photography and musings from a Midwesterner
From the monthly archives:
Pink Flowers
I’m in the pink, though after this week-end, I may be in the red! Taking a break from the computer while I take a trip to the East Coast and celebrate my oldest child’s graduation from law school. And that’s not even the best news. She has a great job lined up for after she sits for the bar.
I’m taking a blog break. Be back on June 5th or 6th, and hope to have a photographs from a part of the country I’ve never photographed – NYC!
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purple beauty
Wandering through the gardens at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, and I saw this patch of allium, or wild onion. Pretty stuff, this flowering plant called wild onion.
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Detail of a Fern
On a hike yesterday in the woods at Owen Park in Madison, I came across a field of ferns in the woods. I love the delicacy of these plants. And green–so nice to see a sea of green again!
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Birthday wishes!
To my daughter:
Sending big wishes and a day filled with fun,
today is the day you turn twenty-one!!!
Happy birthday to my daughter, my youngest, the last one to cross over to official adulthood. This calls for a day of celebration, starting with a day at the stadium watching the Brewers play baseball and ending with a party on State Street! Enjoy!
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Trillium at UW Arboretum
In all my years of tramping through Wisconsin’s forests, this is the first set of prairie trillium I have seen. I could not find this particular species of trillium in any ID book, except for the local book Spring Woodland Wildflowers of the University of Wisconsin Madison Arboretum by Andrew L. Hipp. A rather thin book, with a narrow focus, but of great value when checking out the lesser known flowers in this particular arboretum.
The prairie trillium, also called the red trillium (trillium recurvatum). Most often found in forests, but can be seen in savannas and prairies. This trillium was found in the Arboretum, though Madison is at its extreme northern limit. Also seen in southern and southeastern Wisconsin. It is on Wisconsin’s list for species of special concern.
A Species of Concern in Wisconsin
Here is a photo of the entire plant. Gives a better perspective. I found a group of seven plants all huddled together, but none anywhere else in the woods.
Not to be confused with the purple trillium (trillium erectum) which grows in nearby Illinois, but not in Wisconsin. It is distinguished from prairie trillium by its flowers which are stalked and nodding. It also has leaves which do not bend backwards like the prairie trillium, but are held erect.
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Middleton Fire Department
I love these red doors on the new firehouse. After I’d taken a few photographs, I had a couple of firefighters watching me as I checked out quite a few different angles.
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Red Foliage of Coral Bells
Not too many flowers in the perennial garden yet, but some of the foliage is quite attractive wearing this morning’s rain drops.
The start to the Memorial Day weekend was a rainy one. I watched the sky for awhile this morning, the gray clouds massing dark and brooding. Then the clouds thinned ever so slightly and a patch opened, a portal of blue sky.
We planted the perennial garden 3 years ago, and we spent a long, hot month digging up grass, adding mulch and compost and more black rich earth, and then choosing perennials according to size and color and blooming time. There was this big plan drawn out on paper, but we’ve lost a a few plants each year, so the plan has gone awry. We started putting in whatever we were attracted to, and our spur-of-the-moment choices were not always the right size or color, or they bloomed all in one area at the same time. But I always pick perennials with foliage I think is lovely, so there are yellow green leaves, deep green shiny leaves, variegated white and green leaves, and dark purple ones all tumbled in with the usual garden greens. Almost like a mixed salad of foliage. Today there were only the starts of a couple of flowers in bloom, so I photographed leaves in swirls and curly leaves, all with rainy bits dressing their surfaces.
It was a great way to begin the long weekend!
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Wild Columbine
This showy wildflower is found in woodlands and the fringes of open spaces from late spring to mid-summer. It is pollinated by hummingbirds or moths which can reach deep into the cups of the flower. It is sometimes called a dove plant–when turned upside down some say the flower resembles a flock of doves in a circle.
Another of the many wildflowers I see at the Uniersity of Wisconsin Madison Arboretum. The arboretum is especially great because, even though it is huge, it is an urban park and easily accessible. Though it is not located on the University’s campus, it is an easy bike ride or walk, and the road is often crowded with runners and bicyclists. It ‘s also convenient to many of Madison’s public schools, and makes for a nice end-of-the-school-year field trip. When I was there yesterday, a group of about 80 second graders unloaded n front of the Nature Center. I watched in amusement as the adults tried to corral all the kids in one general area.
I now remember why schoolteacher never made it onto my possible careers list. I love being a mom of three, but I think a classroom full of kids would do me in!
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Teal Pond, Dressed in White
On my walk through the Arboretum this morning, I followed a trail I had never taken before. I ended up at Teal Pond, and had to take a second look at the water. It was covered in white.
White Water-crowfoot
When I got closer, I discovered its surface was white with tiny flowers. I’ve searched all my ID books and the internet, but haven’t found an ID. Anyone know?
With help from Montucky and Uphilldowndale, I have a positive ID. It is white water-crowfoot, a floating aquatic found in shallow waters, and the flower is only 1/2 inch wide. A member of the buttercup family, it blooms from June through August. All parts of the plant are submerged except for the solitary white flowers which pop up from the surface of the water on slender stalks. Thanks for the help.
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Sisters' Cemetery
From a sign at the Sisters’ Cemetery at Sinsinawa Mounds, the Mother house for the Sinsinawa Dominicans:
Sinsinawa Mounds is the beginning, the middle, and the end of the sisters’ story. This is their home. They profess their vows here and then embark on missions to create better choices and tomorrows for many people. Periodically they come home for reflection, renewal, and reconnection. After most of their work is done, they return home to spend restful, yet joyful, days in prayer, study, and contemplation.
Most of the Sinsinawa Dominican sisters are buried here. The Mound is their everlasting resting place and the gateway to their everlasting home with God.
I was impressed by the quiet, the solemnity, and the beauty of these surroundings tucked away in southwest Wisconsin. It was a place which seemed appropriate for quiet and introspection.
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