Yellow wildflowers are in full bloom at Big Creek State Park. Scroll through the pictures to see (1) Compass Plants standing tall above Black-eyed Susans, Grayhead Coneflowers, and Oxeye Sunflowers; (2) Grayhead Coneflowers in a field of what looks like Little Bluestem; and (3) Black-eyed Susans in various stages of blooming.
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Another response from yesterday’s walk for Cee’s Flower of the Day photo challenge.
I noticed it on my walk this morning along the Neil Smith Trail in Big Creek State Park.
It is not a flower. Or maybe it is.
Whatever it is, it is on the end of a grass of some sort. And it is teeny.
The color caught my eye. Red. On what is clearly a long stalk of grass.
If I’ve set it up right, you should be able to click on the pictures to enlarge them.
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Posted as part of Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD) Challenge because I think grasses are sometimes just as interesting as flowers, leaves and berries. 😉
UPDATE (7/26/21): My friend Kristy suggested (see comments) this is Side Oats Grama and I think she’s right. So it is a grass which has oat-like seeds along the stem. I’ve learned something new today.
Sunflowers to brighten your day!
Just three of the 100+ pictures I took this morning. Grateful for a digital camera, the tools to find the sunflower field at Badger Creek State Recreation Area (Van Meter, Iowa), and the time to enjoy taking pictures.
Tagging as part of Cee’s Flower of the Day photography challenge.
Since I was nearly in the neighborhood, I stopped by the Des Moines Rose Garden this morning (July 1, 2021) to see if there were any roses still in bloom. There were!
These are my favorite pictures of the day. Each shows a cluster of roses at different stages of blooming. Isn’t that how life is? From just beginning to nearly the end, each stage has its own beauty and, at its best, is connected to others.
Have you stopped to smell any roses lately?
Cee – the Cee of Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge – has multiple photography challenges. Since this is all flowers, I’m including it in her Flower of the Day challenge.
Becky over at The Life of B is challenging us to a post a bright square photo every day in April. The only hard and fast rule is that it must be square. Since I decided to join the fun with a photo of a flower, I’m including it in Cee’s Flower of the Day Challenge as well.
The center of this flower glowed yellow in the bright afternoon sun.
Posted in response to Cee’s Flower of the Day challenge.
Much to my surprise the flash went off when I took this picture and I figured it would be a throw-away. But I rather like it just the way it came out – no editing!
Is it brown or deep red? Is it a Velvet Queen variety or a Moulin Rouge? Or something else? How long have brownish sunflowers been a thing?
Posted in response to Cee’s Flower of the Day (FOTD) photo challenge.
Posted in response to Cee’s Flower of the Day.
Take another look. Did you notice the wings on the bug?
Thanks, Cee, for the Flower of the Day Photo Challenge.
I don’t generally think of conifer trees as growing new leaves. But they do – every spring!
The contrast in color and the variety startled me when I saw these trees around a church in Ankeny, Iowa, U.S. My camera was in the car so I put it to use.
“The needlelike leaves may be long or short, flat or round. … Most species are evergreen, keeping their needles all year. Needle leaf trees are also called conifers because most of them bear fruits called cones.”
– George A. Petrides, Peterson First Guide to Trees
In order to identify the trees with any certainty, I need to take the guidebook with me and go take a closer look at the trees. Using broad categories, I’m pretty sure there’s a pine, a spruce and a fir among these pictures.
Thanks, Cee, for the FOTD Challenge … flowers, leaves, berries and such!
