Huntsville Botanical Garden

Carroll and I recently met at Huntsville Botanical Garden for bonding and lunch. After lunch we strolled through the various gardens. Lordy, it was hot so we headed for the shade gardens which were filled with various trilliums and ferns, native azaleas and hydrangeas. And mosquitoes. Still, we persevered and got some good photos.

Some were fun to play with in black & white.
















The above photo is what these beauties look like planted in mass. There were yellow ones and these rusty red ones and some ... white ones, I believe.



We have no idea what this red flower is but it was planted in abundance without any signage. A low shrub with red flowers poking through the foliage. That seemed to be common - no signage. Hence my lack of identification here on my blog. I'm no Harvey Cotton.


However beautiful the flowers were I fell in love with the Frog Buddha in their gift shop. Is he cute, or what? So Zen. Ommmm.........................

Summer

Yesterday my Sunny Friend, Eve, and I sat on her porch and chewed the fat about Life and Gardens. We both were lamenting the fact that we simply haven't been interested in taking photos of late. Maybe the heat and humidity were keeping us indoors, but whatever. I pondered this on the way home as I drove through the mountains in a bowl of sunshine.

Storms formed all around us and I left Eve's mountaintop home just in time. There was a little rain on me at first, but the dark gray misty clouds wrapped southerward around me, slamming Eve and Morgan in their cottage. They were rocking and rolling with nature while I was rocking and rolling with Bonnie Raitt in the sunshine.

The drive was amazing. A sheet of rain exactly one country block to my left almost to Ditto Landing. Shade on the left side, sun on the right side. To the west and north, more dark clouds lined the horizon while rain pummeled the south and east. Literally, a bowl of sunshine.

Eve and I did talk to make sure each was okay, and I made it inside before the next wave of rain pitty-patted down upon our patio and the Gazanias.


I bought these at the local Co-op. Their bright, sunny colors with stripes caught my attention. Never had gazanias; had never HEARD of gazanias. They want full sun and little water. They get sun, but we've been inundated with rain so they're a little bedraggled. Perhaps a little shocked. "Ma'am....we're great for xeriscaping, but NOT pots on a porch with lots of rain. Get it?"


Got it. But you look so lovely in rows of pots on my patio table, gazanias. Please perform for me? Please? I promise to take the water-catcher trays out from underneath you so that you'll not get wet feet. And I promise to photograph you a lot, okay? Your skirts are just so pretty!


Shades of red, red orange, orange, magenta, yellow and yellow-orange seem prevalent. Some have stripes and some do not. I wanted a "Duke's mixture" and that's what I got. The rainfall left pretty droplets of water in the dimming light of sunset. While the dogs were in the backyard doing what dogs need to do I amused myself with the macro lens.

Maybe the lack of desire to shoot was caused by lack of inspiration. These bright flowers in the graying light really called to me yesterday afternoon. Or, maybe it was lunch with a sunny friend that brightened my disposition. Or both. Yesterday jump-started my creativity gene again. Thanks, Eve, for everything. I needed that.

Kwanzan Cherry Trees - Macro Study

Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama, has a stand of cherry trees beside their Fine Art Building that literally stops traffic every spring.

These ornamental cherry trees are what I believe to be Kwanzan cherry trees.

Extraordinarily showy, its bundles of huge double pink blossoms last longer than those of other flowering ornamental cherry trees, such as the Yoshino.

The Kwanzan is a vase-shaped tree with a rounded crown that spreads as it ages, making it taller than wide at maturity.

My understanding is that these trees are fruitless cultivars.

I read this morning that both Kwanzan and Yoshino cherry trees are planted in Washington D. C. and Macon, Georgia for their annual Cherry Blossom Festivals.

I feel certain they must be planted and celebrated in other cities and towns across America in similar festivals.

I'm celebrating them today with my own personal virtual Cherry Blossom Festival!

Unlike other ornamental cherry trees, the leaves of the Kwanzan cherry begin to grow while the tree is still in bloom, which creates a gorgeous study of complementary colors.

Exquisite. There wasn't a bad shot in the bunch.

"In full bloom, an ornamental cherry tree branch extends out over a moat at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan. The flowering cherry tree, or sakura, is one of the most exalted flowering plants in Japan, where the blossoms’ short but beautiful blooming time is a symbol for the evanescence of human life." (Unknown)

Are you enjoying Spring as much as I am?

Mosses and Lichens

The forest floor

Sunday was a gray day, lovingly wrapped in low hanging clouds, serenaded by spits and spats and pittering and pattering of soft drizzling showers. Slowly driving through the State Park along curvy roadways the carpeting of mosses seems illuminated from beneath the earth, much like the glowing forest in Avatar, in amazing shades of green, blue and purple. I find a safe place to pull over to explore and attempt to capture the magic.


Never having researched mosses and lichens I cannot describe any varieties seen here, but to me that isn't quite the point. Textures and colors create an Earth Painting of a sort when shot at close-up range. The new macro lens is quite the challenge and I've lots of learning to do, but viewing them at home on a large screen I found things I didn't see while there.

Glowing moss caresses a rock

What struck me upon looking at the photos later was some black gooey stuff that was prevalent. While there, I was only seeing the glowing colors, but I think the shiny black substance is what made some of the colors "pop." I could sure use a Botanist's opinion.

Tree lichens were like the webbed feet of futuristic waterfowl clinging to Eastern Red Cedars, their deep russet bark set off the light green and blue colors.


This globule of lichens fascinated me most. I see it in the topmost photo on the forest floor, but most prevalently clinging to the sides of Cedars. Fine black hairs rim the edges, it looks like an alien needing a shave.

A macro lens is throwing challenges my way, and is enabling me to get lost in another view of Nature. Any macro photographers out there who can give me good advice? Most of my shots are blurry. Depth of field is a huge issue. I need a tiny tripod. As it is I tuck my elbows in and stop breathing to shoot, but what I get now is just luck.