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!
246/365: purple woods aster
Walking through the summer woods is a largely monochromatic experience. Green on green. Any other color really stands out.
I’m happy either way: I never tire of the infinite shades and textures of the leaves but the surprise of a wildflower is always welcome.
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.
Yesterday I was invited to my dear friend Sue’s garden to photograph her abundant spread of bloodroot. I’d never photographed (or seen?) them before. They are a delightful and diminutive woodland flower; getting to know them properly required me to spend a fair amount of time lying on the ground. It was the highlight of my day. Good company all around.
105/365: bloodroot (sanguinaria canadensis)
Notes: The plant stores a red, poisonous sap, hence the graphic name. This photo is somewhat deceiving; the central leaf belongs to another plant. I like the sense of intermingling…
It took a closer look to see the tiny individual dried flowers on this liatris stalk. And a photograph to make me see its fruit: tiny seeds adorned with hairy parachute tufts to carry them off on the wind.
24/365: liatris fruit & flower
One of my favorite discoveries of the last 365 project was the beauty and variety of plants in their winter form. I’ve been looking forward to re-visiting this subject – always something more to see.
21/265: wild coneflower seed heads, broken
avant garden 365 