prairie Afternoon #2

Brewer's blackbird in silhouette

prairie Afternoon #1

Waiting for the afternoon shower

for your garden variety Earache

Polygala alba

White milkwort, a prairie perennial wildflower, Lewis and Clark noted in their trip journal, and preserved a sample for their collection. The Native people of the northern plains brewed a decoction of the roots of milkwort to treat earaches, the Corps of Discovery botanist does not mention if they had need of earache relief.

truckin' Along

FedEx truck

Real FedEx Truck in Art Alley

a colorful Household

I am betting YOUR shingles don't look like these! A very global family lives here, they fly the Stars and Stripes on the roof and the Canadian Maple Leaf over the front door.

art alley morning Details

the growing season is glacially Slow

mushroom gills

We have had so much precip that my tomatoes are sulking and my begonia is hosting mushrooms that look like glaciers in their pots!

Mendenhall glacier photo from Internet

butterfly Power

Our friend and neighbor up the street is one of South Dakota's hardworking Highway Patrol officers. With his patrol car parked in their driveway when he is home, we have our own "Neighborhood Watch" sitting silently there. When I came by yesterday, it was hot and sunny and this windshield screen was all tucked in.

The fact that he has a teen-aged daughter might explain it, but I'd like to think he did it himself.

if you don't pay Attention...

and you wander around with a digital camera turned on, and you are trying to change lenses in a hurry because there is a newborn fawn in the middle of the front lawn, you sometimes get some very strange pictures, if you are not paying attention.

at 6 pm...

they were 18" tall, by 7 pm Ma Nature had created chiveslaw!

We had a whopper of a thunderstorm with 70mph winds, rain coming at 1" per 30 min and hail of various sizes. No real damage, but my back deck is now a first aid station for most of my container plants. Drat!

i wanna be a library Lion

Lucifer

New York Public Library photo source

right to the heart of the Matter

paeonia "Bowl of Cream" that was supposed to be "Festiva Maxima"!

a gift from Ma Nature

can you see him?

What better present can you get on the first full day of summer?

He was there when I pulled in the driveway about noon time.

His mama told him to stay put, and stay put he did.

summer Solstice

greeting the summer sun

Welcome, Summer!

Summer Solstice June 21, 2011

  11:16 AM MDT

sneaky little Devil

 

My butter yellow iris

The sneaky little butter yellow crab spider who lives there and snatches unsuspecting flies and bees who visit.

 He/she was very aware of me trying to take pictures, and scooted over, under and around the petals to avoid the paparazza.

teeny, tiny little Father

Troglodytes aedon (House wren)

Happy Father's Day

to all the Daddies, Papas and Uncles from grateful kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews.

in Art Alley...

...an Eclipse of the Electric Meter

in Art Alley...

"

"Fine Art" is sometimes juxtaposed with fine art of a different kind. Venice with a fine artist's brush and Dog with a tagger's style spray can.

in Art Alley....

F is for fox

acid Green

 

I play at trying to grow orchids, and have the most success with phalaenopsis, or moth orchids. I am always surprised and delighted when I don't kill them, if they reward me by reblooming, it's a "bloomin' miracle"!

This acid green one blossomed in my husband's office window for several months, and decided to take a well earned vacation. Suddenly, it put out a new flush of buds on the old stems and is going like crazy again.

I just love overachievers!

the Stars and Stripes

June 14, 1777

By resolution of the Second Continental Congress, the "Stars and Stripes" or "Old Glory" was designated as the first national flag of our fledgling country. After 5 more states joined the original 13 in nationhood, Congress mandated that the United States flag have always the 13 red and white stripes for the original 13 colonies and that there be a white star on the blue field for each state of the Union.

President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress in August of 1949 designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day. If you see them flying today in your community, there's the reason.

a pair of golden Eyes

Bufo americanus

I have been intrigued by amphibians since childhood, when my father would take us hunting for red efts in the Adirondack woodlands. Red efts are the juvenile stage of Eastern red spotted newts and were a favorite to find by carefully turning over rotting logs. Creepy crawlies of all sorts elicited shrieks, but the little salamanders were like finding  buried treasure.

This American toad was toddling through the wet grass of my daughter's lawn after the previous evening's rain. He elicited shrieks from my grandson, who didn't think toads belonged in the kitchen during breakfast. Mr.Toad was relocated to the perennial garden and everyone was happier, particularly the toad, as you might guess from his expression. "We are not amused." (quoth the gentleman, borrowing from Queen Victoria)

three by Three

 

Bearded iris is divided into various bits by 3s, never paid close attention before looking at this top down photo. Symmetry in a different form from the bilateral sort.

This weekend marks the beginning of Year #3 of this blog. A challenge by my kids to "post my photos" so they could help me improve quality and composition. Some, who shall remain nameless (to protect the guilty),  were skeptical that such an antique (that would be me, not the computer or camera) could make it work.
Sometimes an old dog can be pretty tricky.

The best part of the whole challenge is the collection of blogfriends that I have found along the way. You make me laugh, think, and brighten my day from your various outposts on this Planet. Thank you.

minnesota Morning

We just had the fun of spending a few days in Minnesota with our daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren, Erik and Amelia. Miss Mia just celebrated her first birthday, so a good time was had by all. Their part of MN isn't that of 10,000 lakes so much, but more 10,000 cornfields, things are lovely, lush and green in June, the perfect backdrop for the beautiful quilts our daughter created for her children.

ERIK

MIA

future Jelly

chokecherry (6/4/11)

"The food value of this widespread native cherry was not lost on the Native Americans. For many tribes, particularly in the northern Rockies, northern Plains, and boreal forest region, chokecherry was a staple food item. The widespread use of chokecherry is ancient; its remains have been found at more archeological sites in the Dakotas than any other wild plant." (Kindscher, 1987)

Happy 92nd Birthday, Ricard Scarry!

Find Goldbug, Becky, Beth and Rachel!

sometimes you just Need...

 

an ant, or an uncle for company!

sometimes you just Need...

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium montanum)

 sharp eyes!

I had no idea that this little prairie flower had taken up residence in one of my grassy flowerbeds. Not a grass relative, but a close cousin of the Rocky Mountain iris that is also blooming at the moment. You need to be an early riser to catch this little blossom, she closes her eyes for the day by mid-afternoon, and is nearly impossible to find in the grass when she is sleeping.

Native Americans of the Northern Plains used an infusion of the root to cure stomach and intestinal problems, and the flowers are a favorite of bees. Turkeys and songbirds savor the seeds, which may explain where they came from.

sometimes you just Need...

fragrance!

sometimes you just Need....

a little backbone.

for Becka and Andy

After 16 years and a couple of days, the Rocky Mountain Iris are still blooming right on time, just for you.