Ok, so if I can't have sun, at least I can look for the silver lining.
A couple of days ago there was a heavy morning mist, but absolutely no wind,
so I grabbed the camera and caught the tiny jewels hanging from every frond and frill.
I will put more on my garden blog, but here are some to start with.
This message was edited Jun 13, 2008 10:55 AM
This year's seedlings of red and white star columbine
A single drop
Blueberry bells
pink buds on a tall shrub with dark leaves
Something HostaJim probably sees a lot of, and is my favorite dew drop catcher
This message was edited Jun 13, 2008 10:33 AM
Is this little guy smiling, or what?!
Delicate flowers on beautiful gray green lacy leaves
Last one, orange cups with silver nectar
Wonderful pictures again! Thanks for a different perspective! It does not make me like the constant rain anymore than before... but it sure makes it prettier...lol
Sensational - will we see some of these in your fabulous art work?
I guess I could always pick one of the delicate ones for reference,
and add a "pixy" to it. :)
All I can say is what a wonderful silver lining....LOL
Great shots, list them on shutterstock and get some money for them. They are very good.
Thanks for sharing.
Janet
Neo, That mysterious "tall shrub with dark leaves" is really beautiful. Your photographs are absolutely fabulous.
Post 5099006 dark shrub is probably physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark) 'Diablo'. They're all flowering right now. Holly, it's a native, so it's pretty easy (at least where I am). I have the standard one, Diablo, Dart's Gold, and now Coppertina. I think it's a must have plant in the garden. And some of the new varieties are smaller, so there's something for everybody!!
Incredible photos, Kathryn.
Neo, when the photo contest starts this year for the pics for DGs calendar you will be hard to beat. great pics
I heartily agree - they are so beautiful they bring tears to my eyes. And yes! Add a pixy!!!
Sorry for the late reply everyone. I have been under a time crunch to get all of my major plant beds reworked before I start teaching in three weeks from today. Yesterday I finished digging a thirty foot long bed down to 18 inches, and today I have been adding back in my wonderful goat supplied compost. Taking a break from the sun right now, but it is an absolutely perfect day! Not a cloud in the sky!
Pixydish, thank you! For you, of course I'll add a pixy! A ninebark, eh? That is good to know.
It has a nice cane type growing pattern, so I have one that I cut back to the main stump each year to keep it smaller, and the nice canes make good plant stakes.
meadowyck, Thank you, I was not aware of shutterstock. I will check into that for sure!
mauryhillfarm, thank you for the nice compliment! Honestly, the new camera has made a huge difference!
katie59, great info! I did a google image search and that is definitely what I have. I also bought a plant called Coppertina at DragonFly from Heidi, and I can see now that it is the same plant. I love their rich coloring.
tillysrat, you are very kind! I did not know about the calendar, but I have been looking at the work in the photo forum, and there is some stunning photography there, but I will submit some just for grins!
Murmur, tears?! Bless you! I marvel at God's handywork everytime I look at the photos.
Geez. Thanks, Pix. That is certainly a compliment coming from you. I feel warm glow coming on . . .
I just know what I know and what I lust after. LOL
Kathryn - the Carex buchaninii and anything orange are must haves with the coppertina. I ooh and ah at that combination every day. Would take a picture, but I'm waiting to see if my little orange dahlias that melted will come back.
Thanks for the suggestions katie. I have Carex buhananii everywhere, so I'll make sure I use them with the coppertina! I bought two type of euphorbia with orange blossoms, and a perennial sunflower that blooms orange. Also got a stunning Jmaple with soft orange leaves, I think it is an autumn moon, but I'll have to check. And of course the complementary color to orange is blue, so I bought the thistle with the cerulean blue "flowers".
Orange to peach? Try Geum 'Marmalade', Heuchera 'Peach flambe', or Callibrachoa 'Peach'.
There's a real nice shorter Phormium, too, with peach/green stripes, but I lost the tag. It is not 'Apricot Queen' (more yellow) or 'Pink Stripe' (more pink).
I had to post this here. I got lucky photographing this bumblebee. They were so very active in the garden tonight, just loving the Nectaroscordum bulgaricum. (I'm going to have extras of these if anyone is interested.)
I love it that I can stand in the garden with bees buzzing all around me and they don't even notice it! I am 'One' with the bees!!
Wow, you actually caught it in flight, way to go!
Oh, that peony is lovely, mine haven't opened yet, maybe today.
That is awesome Pixs, wish my camera would do that.
I'm in line for some.
I love bees, too. Are you Scottish, Pix. The Scots are supposedly known for their ability to talk to the bees.
I do have a lot of Scottish in me. Mostly English, though, and a little French which is why I'm always in conflict with myself.
My name is well associated with Bees, so it makes sense that I would love them.
From: http://www.mythindex.com/greek-mythology/M/Melissa.html
MELISSA
That is, the soother or propitiator (from melissô or meilissô), occurs,
1. As the name of a nymph who discovered and taught the use of honey, and from whom bees were believed to have received their name, melissai (Schol. ad Pind. Pyth. iv. 104.) Bees seem to have been the symbol of nymphs, whence they themselves are sometimes called Melissae, and are sometimes said to have been metamorphosed into bees. (Schol. ad Pind. 1. c. ; Hesych. s. v. Orodemniades; Columell. ix. 2; Schol. (ad Theocrit. iii. 13.) Hence also nymphs in the form of bees are said to have guided the colonists that went to Ephesus (Philostr. Icon. ii. 8) ; and the nymphs who nursed the infant Zeus are called Melissae, or Meliae. (Anton. Lib. 19; Callim. Hymn. in Jov. 47; Apollod. i. 1. § 3.)
2. From the nymphs the name Melissae was transferred to priestesses in general, but more especially to those of Demeter (Schol. ad Pind. l.c.; Callim. Hymn. in Apoll. 110; Hesych. s. v. Melissai), Persephone (Schol. ad Theocrit. xv. 94), and to the priestess of the Delphian Apollo. (Pind. Pyth. iv. 106; Schol. ad Eurip. Hippol. 72.) According to the scholiasts of Pindar and Euripides, priestesses received the name Melissae from the purity of the bee. Comp. a story about the origin of bees in Serv. ad Aen. i. 434.
3. Melissa is also a surname of Artemis as the goddess of the moon, in which capacity she alleviates the suffering of women in childbed. (Porphyr. De Antr. Nymp,. p. 261.)
4. A daughter of Epidamnus, became by Poseidon the mother of Dyrrhachius, from whom the town of Dyrrhachium derived its name. (Steph. Byz. s. v. Durhrhachion.)
So you do come by it honestly!!
This ones for you Pixy!
Darn it, ms. pixy, I was so looking forward to spending a bit of time with you today.
I took 4 gigs of photos and left at 5:00, and this time I managed to not buy anything, but next time. . .
The farmer's market is gearing up and there were folks selling heirloom plant starts, and fresh flowers, lavender products, etc. I bought ground lavender odor eater sprinkle for my gardening clogs!
DragonFly and Heidi were delightful as usual, and I'll spend some time as soon as possible getting photos ready to post here, and also on Heidi's website. I met her web designer, Susan, today, so all in all it was a special day.
Great bumble photo!! I love it! I have not seen any of the big black and yellow bumbles around here. I have the smaller ones in profusion.
Yes, Neofarmer, I was looking forward to it, too. Turned out that I had a rather large group of teenage boys at my house today, some of whom I don't know well, playing airsoft and generally having summer fun. That's all well and good until someone gets hurt and there is no parent in sight. I didn't feel very confident about driving up to Kingston with that kind of action at home. My dh works in Renton, so if a parent were needed, we'd have been in trouble.
I definitely have to come up soon because last time I was there I left my dragonfly umbrella there and I want it! Also want to see her place in bloom. So I'll let you know when I have another day available, preferably also a day when I can drive the Prius up there, considering the price of gas lately.
The Big Bumbles are at my house, Pixy. I have been run into several times over the past week - I think they are so hyper-focused, they don't navigate the detour in time. Fuzzy prickles bouncing off my cheek!
I have so many of the slow guys with the red butts this year. They literally nap on the Tweedia. I'm not sure what that's about, but I keep thinking they've died there and then they're gone when I come back. And they're gentle - I can actually hold them.
Maybe I'll get some of the big ones this year. I accidentally disturbed a nest of the little red-butted ones so I know they are nesting in my yard. I like that. I also have loads of honeybees, so they've got a hive somewhere around here. Nothing I like better than a garden full of buzzing activity!
I have not tried to hold the bees yet. That's tempting fate! But the bumbles are not aggressive so I can see how it could happen. I think they get drunk on nectar.
I get so mesmerized by them that I just forget that they're bees. But I've never been stung by a bumblebee . . . and I so enjoy their company in the garden, as well. If only my Magic dog wasn't so h___ bent on eating them. He stands by the rhodies and tries to catch them in his mouth - barks at them if they don't cooperate. I have goofy dogs.
I found a nest of bees in the ground underneath a piece of cardboard I had put down to suppress weeds. Does anyone know what kind of bees those might be? They are in a location I was planning to dig up to extend a garden bed this summer, but I hate to bother them. I have no idea how to move them safely for both them and me.
