Bright And Cheerful

taken:
day forty two
07.31.12

Lots and lots of bright and cheerful Black Eyed Susans at a pretty 

garden near a playground that we visited for a morning of summer fun.

The Good With The Bad

taken:
day forty one
07.30.2012

These are Mint blossoms which are growing in a pot on our front porch. It turns out that Great Black Wasps love them! I'm not crazy about attracting those buggers right to the front porch but I love having the Mint growing right outside my front window. Take the good with the bad, I guess.

Frilly Comeback

taken:
day forty
07.29.2012

This Moss Rose, on the verge of unfolding, has been around since last summer when I planted a mini succulent garden and included a few of these pretty flowers. Last fall I decided to save some of the plants, put them in this planter and brought them inside for the winter. They survived! So I moved them out to my deck once the weather got warmer this spring. The Moss Roses were just little stems and leaves until midsummer when I noticed a tiny flower bud forming. Soon after, there were more! I was excited to see the blossoms make a comeback and fill the small planter with color and frill again. 

Long Overdue

taken:
day thirty nine
07.28.12

This fading Swamp Smartweed was growing along the shore of a small pond at a nearby campground. We were there for a long, LONG overdue get together with my best childhood friend. She came up with her family and friends for a weekend of camping so we thought we'd stop in for a visit. 

It's unfortunate that we hadn't seen each other for almost 6 years.  My youngest son was an itty bitty newborn when they came to visit last. We let our busy lives and a little over an hour distance get in the way of seeing each other more often. So sad!

Our kids had so much fun together at the campground! They hunted for frogs in the pond. They went canoeing and swimming in the lake. They roasted marshmallows over the campfire, and topped off the evening hanging out in their camper being goofy and giggling the night away. Memories made forever!

We'd love to see them more. If we waited 6 more years, her oldest daughter would be 20. No way...we won't let that happen again! I hope we'll be planning another get together with them really soon!!!

Bristly

taken:
day thirty eight
07.27.12

The bristly center of a midsummer Rudbeckia blossom.

Galore

taken:
day thirty seven
07.26.12

It's Cosmos galore these days. Here's some more 'Bright Lights' Cosmos, blooming abundantly and joyfully. They make me smile.

Feasting

taken:
day thirty six
07.25.12

Another nature walk. This one by the Rum River. These Soldier Beetles were everywhere on the tall Hoary Verbena growing wild along the nature trail. Each pretty purple flower had at least one of these guys crawling on it, feasting on it's sweet nectar.

Since the beginning my 94 Days of Summer project last year, I've really enjoyed learning the names of countless native wildflowers, grasses, bugs, beetles and butterflies. Before this, I didn't know these were Solider Beetles. I didn't know that they fed on nectar and that they're most active in late summer and early autumn. I'm feasting on all these nature facts, finding nourishment from the world around me. It's all so fascinating! And maybe there's no serious money making to come from learning and remembering all of these interesting details, but I definitely feel richer for knowing it. 

Limelight

taken:
day thirty five
07.24.12

I love, love, love Hydrangeas. They're so showy and dreamy. Nothing beats a brimming bouquet of Hydrangeas! There's a bit of a Hydrangea collection going on in my yard, with about six or seven varieties. This one is 'Limelight'. It's a pale greenish-white when it first begins to bloom, then turning completely white. As the summer goes on, the blooms take on a pinkish tint. It overflows with billowy blossoms on woody stems.

Frilly Side View

taken:
day thirty four
07.23.12

A soft frilly side view of sweet scented Garden Phlox blossom.

Let It Fly Away

taken:
day thirty three
07.22.12

"Give your stress wings and let it fly away."

~Terri Guillemets 

A wonderful set of wings on a dragonfly in my mom's flower garden.

Imperfect Is Beautiful

taken:
day thirty two
07.21.12

A pretty pink Zinnia. With an obvious imperfection. One petal, shaped like a heart. All the others, perfectly petal shaped. A pretty heart shaped flaw. How can you not love it! 

Maybe a lesson to learn? 

Maybe we can learn to embrace our imperfections? They make us unique, they make us individuals. Imperfections, they're beautiful. In fact, they're not imperfect at all, they're prefect, the way nature intended it.

Can you imagine this flower being embarrassed of it's one heart shaped petal? The thought of this flower wanting to hide it, mask it or surgical fix it seems ridiculous, doesn't it. 

Embracing imperfections, it's easier said than done but it's definitely something to strive for. Maybe I can learn to love my crows feet the way I love this sweet little heart shaped petal? Maybe.

Perched Proudly

taken:
day thirty one
07.20.12

On a little nature walk near our local library we spotted this Goldfinch in the distance, 

perched proudly and soaking in the hot afternoon sun.

Beaming In The Evening

taken
day thirty
07.19.12

This 'Bright Lights' Cosmo is beaming in the evening sunshine. These Cosmos are definitely one of my favorite annual seeds to plant every spring and there's a reason why they are called 'Bright Lights'. They add so much life to the garden this time of year with their tall airy stems that are loaded with buds and blooms. They beacon in shades of orange, gold and tangerine. Which it's difficult to tell from this photo, I know. I liked this photo in soft black & white though because it was almost a little too bright taken in the low evening sunlight. But I will, without a doubt, be posting more colorful photos of these Cosmos in the future. 

Here's a bright and lively one from last year.

Happy Trio Of Colors

taken:
day twenty nine
07.18.12

Another tiny bee. This one preparing to land on a frilly Moss Rose growing in a container on my back deck. 

I love the happy trio of colors in these blossoms {coral, pink and yellow}.