today's palette is GreenRapid

Rapid Creek, late May, showery afternoon

art alley, late May

Art Alley, full wall piece!

Whatever you want it to be...

green, green, Green

in a ferny glade, just as the rain started

little, bitty Boxes

Lantana buds look like tiny wrapped boxes, just waiting to be opened. Ma Nature is the ultimate Design Diva!

it's tubular, Man!

Ribes cereum, or wax currant

One benefit of feeding the birds is that they leave gifts in the form of shrubby things planted randomly. I have a whole thicket of honeysuckle, chokecherry, currants and cotoneasters forming the understory of ponderosa pines, all bird planted.

spring green and sky Blue

Burr oak against blue skies

little Parachutes

Finally finished, helping a daughter move, packing a whole school to move to a new building, a lovely spring day comes along and offers some treasures to intrigue the camera.

bearded One

The "beard" part of Bearded Iris. Mine looked like this at 3pm yesterday, by 5pm, not so much. 

Hail!

The bane of a gardener's existence on the SD plains.

signs of Summer

Violet-green swallow

The beserk, crazy, insane last full week of school and the arrival of some of my favorite summer tenants! The Violet-green swallows are moving in, and we are moving out. Last days in our old building and packing to move into our new home in the National Register of Historic Places listed Rapid City High School.

yellow Face

Nuttall's violet

"Thomas Nuttall, born January 5th 1786 in Yorkshire England, was a pioneer in the field of botany and is noted by fellow botanist Charles Sprague Sargent as "one of the most indefatigable and judicious of the botanists who have studied the North American flora. Among his numerous publications are some of the most valuable contributions in the field of North American botany

In 1808, Nuttall emigrated to the United States to study its natural history and explore uncharted lands in search of new and exciting botanical discoveries, including species that had been unknown and unnamed as of that time period . He arrived in Philadelphia and through instruction in natural science from mentors like, plant collector William Bartram and Professor Benjamin Smith Barton, he was able to go on collecting trips sponsored by Barton. Soon afterwards, Nuttall became Barton's assistant and was asked to travel to the great plains of the west to collect for two years."
Arnold Arboretum website

spring on the short grass Prairie

Early morning with the meadowlarks! 

West River Migration Count

Pennington County, SD

a Mask-erade

Art 3-D

plant by Dr. Seuss

plant from b, flower must be from Dr. Seuss!

not Violet

Love these little white violets with the make-up on their faces that favor the south side of my folks house. Volunteers from somewhere living happily with the violet violets.

spoons, forks and Knives

The gift of creative vision is amazing!

nature joins the Impressionists

"a theory or practice in painting especially among French painters of about 1870 of depicting the natural appearances of objects by means of dabs or strokes of primary unmixed colors in order to simulate actual reflected light." Merriam-Webster dictionary 

a squirrel's eye View

The lady in the gingko tree

a Therapist

Look at that face!

This is one of the registered miniature donkeys that lives at Butternut Ridge Farm. These lovable little guys are used for therapy with special needs children, at nursing homes and in hospitals. This is a free program, run by the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Parker in Peru, NY. Three of these little ones traveled to Newtown, CT to offer comfort to that community after the tragic school shooting, walking right in to classrooms to be with the children.

 http://butternutridgedonkeys.org/

spring comes to the Adirondacks

Wake Robin

Champlain Valley apple orchard

Saxe's Landing

Parker Family Maple Farm

The trip was bittersweet, a sad farewell to a long and well lived life, but the promise of renewal and new life as well. It has been more than 40 years since I have seen Adirondack spring wildflowers and visited a sugarbush, we always travel home in the summer. Balm for the spirits to see the world greening up and flowers gracing the woodlands.

the violet-green swallows would be in a state of Shock

4/22/13

If they were to return and see their home at the moment! Yet another spring storm bringing "April Showers". Yet another foot of snow. Yet another snow day from school in April. Record snowfall for any month 43.5" at Rapid City Regional Airport. It is supposed to be 74 on Saturday.

One of my kids at school told me today that Mother Nature seems to be bi-polar and should be on medication!

April 22, 2013

Happy Earth Day, fellow Terrans!

a feathery Teacher

Little Red Riding Hoot

If you are lucky enough to survive a collision with something manmade, sometimes you have a new life experience, if you are a bird. This little screech owl is the newest member of  the Black Hills Raptor Center's (www.blackhillsraptorcenter.org/) education team. She has detached retinas in both eyes, so she can not be released back in to the wild. The Earth Day celebration was her first real experience with lots of human admirers. This is her daytime "camouflage pose", feathers pulled in and sitting very upright to blend in to her environment. What a gorgeous little creature.

as busy As...

a BEAVER

 

 

 

 

 

One down, one in the works and foiled on the third. I have to put fencing around trees, shrubs and everything vaguely appealing to deer. I do not have the problem that our local city parks crew is dealing with lately at Canyon Lake Park.

just steppin' In

4/17/13

 

cotton Candy

My bro-in-law told me it looked like cotton candy...this is probably the first time that 

cotton candy closed school for the day!

:o)

a horse of a different Color

April 17, 2011

April 17, 2013

Memo to Ma Nature:
April showers are supposed to be in the LIQUID form of water! You've given us 3 snow days in the past 6 school days...stop already!

it's an Echidna

 

Who knew they lived in the Black Hills?!!

only a cheap Imitation

"Season of the Eagle"  painting by Bev Doolittle

The reflection of the snow in the creek made me think of  the gorgeous paintings that Bev Doolittle creates. 

despite the White

3X lifesize

April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, except when the showers blanket the ground with white stuff. Relief is at hand, my miniature rose is blooming on the kitchen windowsill. Thank you, Ma Nature for remembering that spring is supposed to be here!

deer's Nest

In the backyard this morning, she excavated a nest and was quietly chewing her breakfast. Lots of digging (see snow plastered up tree trunk behind her). She settled in while WatchSchnauzer was on his chain taking care of morning duties. She cared not.

knee Deep

Trip to the birdfeeder, I am 5'6", snow was above my knees all the way across!

snowy Owl!

Well, the real ones would feel right at home here today! 21F, still snowing, officially at Regional Airport (which is closed) measure of 25" of snow. Moisture most welcome, cancelled flights, and blocked roads not so much.

abominable Snowman