. The new owners of the place that are at the house that I received these starts, decided this spring to clear out all of the plants in front of the porch and start over with something different.  So I have the survivors growing in my yard.  I like how it changes color as it matures and becomes a very nice white.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

A viignette in the garden........



I love finding almost round rocks along the North Shore of Minnesota. The weathering n the birdhouse is all natural.

Friday, June 4, 2010

Maine......


I had two pictures to choose from to enter into a contest.  This one seemed to be more bridge than landscape, but it  is still is a landscape.  I took this at Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island.  The bridge was created by the Rockefeller who originally owned the island. They were made by craftsman that were brought over from Europe to work on the project of many bridges.
We will be returning to see our son and his wife this August in Maine.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Checking in late today........


My tomatoes are doing well. I started these from seed and I am so surprised as to how fast they have grown.  I am going to mulch these and place a wire fence along the back side of them. I will tie them all up this year and see if it will cut down on the weeding and the mess. I have three rows of these because I don't believe in killing small plants.  Two people don't need 20 or more tomato plants.











Here is another view of my overwintered geranium plant. I love the deep red of the plant and am glad it survived so well.

We took Button to the Vet today to have a blood sample taken.  It will be sent in and tested to see if the old 12 year old poodle can survive a surgery.  He has a cancerous growth growing along his gum line, under his tongue.  The doctor and her husband also a vet seemed a little more upbeat about it all today.  His kidneys need to function well so he can come out of the drug they put him on to make him sleep while he his being operated on for the removal of the growth. We are hoping for the best.  He doesn't act old or sick so we think he is pretty strong to go through it.  We won't know for sure when until tomorrow if he is able to have the surgery.  They did say they would send him on to a specialist as if they felt it wasn't safe.  Our vet was so visibly shaken when she found the growth last week that we were pretty upset ourselves.  But after today's visit we are feeling better about it.
Thanks for stopping by.........

Yellow Kitty


My helper in the garden has taken on a new life of her own.  She is so old and we have babied her with a diet that only a city cat would love.  She never had soft canned food and softened dry food, but her fur and her color has become luxurious in feel and color.  The glads that I planted are sprouting already.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Geranium...........


This plant survived in the spare room all winter and it is bursting with buds now. I will replace some of it's soil to get it revived for all the summer.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Blue Abstract........


The point and shoot guy got a big blur, but blue in motion is kind of nice. This is my blue iris that seems to just keep blooming.

Blurry Blue Cup Day.....

 It is Monday and I am a little blurry eyed today. It is fitting then my blue cup is blurred a little because it is in low light. I was too ...