dolphin or Whale?

Delphiniums get their name from the Greek delphis, meaning dolphin. I think they look more like the beluga whale calf at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. However, since "whale" traces its roots to a Latin word for "seapig", I guess delphinium is a more dignified moniker.  Seapigium, not so much.

Shedd Aquarium's beluga calf, Nunavik

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.

yes, Alex, I'll take Botany for $800

Answer: Who was Johann Gottfried Zinn? 

Question: The 18th century botanist who lent his name to the genus for this beautiful Mexican lady...the zinnia

twisted Sisters

Ma Nature thought of it first....

birds in a Tree

Redbirds in a Tree

Red bird in a Tree

(from www.thisoldhouse.com)

Redbirds in a Tree

tax Day!

Your accountant might be wearing just such a dapper blue and white striped shirt today as he finishes your taxes. Ma Nature dresses puschkinia in similar garb in April. No taxes involved.

This is an heirloom bulb has been in cultivation since 1808, a native to Turkey and the Caucasus Mts. A whole hillside of them must be amazing to see.

dent du Lion

Did you ever look at a dandelion flower up close? Click on the photo and look at the curlicues and the rest of the structure, it's pretty cool.

Dent du lion (lion's tooth) is the original spelling, the description of the serrated lives looking like teeth, not the flower. Dandelions are a important source of pollen and nectar for early spring flying butterflies and honeybees. 

They are also an important source of pollen for allergy sufferers in early spring, unfortunately. On the other hand they have been an important food source for humans for hundreds of years, loaded with vitamins and minerals and fresh greens after a long winter of preserved foods. And now you know.

belly Flowers

In the Booth family, the tiny ones that you have to get right down on your stomach and enjoy at their level, are always known as "belly flowers". It usually refers to diminutive wildflowers at high elevations, but these Scilla siberica show up scattered here and there in my yard. They catch your eye in amongst the dead leaves and plant debris. Welcome little ones in your Alice Blue gowns.

 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

RED for Valentine's Week

 

from the Anniversary Garden at Musket Point, Saxe's Landing, Chazy, NY 

scarlet

scarlet amaryllis

the sign Said....

..."free to a good home".  It had no leaves, flower buds or other signs of life, but the price was right, marked down from $39.99 to  what I paid for it...nothing. It took about 10 weeks to come to life, quite the botanical Cinderella.

awesome Grandpa

If you once plant Grandpa Ott morning glories, you won't ever have to do it again. I love these, the bees love these, the hummingbirds love these. Unfortunately the deer love these as well...evidence the photo below, those stems are supposed to have leaves attached.
These flowers are currently 8' off the ground and the plant continues up a string another 7' and is still growing the first week in September. They self seed readily and are a real eye catcher.
Grandpa Ott is one of the heirloom varieties that started the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. Check out their website at www.seedsavers.org

The nice thing is that Grandpa has gotten so tall climbing up the deck railing, that the flowers and the rest of the leaves are way out of the deer's browsing reach.

the farmer's Wife...

The farmer puts in beautiful rows of corn, and the farmer's wife grows gorgeous, tall, fragrant lilies!

shadow Puppet

This caught my eye when I was out mowing the other evening.

waiting for rufous, ruby and Calliope

The hummingbirds come through the Black Hills on their migration back to warmer climates, usually arriving about August 1. In the mean time, we grow fuschias, petunias, morning glory and salvia and wait for the real thing to show up.

To my great surprise, an early traveler showed up on Tuesday evening! A feisty little male broad-tailed hummingbird has taken possession of the backyard and the feeders. He seems to think chickadees and violet-green swallows are a threat to his feeders. The distinctive "trilling" sound from his wings is diagnostic for identification, kind of like having a demented cricket zooming around the yard, you can hear him even inside the house! If he will co-operate, I will get his picture, in the meantime, I have borrowed one from www.birdzilla.com. Isn't he gorgeous!

summer skies at 44N 103W

I bought an end of season, 75% off, label missing, sad looking delphinium last year. It survived the winter, the deer left it alone (a miracle in itself), 2 hailstorms this spring and is featured in my 4th of July post. I think it is a variety called "Summer Skies", that is speculation only. I got my money's worth on this one!

Some ancient botanist thought the buds with the long nectary resembled a dolphin, hence the genus name delphinium, derived from the Greek delphis, meaning "dolphin". Look like a dolphin to you?

celebrations of Blue

Laurentia axillaris "Beth's Blue"

She who wears Raider Blue turns 17 this week. To celebrate her birthday, we'll celebrate blue.
Aquamarine, azure, cerulean, cobalt, cornflower, gentian, indigo, lapis, navy, peacock, periwinkle, royal, sapphire, sky, teal, turquoise.

it was the blue One

As we walked the trail along Spearfish Creek to Roughlock Falls, the variety of late June-blooming wildflowers was amazing. Birdsong filled the trees, wildflowers were abundant. We noticed that almost all that we saw were white, ranging from huge water hemlock to bunchberry, white violets, wild strawberries, wild geranium, and tiny pink twinflower for a little variety.

Growing in the damp shade were these lovely pale blue aquilegia. They were a foot tall, with very small, blue and white flowers with curiously short, inward curving spurs, quite different than the native red and yellow aquilegia canadensis. They would be a welcome addition to anyone's woodland garden if they were available from a native plant nursery.

for Rent

Salvia Cottage, for rent. Nice neighborhood, mature plants, sunny yard.
Pets allowed, available for a song.