• Plants,  quotes

    You Have the Answer

    August 26, 2024
    Prairie Blazing Star

    At the center of your being
    you have the answer;
    you know who you are
    and you know what you want.

    Lao Tzu

    Prairie Blazing Star is a hardy native perennial forb. It can grow up to 5 feet tall. It has abundant grass like leaves and hairy stems. The lowest leaves can be well over 1 foot long and up to ½ inch wide. The flower heads are in a dense spike at the top of the plant and bloom top-down. The stamens and styles protrude from the tufted flower heads creating a soft fuzzy appearance. It is one of the most popular varieties of blazing stars. It is native to the midwest where it naturally occurs on prairies, rocky bluffs and open areas. It prefers slightly acidic, poor, well-drained soils and demonstrates both heat and drought tolerance. They are common in all the natural areas I visit. I haven’t seen one 5 feet tall, yet. Hope you had a good Monday.

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  • clouds,  landscape,  natural areas,  panorama,  Pineridge Natural Area,  quotes,  sunrises,  Thomas Berry

    It’s Happening Now

    September 4, 2023

    The greatest of human discoveries in the future will be the discovery of human intimacy with all those other modes of being that live with us on this planet, inspire our art and literature, reveal that numinous world whence all things come into being, and with which we exchange the very substance of life.

    Thomas Berry

    A host of thoughts can run through my head while standing before this pre-dawn scene as I worked at capturing the image. This image is a panorama of 7 images using Lightroom Classic. I wanted the whole cloud bank in the image and my 16mm lens wasn’t wide enough so I decided to try a panorama. It works on this blog but not for printing purposes. When I came home and saw this panoramic image on my monitor my thoughts shifted from the craft of the image to the scene itself. It’s easy to look at this open field, even to the distant horizon, and see it as something separate from me. I’m here, it’s there. But that’s just not true. There is a multitude of ecosystems comprising this image and the world. Maybe that’s what makes this scene so appealing and beautiful to me. Because as Berry suggests there are other modes of being: birds of all sorts, insects, animals, the plants and of course, humans. For me the future of discovery Berry is talking about is happening now.

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  • Arapaho Bend Natural Area,  natural areas,  Plants,  quotes

    Great medicine

    June 13, 2023

    The very meaning of Creation is seen to be an act of worship, a devoted proclamation of the splendour, the wonder, and the beauty of God. In this great Sanctus, all things justify their being and have their place.

    Evelyn Underhill

    Rain and more rain. Overcast skies and a fine mist seems to be the norm for the day. This image was taken yesterday afternoon on a walk at Arapaho Bend Natural Area. I believe this to be a Musk Thistle from my research on Dr. Google. There are an amazing varieties of thistle so how any scientist can differentiate them is beyond me. Anyway, it’s unpalatable to wildlife and livestock so they focus their foraging on other plants, which leaves the musk thistle to have an advantage over native meadows and grasslands. Thus it is considered an invasive plant. When I do the research most sites want to stress the plants invasiveness and how to control it. Most sites say that natural grasses will out compete them. Such a simple solution. For me I think it’s a beautiful plant among the grasses and does bring awe and wonder to my soul. Maybe that’s their place and justification for existence. I came home with muddy shoes, a few photos and a clearer head. Great medicine. Have a great day!

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  • flowers,  Plants,  quotes

    Words

    August 11, 2022
    Clematis

    “Language has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word solitude to express the glory of being alone.”

    Paul Tillich

    Words have become important to me as I’ve journaled through the past few years. And, words are important in my attempts to express thoughts and ideas on this blog. When I came across this quote it very simply gave me the words I was not able to express before. I like that. I use both the words loneliness and solitude in much of my writing. Now they have a much deeper meaning for me. I love words, and flowers, and sunrises, and…

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  • leaves,  Plants,  quotes

    Good advice for us all…

    August 1, 2022
    After the rain at Inniswood Gardens

    If there is meaning in the past and in the imagined future, it is captured in the moment. When you have all the time in the world, you can spend it, not on going somewhere, but on being where you are. So I stretch out, close my eyes, and listen to the rain.

    Robin Wall Kimmerer
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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  Plants,  quotes,  shadows,  trees

    Awareness of Shadows

    December 14, 2021

    How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also If I am to be whole.

    Carl Gustav Jung

    Jung believed that our shadow describes those aspects of our personality that we choose to reject and repress. After many years of reflecting back on my own experiences in life I am able to see where I hid from my dark side. Jung also says, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” This awareness has helped me in many areas of my life, mainly in relationships.

    I’ve also become aware of the value shadows bring to my photography. Some of my favorite images are because of the interplay of shadows and light within them.

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