Friday, June 09, 2006

Around The Yard

Like a long curved lollipop, the neighbors georgous peonies arch out of their own dark green foliage toward the sun. It is all the stem can do to keep its bloom off the ground.

Peony

The soft pink petals of my neighbors peony are beginning to open.

Peony

Peonie

Meanwhile, our white peony plant is already well into bloom. Unsurprisingly, ants crawl around it, undoubtedly assisting in pollenation. There must be some deep hidden chemical message that the Peony gives to ants, because it is the one place you are almost garunteed to find one!

Peony

I noticed that when I took a picture of the white Peony's, the lighting and shadows really made for an interesting 'look'. These peony pictures look edited, or as though they've been placed under some un-natural light conditions, but this is just how they turned out!

Peony

So delicate and soft, with all those petals, the Peony is a real beauty.

Just beside the Peony, lay a dense thicket of vegitation, and plantlife. Meshed together in a bundle of beauty, we have a young Black Walnut tree, draped in wild honeysuckle and dainty roses, and hugged at the base by a combination of wild plants, including one of my favorites, phlox.

MVC-022F

Phlox...again!

The black walnut is a favorite tree of mine, not only because of it's sharply pointed leaves, but because of it's fruity contributions to nature each year.

MVC-025F

As you can see, the actual walnuts themselves are still tiny, and covered in pre-teen-peach fuzz. Through the summer, they will grow until finally detaching and laying on the ground where they will eventually turn black and decay. (They make one hell of a mean cookie, but the color in the walnut stains anything that touches it!) I think you will agree that the spiced scent of a black walnut is very unique, and pleasant.

Then, centered in the middle of my yard is a close relative of the Dogwood, known as the Kousa Dogwood.

Kousa

Originating from Japan, the Kousa is a popular ornamental tree because it blooms long after the last of the native dogwoods have lost their blooms. Right now, June, is the prime season for Kousa.

I actually took a few shots of a couple stray pink flowers on the tree. Most are white, so I found these pink ones a bit unique:

Kousa

Another feature of the Kousa is it's bumpy red fruit. There are no fruit yet however, so no pictures of that just yet!

That same day, I managed to get some photos of the Mock Orange shrub that grows beside our shed.

Mock Orange


Mock Orange

Excellent.

A quick glance up at one of the un-pruned branches found a ruby-throated hummingbird scanning my neighbors yard for more delicious flowers. Truth be told, it's a hummingbird paradise around here right now!

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Not long after, I receded into the house to upload my findings. But along the way, I thought I'd take another snapshot of mom's rose bush:

Rose

Have a wonderful day everyone!!! I'm off to do some artwork! Stay tuned for the Eastern Blue Jay drawing.

Peace and love going out to all.
xoxoxo