Daylily Border

Pasture

Palace Green

Bottlebrush Buckeye

Good Morning!

Pecan

 

Tree Services

There is an unusual amount of care being taken to prune and/or take down trees here. I suppose a lot of this activity is to prepare for all the 250th activities planned for later this month and next. 

Rudbeckia

So common in these parts that I suspect many people pass by these Rudbeckia (aka Black-eyed Susans) without a second thought. But then I think how much interest they add to any landscape. I look forward to seeing them bloom every year.

Consider the Lilies

Daylily Hill

Don't Call Me Lily

The don't call me "lily" daylily. 

"Despite their common name, daylilies are not true lilies (plants from the genus Lilium, family Liliaceae)." -- Wikipedia

Mysteries

Peering into the many mysteries lurking in one of the gardens near me. 

On another note, I'm continually forgetting to reload a memory card into my camera. I take it out to load images onto my laptop, then . . . when I'm out shooting, what happens? NOTHING. Absolutely nothing, because I've once again forgotten the . . . Oh, well. Next time. 

What to do you do to keep a memory card in your camera? Or do you shoot mainly with a cell phone camera? 

Semiquincentennial Books

Virginia Pine

There are sights so common where I live that I dare say that many, if not most, of us, myself included, hardly give them a second thought. But occasionally there are times, when I'm either alone or with one other person, I'll stop, look up, and just marvel at these giants of the woods. Like a parent gawking at his growing teenage son, I marvel at how these trees reached such awesome heights. Could I have been asleep when this all happened? Was I unduly preoccupied with something else? How could I have missed this? 

In any case, there they are. Unmistakable. Quintessentially Virginian, even though I know they are quite common throughout what we here generally refer to as the Middle Atlantic states. And every once in a while, sometimes quite a while, I pause and take note.

Hydrangea

A surprising discovery this morning! The genus, hydrangea, was "first described from Virginia in North America," according to this article in Wikipedia. I doubt that I'll ever look at these blooms the same way again. :-)

Box Turtle

Ah, the Eastern Box Turtle. So underrated. I mean, just look at that coloration! And that look--fierce, determined, unwavering. Even if I did just momentarily think about picking her up off this walking trail and sending her on her way into the nearby woods.

Giant Cane

Unless I am mistaken, and I may be, this is an example of Giant Cane. If so, then this is pretty cool, since, according to Wikipedia, canebreaks like this are considered endangered ecosystems. What's more, it's located along the edge of a conservation easement very near my home.  

Palace Gate

Recently refurbished palace gate.

Work in Progress

Purple