276/365: white prairie asters
The asters have won my heart for the sheer exuberant volume of blossoms they produce, for being hearty and beautiful in a kind of workaday way, for blooming so late in the season when the garden is a mess and I’ve lost my gumption for it until next spring. We might all pursue our vocations with such earnest cheer.
271/365: cup plant
More autumn blooms in my yard. The native garden keeps on giving!
221/365: wild senna
You can tell the native plants BELONG here because of the way they thrive.
We chose the wild senna for the cool shape of the leaves. We had no idea that it would grow taller than me the first season (I’m 5’3 so it’s not a huge feat, but still).
If you live in the Twin Cities, please let me know if you’d like one of these giants for your own garden. I’ve got babies all over the place and I’m happy to share. Be ready for a soundtrack of contented buzzing – the pollinators are coming in droves.
Another new appearance in the native plant garden. This one is said to attract hummingbirds. Fingers-crossed…
205/365: royal catchfly
Capturing this photo felt akin to bottling sunshine. Now if I can just figure out how to do it with time…
202/365: prairie coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
It really is all about perspective. At close range, the world appears to be in full bloom. But, zoom out, and it’s a different story. In the big picture, spring is still a whisper of green.
108/365: early spring savanna
A different kind of flame, this fiery orange tree. Sometimes it’s the forms I love. The textures. The lines. Other times I just see color fields, as if I’m looking through Rothko’s viewfinder.
94/365: color fields
Another sign of spring: the prairie burn is complete. It looks awful at first, but it’s really just a big black, blank canvas. Soon, the green will appear and the wild, joyous riot of the prairie will return in full force.
80/365: prairie burn
Apologies for missing yesterday’s post. I was at an art fair all day and completely forgot about it. I do have a photo, though.
The other day, I spent a lot of time photographing the winter prairie with the thought that I wouldn’t get many more chances before spring. Two days later, I arrived to find that it had all been mowed down. I was glad I had that last shoot and excited for the rebirth of the prairie flowers that’s soon to come.
71/365: freshly mowed prairie
I’ll be glad to welcome the saturated hues of summer. But, for now, I’m going to play with the color and light of the prairie palette.
69/365: prairie impression
avant garden 365 