Red, White, and Blue
The amazing diversity of flowers. Each bright color attracts a pollinator. Red beckons hummingbirds; yellow calls out to honey bees. Bumblebees prefer purple. Each blossom has instructions for the bees, flies, and beetles: lines and arrows and streaks to guide them to the heart of the flower where the nectar is hidden. Diversity is strength.
Read MoreRainbow of Flowers: Same-Sex Marriage
It’s a great day for human rights. Same-sex marriage legal in the USA.
Read MoreEvergreens: Deck the Halls
Welcome to December. It’s a month of irony, I find–the month dedicated to the celebration of light, in which we have the least amount of light. Days so short they seem to end before lunch. Cloudy skies, elusive sun. It’s the month in which winter starts, and ironically the one which is devoted to greenery. I mean, when else do people actually lug entire trees into their living rooms? Behavior that would seem eccentric in May makes complete sense in December. One of the best things about December, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, is that almost everywhere you go,...
Read MoreFourth of July
Some floral fireworks for Independence Day. The slow explosion of day lilies opening, unfurling petals and fading away, each flower having a 12-hour lifespan. Day lily. Hemerocallis, which comes from ancient Greek words meaning beautiful day. Day lilies are suddenly all over the place in early July. They start to line the roadsides as though waiting for the Fourth of July parades. Why the name day lily? If you look on any day lily stalk, you’ll see half-a-dozen buds, each one slightly bigger than the next. With a punctuality that’s pretty amazing, they will open precisely 24 hours apart. So...
Read MoreMerry Groundhog Day
Best wishes for a joyous and festive Groundhog Day! Thanks to Frank Knight for this lovely close-up of a young woodchuck (groundhog, same thing.) It’s my favorite holiday. You think I’m kidding? Not at all. Don’t underrate the simple pleasures of Groundhog Day. No shopping. No presents. Not a single dish to wash. But the real reason it’s my favorite holiday is this—Groundhog Day celebrates the natural world. Think about it—a holiday that takes its meaning solely from nature. It doesn’t commemorate any human event—a war, a peace, or anyone’s birthday. It can be celebrated by people of...
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