Perched Atop

taken:
day thirty two
07.22.2013

I watched this dragonfly, perched atop a hosta stem, hunt for other insects. They're interesting creatures, if you ever get a chance to observe them. 

I guess dragonflies have quite the appetite, eating at times the equivalent of their own body weight in 30 minutes. Wow! 

They look so majestic and innocent don't they? But they're actually stalking predators that devour many other insects. That's fine with me though! Dragonflies can feast all they want on mosquitos and ants. Get rid of those annoying buggers!

All Of A Sudden

taken:
day thirty one
07.21.2013

I was so happy to see this frilly hibiscus blooming. It was one that I overwintered from last summer and I was beginning to lose hope that it would bloom. All of a sudden I saw this burst of color and with a closer look I noticed more baby buds on this plant and my other hibiscus plants {here and here} too. I'm excited to see all the other baby buds bloom!

Reaching Out

taken:
day thirty
07.20.2013

Itty bitty pea vines reaching out for something to climb on.

Bending

taken:
day twenty nine
07.19.2013

It's the time for hostas. They're blooming like crazy around here. This one is bending with the weight of fresh flower buds.

Catching The Wind

taken:
day twenty eight
07.18.2013

A pinwheel catching the wind in the corner of my garden with a sprinkle of marigold blossoms in the background.

Imperfect

taken:
day twenty seven
07.17.2013

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect.

It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections"

~ Gerard Way

Newly Bursting

taken:
day twenty six
07.16.2013

After a couple of hours of weeding my vegetable garden in the scorching heat and humidity I decided I needed a break. So I strolled through my flower garden admiring new blooms when this cute little beetle on a newly bursting blazing star caught my eye. Maybe it was admiring the new blooms too?

Disappearing Daylight

taken:
day twenty five
07.15.2013

Some days get away from me. Before I know it, the sun is setting and I haven't taken my photos for the day. This was one of those days!

In the disappearing daylight I was able to quickly snap some photos of these petunia petals. For me, no summer would be complete without petunias. Adding loads of brilliant color, these purple pretties are growing in a container on my back deck. 

Swaying

taken:
day twenty four
07.14.2013

A wetland plant, swaying in the summer breeze, grows in the water along the lake shore at my mother and father in-laws cabin.

Growing Lakeside

taken:
day twenty three
07.13.2013

Some tall flowing wild grass growing lakeside at my mother and father in-laws cabin.

Turn Out Lovely

taken:
day twenty two
07.12.2013

We spent the weekend at my in-laws cabin. It was a wonderful time with friends. The weather was iffy, cloudy, sticky and drizzly and the mosquitoes were RELENTLESS, but we still had a great weekend!

This iris was blooming just a few feet from the shore of the lake. It was so windy, I had a hard time getting a clear focus. Some days are just like that, a fierce fight with mother nature to get a good shot {or have a fun weekend} and then things balance and turn out lovely.

Enticing Treat

taken:
day twenty one
07.11.2013

Milkweed, a pretty and enticing treat for bees, hummingbirds and butterflies. I'm always happy to see milkweed growing nearby. It means there is a perfect place for monarch butterflies to lay their eggs and before long there will be more and more beautiful monarchs floating through my gardens.

Beginning

taken:
day twenty
07.10.2013

The beginning of a hosta blossom.

On The Mend

taken:
day nineteen
07.09.2013

I'm finally getting back in the swing of things. My fever took a turn for the worse last week and became a 6 day fever and a trip to urgent care on the 4th of July. By that time I was exhausted, had gurgling in my lungs with each breath and couldn't bare one more day not knowing what was going on. It turned out that I had bronchitis with a secondary bronchial infection. I walked out of urgent care with 3 prescriptions and a huge sense of relief. Now I'm on the mend and feeling sooooo much better!

Because I felt so miserable and had no creative energy whatsoever, I hadn't touched my camera for several days. I missed out on 8 days of my summer project. Bummer, but it's ok. That's just life, I tell myself. So I'm picking up here on day 19.

This is a pretty purple prairie clover that my youngest son and I came across on a little walk that we took at the ball field during my oldest son's baseball practice. We saw many flowing wild flowers along the walking trail. It was so fun! My youngest son even asked if he could take some photos too. Lately he enjoys practicing how to use the manual focus on my camera. It makes my heart brim with pride that he's interested in something that I love. I hope he continues to enjoy learning about photography.