The rain is welcome, in October. This is the season for recharging our water tanks, after a long dry summer.
Precious water.
Category Archives: Photo Wednesday
Jewelled Web – Photo Wednesday
A friend invited me to come take a picture of the perfectly-positioned web by her dining room window (pristine windows, by the way… crystal clear, unlike mine…).
Of course, I went over to play the paparazzo (paparazza?)
Then, we got close and personal…
Wet feet!
And bonus, my friend had lovely Skimmia japonica bushes in her garden, which turned out very nicely:
And here is another take on the same plant:
Mount Baker Moods – Photo Wednesday
Mount Baker is an impressive mountain, a volcano, actually. It dominates the sky, from the Anacortes shoreline.
Above, an early morning peachy-colored skyline, featuring the volcano in the background. Taken at the ferry parking lot, in Anacortes, WA.
Then, blue shading started to come in… This was about thirty minutes later, and the pastels were softly changing.
And this was taken from the ferry, about an hour later. I think it was just before Friday Harbor, our midway stop before crossing the international boundary, heading for Sidney, on Vancouver Island.
And below… this is what Mount Baker, the White Sentinel, looks like, from Saturna Island, in BC.
Fall Equinox – Photo Wednesday
First day of fall. Getting used to the idea that summer is over.
Although I have to stay on flat terrain and paths, I am happy to report that I am walking again, without the giant plastic boot, cane or crutches. What a relief!
On this first day of fall, the weather has certainly changed, and so has the forest. The first rains have greened the forest floor. Moss really responds to moisture very quickly. It doesn’t look as discouraged as before…
Above, the leaves are showing stress. The drought was hard on vegetation, even in the shady areas.
Above, a tree stump in which a creative logger for Parks Canada left a tic-tac-toe of chainsaw cuts…
Above, the lace-like veins of a leaf, offering a hint, a reminder of what once was and is on the way out. Still, elegant…
Above, bracken fern (Pteridium), an elegant plant with very interesting texture, up close and personal.
And speaking of up close and personal, my latest discovery:
Yellow-Ladle liverwort (Scapania bolanderi)… Tiny, tiny liverwort. I did not really know what was on the photo before I looked at full resolution, on my computer screen… The “sticks” on that photo are fir needles, to give you an idea of the scale. I will return with a tripod to take a sharper set of pictures of this little treasure. And maybe correct the ID of this one. And speaking of identifying the things I discover on my walks, I have a reference shelf…
Here is a well-used book in our house:
Can’t recommend this book enough! Everything from trees to lichens, for this region. Very useful and informative.
Go have a walk outside!
Late Bloomers in the September Garden – Photo Wednesday
Here we are, mid-September, and the garden has cooled considerably. A few days of rain about a week ago interrupted a three-month drought in the Southern Gulf Islands. The soil is still not moist enough, but mosses are reviving.
Meantime, in my garden and on the deck, a few plants are joyfully blooming… a last hurrah.
Above, the bougainvillea that “pouted” all summer long, after a serious clipping back, is now in full glory. That is a close-up of the blooms (the little white flowers) and bracts (the flashy fuchsia/purple “wings”). This plant livens up a corner of the deck… but should come back into the greenhouse in a couple of weeks or so.
This is one of my succulents’ bloom. It is an Echeveria, I am not sure which one, though. After a summer on the deck, it is finally blooming. It also will have to return indoors in a couple of weeks, because it doesn’t like really wet soil.
True blue, that is my name for this Salvia “Blue Angel”. That shade of blue is very noticeable as you walk to the front door. Took all summer, but is finally blooming its little heart out!
And above, a hardy Cyclamen. The previous owners of this house planted some bulbs 30+ years ago, and I never saw these little flowers until we installed a deer fence three years ago. Now, I spot these little angel wings all over the front yard! Very elegant little flowers.
Here is a close-up:
