Weeds to Seed

Believe they may be thistle?  I am NO fan of thistle, but, close up, they do have a certain beauty.

The Purple Invader, Purple Loosestrife

To the uneducated, this is a pretty purple flowering weed growing in wet, swampy areas in SE Michigan (I found references to it growing in Maryland and elsewhere).

To the educated, it is a highly invasive non-native plant that threatens native wetland species. It can reduce biodiversity, eliminate food sources for marsh animals and change water flow patterns.

There are several websites that will describe methods of control or elimination.  I have never seen any attempts of control or elimination around our stick built home.  Maybe, because it is so pretty??

Hydrangea

My hydragea, just beginning to bloom, last week.  Mine never turn pink or blue no matter how much acid loving plant food I give them.  And, they are not the prettiest bushes in my yard, straggley, not full.  I know it all has to do with the sand and gravel pit we live on, thanks to retreating glaciers a few years back!  But, close up, pretty.

Draggin' From the Inside, Out

Linda's post for Wordless Wednesday at Flipside, Wordless Wednesday--Pink and BLUE is outstanding, great, fabulous, amazing!  Did I say outstanding??  As some of our readers know Linda posts a photo on Wednesday, and I try to duplicate it from my archives.

I do have a photo of the same subject, taken last summer and posted on Reflections From the Fence, so, this is repeat appearance.  This dragon fly landed on one of the screens upstairs windows.  Man told me I could not get a photo. The challenge was stated.  And, so:

Draggin' From the Inside, Out:

Linda's photo tho, wins this week's Wordless Wednesday competition.  Hands, errr, wings down!

Summer Silliness, the Heat Got to Me?

A while back, a long while back, someone sent me this cute photo of a dog sitting inside this RV.  The RV looks like what is sometimes called the Silver Bullet, or the Sewer Trap (where do these names come from?? LOL)

Note the dog food bowls on the front of the rig, instead of propane bottles, whoever did this graphic was very creative and either very good with photo editing or very good with miniature making.

The dog was NOT a Yorkie, so, of course, I decided it should be a Yorkie.  I however, am no where near as talented as the person who did the original graphic, but, I did muddle through and manage to get my Captain Hook inside the Silver Bullet. 

OK, now, I did it, whew, not so good, tomorrow, back to some of MY photos. 

Sometimes I wonder, what possessed me??  Heat, contributory.  Madness, obviously!  LOL



*Source of original graphic, UNKNOWN.

Violets, Packing Tana With a Punch (of Color)

Some of my many violets.  They are small, colorful and travel well in Tana.

(Sure they take up about half of the queen size bed on a travel day,

but they are soooo worth it to me, they make me feel complete.)

Hummer, the Small Heart Grabber

I could watch hummers all day.  Caught this young lady at breakfast early one morning.  Photo taken from inside the house, through the window.

Isn't she a heart grabber??

Don't chat just love those little feet wrapped around the stand?

*Taken about a month ago.  Lately, the hummers have been in hiding, it is just so hot.  Finally the last few days, I have persuaded them back to the feeders.

Icy Blue Queen Anne's Lace, Summer's Snow Flake

I love Queen Anne's Lace.  I take photos every year, hey, it is digital, it does not cost me anything, and it gives me joy.  While editing this photo the other evening, I started playing with colors, not sure why, but, I was delighted with the results of major blue enhancement.  So, for the fun of it, Icy Blue Queen Anne's Lace, Summer's Snow Flake.

Softness, Pink Rose

These pink roses were photographed weeks ago in Ann Arbor.  I just loved the softness of the roses and the pale purple colored plants mixed in.  No idea what the purple colored plant is. They look delightful and peaceful together.

Daisy Fleabane

According to the Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide, the Daisy Fleabane is:
"A summer annual or sometimes biennial reaching 1 to 2 ft in height with prominent white and yellow flowers. Primarily a weed of abandoned fields or pastures, but occasionally associated with agronomic crops. Found throughout the southeastern United States."

I was feeling pretty positive about my identication of this Southeastern Michigan weed, till I read that "southeastern United States" statement.

But upon a little more snooping/surfing I found Prairie Wildflowers of Illinois, who tell us:
Range & Habitat: Daisy Fleabane is fairly common and has been reported from almost all counties of Illinois ...

So, if it grows in Illinois, it grows in Southeastern Michigan, the Daisy Fleaborn.  A weed that makes me smile.

Every Garden Needs a Bit of Yard Junk

Three Stages of the Peony

From my garden earlier this year, I think each photo has an ant,

ants and peonies, cannot have one without the other.

Along A Country Road, On A Bright Sunny Day

Commonly Known as the Smoke Bush

My smoke bush just before it fully blooms.  I had wanted a smoke bush with dark red blooms.  Not what I got, as mine are more yellow.  (Taken earlier this spring.)

Geranium

Calla Lily

Red Clover, Ruston Louisiana

From Reflection's archives.

Campground near Ruston, Louisiana, April 2005

Cone Flower

* Please visit Linda over at Flipside for her Wordless Wednesday, she has a flower, with a butterfly on it. 

Meet the Tree Frog

Here he/she is on the deck Monday morning.  He/she is all of 1 inch long.  I do believe he/she is in the process of turning gray to match the deck floor.

And, here he/she is 5 hours before, just hanging out on the door wall.  Yes, you read that right, hanging on the door wall at 4 AM.  Dogs had a potty break, I got a photo.

* Believe he/she is a gray tree frog.  Google em, a number of articles, here is a fun one.

The Monarch NOPE it is a Red Admiral

This Monarch  Red Admiral had landed on my new cone flower for breakfast, I ran for the camera, when I came back he flew off before I could get the photo.  Then I saw him land on the petal from my clematis about 12 feet away.  I zoomed, I shot, and even tho it is not the best photo, it was still fun to try.



* Wed, July 14 6 PM Correction:  Thanks to MOC friend Chris for correcting me on the name of this butterfly.  He knows, now, I do too!  WAHHOOOO

Tiger Lily, Single & Doubles

Both tiger lilys from my yard.  Top, a single, bottom, what I have been told is a "double".