March 4th, 2010
Today I was going through old photos—old being last spring—and came across ones that I had taken while on a visit to family in Kentucky. So I spent some time skimming hundreds of captures during my week there in early May…bumblebees on sweet peas, as-of-yet unidentified butterflies and moths, daisy-like flowers that are probably weeds, three-leaved clovers…and I was suddenly overcome with sadness. Through all those images, grief re-emerged over my father, who, unbeknownst to us at the time, had only another six months of life left. I remember taking all of those photographs last spring as I walked the fringes of his small hay bottom, stopping now and then to take in the complete silence and gaze at the old house up the road—the one I had spent my first few years in. I chased flying insects from grass blade to flower head and after returning to the house I remember him asking me what I was doing outside and him not really understanding when I told him I was photographing flowers and bugs…just as he didn’t understand W and me wanting to drive cross country five years earlier. “Why do you want to do that?” he had asked.
Many of his attitudes perplexed me, but at least he was here to perplex.
So I guess that’s how the grief thing works. Time helps heal the wound until one brushes up too closely against its memories.
February 27th, 2010
May we all see something like this soon…something that’s green and not covered with snow.
September 10th, 2009
A milk thistle what? That’s what I said. The involucre is this cup-shaped outer layer that holds the beautiful yet-to-be-seen purple flowerhead. And why no pic of the flower? The thorns would not cooperate. And it was a little breezy. And the Monarch butterflies wouldn’t leave me alone. Okay, just kidding about the butterflies, although there were four or five of them vying for the buffet. Truth is, the flower shots didn’t turn out, but I’ll keep tryin’.
September 1st, 2009
In the mucky water of the pond at Green Spring Gardens are all of these beautiful water lilies. I believe they’re fragrant, but I’m a little hesitant to take the plunge to verify, if ya know what I mean. This may call for the abilities of a 50-pound Border Collie mix, although said dog would argue that she is “…no retriever, man!” Argh…kids.
July 20th, 2009
Holy cow, not that Dion, but the Dion Skipper moth (Euphyes dion). I found it, skipping actually, from clover bloom to clover bloom in the same meadow where I recently found the Common Milkweed. Not to be out-run, rather out-flown, by something one-zillionth my size, I stayed hot on its trail—it was quick and very aware of my intrusion. And take a look at that “straw”—all the better to nourish itself with the nectar from this sweet clover, its major food source.
July 8th, 2009
This is not a very good photo. I would have loved to have had a sky, but it was overcast that day, with no cloud definition at all. I do like, though, the flowers and foliage against the row of townhouses, so, here ’tis.
I think that these are marsh orchids. If anyone knows different, please feel free to set me straight.
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