• flowers,  Plants

    Columbines

    Columbines
    Columbines

    Well it is Spring but they are predicting rain and possible snow starting Wednesday night and into Friday. We will take the moisture but not to excited about the cold temperatures. Thought I would post and image of one of Colorado’s Columbines before the cold gets it.

    The Rocky Mountain Columbine Columbines bloom in pastel shades of blue, violet, red, yellow and white. There are 70 species of columbines in the world and about 1/3 are native to North America. Colorado specifies the white and lavender Rocky Mt. Columbine which has blue-violet petals and spurs, a white cup and yellow center. Blue is a symbol of the sky, white represents snow, and yellow symbolizes Colorado’s gold mining history. It was designated the official state flower of Colorado in 1899 after winning the vote of Colorado’s school children. I was way too young to vote but I would have voted for it. 🙂 

  • Cityscapes/Urban,  Documentary/Street,  flowers,  Plants

    Born With Love

    Tulips on Campus
    Tulips on Campus

    “Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learn. The spiritual journey is the unlearning of fear and prejudices and the acceptance of love back in our hearts. Love is the essential reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life. Meaning does not lie in things. Meaning lies in us.” Marianne Williamson

  • clouds,  fall season,  landscape,  natural areas,  Plants,  trees

    Back to Nature

    20161029_dscf9713
    Clouds and blue sky at the Arapaho Bend Nature Area.

    Needed a reprieve from the city noise and tension it seems to generate. So, I dropped my grandson off at work on Saturday afternoon then drove to the Arapaho Bend Nature Area. Loved the blue sky against the brown trees and the soft delicate scattered clouds in this image. Lots of people out with the same idea. My intentions were to get out and walk, find a place to sit and read a book. Of course I just happen to have my camera, so when nature provides scenes I accept them. Just off to the left of this image was a photographer working on some family portraits. Hope they turn out okay.

    20161029_dscf9749
    Milkweed pods and seeds, another generation, found along the trail.

    I find milkweeds almost everywhere. They are abundant along our rivers and I found them abundant while living in Ohio. They are a source of food for many insects and an attractor for monarch butterflies. However, they are not recommended for human consumption. Better off eating that banana or trail mix. Just enjoy their beauty!

    Afternoon starburst against a cottonwood tree
    Afternoon starburst against a cottonwood tree in the Fall

    I have several images of this tree with the sun directly behind it. It seems to always be in that same location and offering me another photo opportunity but each time with different light, foliage and cloud patterns. So, they are never the same image. I enjoyed getting back to nature and letting it touch me inside.

  • bees,  flowers,  insects

    A New Month

    Collecting Pollen
    Collecting Pollen

    “Soon it will be fall.  The frost will come… All of this is familiar. And yet none of this has every happened before as it is happening now.”

    Wendell Berry
  • flowers,  Plants

    Closed for the Night

    Closed for the Night
    Closed for the Night

    Plants that tuck themselves in for bedtime exhibit a natural behavior known as nyctinasty. Scientists know the mechanism behind the phenomenon: In cool air and darkness, the bottom-most petals of certain flowers grow at a faster rate than the upper-most petals, forcing the flowers shut. I’m not sure what this flower is but I encountered a dozen of them along a raised garden on a late evening walk. All of them were closed. I may have to revisit these flowers to observe and learn more about them. Hope everyone has a super awesome weekend!