Mayapples

The mayapples are in finally in full bloom here in the Pewaukee area.  These were growing in the woods along the side of Lindsay Road.  The little white flowers are hard to see unless you bend over and look underneath the leaves.  There is some debate about whether the resulting fruit is edible - it supposedly ripens in the fall and has a lemony flavor, and was once considered a staple of Native Americans.

A Blooming Good Time!

Well, this year's Amaryllis finally bloomed!  Since I go in with some friends on a variety package purchase each fall, it's always a surprise to see which kind I'll get.  This year, just like back in 2010, it's a "Candy Cane" variety.  About a month too late for Christmas, but that's because we keep our house pretty chilly.  (The key word around here is 'layers'!)

Begonia

I received this pretty coral pink begonia a few years ago from my mother-in-law. It spends summers on our patio and in "over-winters" in our chilly dining room during the winter.  This year, it took almost all summer to finally re-bloom and now it is quite spectacular!   (Thanks, Dolly!)

Sphinx Moth

After talking to a few people, it's apparently been an especially prolific year for the Sphinx Moth. They're also known as the Hummingbird Moth because of their similar size and mannerisms, and usually come out at dusk and feed on the bright flowers around our patio. This one was flitting around the flowers beds at work right outside my window!

The Eensy-Weensy Spider

This image shows the underside of an Orb Weaver Spider (that happens to be missing a back leg) - and while not so eensy-weensy - it's actually considered a "good" spider as it traps and eats garden pests such as flies, beetles, and mosquitos. Found this one setting up shop on our honeysuckle vine.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Happy 'sunnies' for a Sunday. Each year I grow a row of dwarf and hybrid sunflowers in the back of our veggie garden to use for bouquets throughout the summer.  Most of the plants reach anywhere from 4 to 6 feet tall.  However, this giant sunflower stalk was a "volunteer" in the middle of the garden this year and topped out at over 12 feet!  It looks somewhat shorter here because the multiple sunflower blooms were weighing it down a bit. The Goldfinches are in heaven!

Neon Sunflower

Autumn is closing in upon us and all the sunflowers in our garden are in bloom. This pretty one stood out especially because of the neon-green center.

Thatched Roof, Revisited

As promised last March, I am posting a summertime photo of the thatched roof with the goat weathervane from La Crosse's Friendship Gardens.  The hanging flower planter on the side of the shed was both beautiful and fragrant!

Smoke Bush City Limits

While at the Waukesha Farmer's Market a few weeks ago, I came across this beautiful specimen of Cotinus coggygria - or the 'Royal Purple Smoke Tree." It was growing along the banks of the Fox River which borders the area of the market.  (Since they don't grow wild around here, it was no doubt cultivated by the city.) They are also known as a 'smokebush' and usually have these pretty fluffy flowers in mid-summer - and fortunately, do quite well here in the upper midwest.

Pucker Up!

Dill is in season and our garden is loaded with it.  We dry the wispy green fronds to use as an herb in cooking and salads all year long.  Chopped fresh dill is also amazing sprinkled on baked cod or sole. It adds a wonderful bright, tart flavor to the dish.

Fresh dill is also what we use when making anything pickled - especially "Wild Bill's Dilly Beans"! - which are a combination of tender green and yellow beans from our garden.  Great used on a relish tray or in a cocktail. The delicate blooms (shown above) remind me of little Sputnik satellites, and will also eventually yield dill seeds.

Secret Garden

During my morning walk in Sister Bay, I passed this old-fashioned patriotic garden with pretty flowers of all varieties and colors, along with a few pots of tomatoes, lettuce, and other veggies as well!

The Doors of Door County

During our trip to Door County, I got up for an early morning jog and took some photos of the picturesque buildings in the Sister Bay area -- specifically, a few of the "doors of Door County!" I will be posting several more photos of the area over the next couple of days, so please come back to visit.

Smell-O-Vision

Seriously - if you have never had the chance to inhale the intoxicating perfume of the milkweed flower, you are missing something amazing.  I wish I could share the air around this bloom with you.  It's no wonder that the Monarch Butterflies go crazy over it!

Clematis Bloom

I've been playing around with "Instagram" features recently and liked how this one turned out.  It's a clematis flower bloom from our patio.  The vine is doing quite nicely this year. Happy Summer!

Trilliums

Trilliums are the perfect "trifecta." - The flowers have three petals and the plant has three leaves.
This pretty pink variety was growing along the edge of Lindsay Road. I experimented with a b&w overlay to show the contrast of the flowering plants against the lush green background.

Spring Wildflowers

Spring is truly here and there are a variety of wildflowers, blooms, and fungus scattered throughout the woods during our daily walks.  Here is a delicate variety of spring beauties (or fairy spud!) growing in the shade under a canopy of ash and hickory trees. Latin name: Claytonia virginica. I'll have more postings of our discoveries throughout the week.

Faith

Last night some places in western Wisconsin got over a foot of snow! Earth to Mother Nature:  "Hello! It's May!"

Thankfully, the Milwaukee/Waukesha area was spared this indignity. We do have sunshine this morning, but it's only in the 30's, and most flowers and trees have still not budded out.  That's why I am posting this pretty image of my blooming clematis taken in May a few years ago - to remind us that spring will eventually be here - even if she is taking her sweet time!

April Showers Bring Spring Flowers

Well, we've had lots of April showers (and hail and snow and sleet!) - but no sign of any greenery, much less flowers, outside of our doors up here in Pewaukee.  So, to brighten the mood, I'm posting a photo of a bouquet I bought recently for our dining table. COLOR! My heart lightens a bit just looking at it. :-)

Sunflowers

I added a few sunflowers from our garden to brighten up the small carnation bouquet from the grocery store. Happy September! :-)

Pink Lady

The "Pink Lady" lily's latin name is Amaryllis Belladonna. It's also called the"naked lady" lily because - as you can see in the photo - it has no leaves to cover its long, thin stem.  Technically, it does have leaves, but they show up in early spring like a clump of long blades of grass, and then die back after 4 to 6 weeks.  Then after another 4 to 6 weeks, the graceful lily stalk appears out of seemingly nowhere with this lovely topper of pale pink blooms.