Hiding

taken:
day sixty seven
08.26.2014

I spotted this wispy 'rough blazing star' growing wildly in the empty lot across the street. A tiny bit of purple beauty hiding among tall neutral native grasses.

Showy

taken:
day thirty three
07.23.2014

The 'hoary vervain' is a showy wild flower. They sprinkle prairie grasslands with their eye-catching lavender flowers on tall attractive spikes. Pollinators find them irresistible and so do I.

One Single Morning

taken:
day eight
06.28.2014

These sweet little spiderwort blossoms grow nearby. I recently read that spiderwort blooms have a very short life, usually only lasting one single morning. But with each plant producing 20 or more flowers it will go on to brighten a patch of prairie day after day with their soft lavender petals and their wispy centers.

Sparkling

taken:
day forty four
08.03.2013

Here's some wild grass sparkling in the golden evening sunshine. I'm in love with the way the setting sun illuminates with magical and glittery sprinkles of light. It's so fun searching for light, the right angle and a subject that will glisten.

Any Moment

taken:
day forty three
08.02.2013

Just a lonely wild sunflower growing among some other prairie flowers. 

It's about to pop open at any moment now.

Untouched

taken:
day eight
06.28.2013

I've talked about my prairie before, here. It's a place I find several subjects that catch my eye and I love strolling though this area of the yard. As I walked through I found this 'yellow goats beard' seed puff. It was perfect. Still completely full, splendid and airy. A perfect pompom filled with wishes. Often I'll come across these seed heads after the wind has gotten a hold of them and they're only partially filled with seed plumes. This one was still untouched by the wind and elements.

Grasshopper On Goldenrod

taken:
day sixty nine
08.27.12

Just a little grasshopper on a billowy Goldenrod flower cluster.

Golden Glow

taken:
day sixty three
08.21.12

I love how these golden native grasses glow in the evening sunshine.

Invasive

taken:
day twenty four
07.13.12

Hard to believe these soft delicate petals belong to a native plant that is considered very invasive. I read that this plant, Spotted Knapweed, is on Minnesota's prohibited/control weed list and "should be eradicated". Guess I should do my part and start eradicating them then, since they are literally everywhere around here. Kind of sad though because the bees seem to love them and the bees need all the flowers they can get.

I Heart Flowers

taken:
day seventeen
07.06.12

I love how this Common Yarrow, with it's small white blossoms, is clustered into a lovely little heart shape.

Twitching Antennas

taken:
day sixteen
07.05.12

It's always exciting to stumble upon cute little critters. The key word there is cute. Because I can definitely live without encountering the creepy critters, especially spiders! This tiny grasshopper definitely fell into the cute category, with it's twitching antennas and poppyseed eyes. It grasped tightly to a stock of native grass in the heat of the bursting evening sun. Wonder what he thought of our sweltering heatwave?

Rustic Beauty

taken:
day eight
06.27.12

This crisp wild grass caught my eye on a walk through the area of my yard I call my prairie. At first glance this area is not very impressive. To the person who likes a polished perfect yard look, it may even be an eyesore. But I love it! I always manage to find at least one natural treasure while strolling through. I enjoy having a small place to explore native plants in my own sweet time. It's a tiny little piece of the countryside nestled in the middle of the suburbs and if looking close enough it's easy to be struck by it's rustic beauty.

Catch the Sun

taken:
day eighty seven
09.15.2011

This is what sunlight looks like as it dances on the tips of wild grasses in the afternoon. If the camera catches the sun just right, it’ll capture something magical.

Savoring Summer

taken:
day seventy
08.29.2011

About the only color radiating in prairie flowers these days is yellow. Sunny golden yellow. It's the goldenrod's turn to shine. This 'painted lady' butterfly dances from one 'stiff goldenrod' blossom to the next. Savoring the end of summers sweet bounty.

Weeds and Wishes

taken:
day sixty one
08.20.2011

Sometimes we see weeds, sometimes we see wishes.

Have you ever gently plucked one of these fluffy seed heads from the ground and helped reseed it by blowing it's feathery seeds into the air and making a wish?


These are called 'yellow goat's beard' wild flowers. They first emerge with a soft yellow dandeline-type flower on a tall stem. After the flower fades a seed head like this is left behind.


Sometimes they show in places we don't want weeds, like our yards, gardens and landscaping. In which we usually pick them and discard them before the seeds have a chance to fly away. Sometimes we'll come across them along the road or on a nature walk and it's hard to resist the chance to help reseed them and make a wish. Isn't it?

Just Because

taken:
day fifty six
08.15.2011

Just some wild grasses. Just some wind. Just some sun. Just some whimsy. Just some blur. Just some golden green. Just an ordinary day. Just some golden green. Just some blur. Just some whimsy. Just some sun. Just some wind. Just some wild grasses.

Prairieland

taken:
day fourteen
07.04.2011

I have my very own prairie. Fitting since my favorite show as a girl was Little House on the Prairie. My prairie is a small patch of yard where we let nature take over with tall grasses and wildflowers. And this time of year it’s buzzing with activity. 

I was able to sneak up on this dragonfly resting on some tall grass in my prairie. It let me get really close and snap several photos before it zipped away.

Sweet Surprise

taken:
day six
06.26.2011

I’m tired of all the clouds we’ve had lately. There's only been spotty sunshine for far too many days in a row. I’m sun deprived and need a full day of bright sunny-ness. Even if it means heat and humidity too.

This black moth and sunny yellow wild flower caught my eye today. The moth is snacking, can you tell? It's indulging on a sweet sip of nectar. I love that the camera captured something I didn't see until I viewed the photo later. A sweet surprise.

In the Tall Grass

taken:
day four
06.24.2011

It's fun to explore. And you never know what will come fluttering by when strolling through tall grasses. 

Today as I walked the fringe of my yard I passed by deer tracks, wild yarrow and a playful chickadee. Then this little moth flickered past and landed in front of me. Halting only for a moment. Just enough time to pose for a photo. Then it was gone in a flash as quickly as it came.