Wednesday, June 8, 2016

lightly worded wednesday

Piper and I have been taking short walks by the pond, on days when the heat is not too oppressive. Today the skies suddenly opened up a few minutes in, so Piper had a very short walk indeed.


We'll try to make up for it tomorrow.
Meanwhile, here are a few pictures from the past couple of days:


I was blown away by these beautiful pitcher plants:

Sarracenia purpurea

This little turtle was about 20 feet from shore,
and I was another 30 feet inland.
Quite far away...


but I was under intense scrutiny, nonetheless!



I'll bet you recognize this favorite:

Comptonia peregrina

I've been wondering if the ladyslippers didn't bloom at all this year, perhaps because of the sudden and intense heat.
Or if they bloomed and I somehow missed it.
I usually see lots of ladyslippers flowering, but this year...
not a one.

So I was delighted yesterday when I noticed this single blossom, tucked under some low hemlocks branches:

Cypripedium acaule

Back at home, I took a quick snapshot from the car - these columbine and iris are growing on the rocky bank bordering the lower section of driveway:


 There is a lot going on in that garden; most of it good, after the intensive reclamation project that began a couple of years ago. I'm devoting some time to weeding in there this week, a litttle bit every day. It's a small area, but it's tricky with the steep slope.

Necessary work, though. After the big rain, residual bittersweet and wisteria and rubus shot up overnight. After all the brush-clearing and careful planting of perennials, I certainly don't want to let the invasives take over again. Give them an inch, they'll take an ell. Not if I can help it!

I hope you are having blue skies this week :)
~~~~~

10 comments:

  1. Great photos! The painted turtle is fantastic. The lady slippers are a mystery not showing up where they usually do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The plants are there - just not flowering.

      Delete
  2. I have never seen a pitcher plant for real - so pretty! Odd about the lady slippers but maybe you're right - the heat might have turned them off. Amazed at the sheer length of the turtles' claws...wow.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love our pictures! We've been getting a lot of rain and very little heat, but that will change tomorrow. It's supposed to be 90+ and very humid all weekend. I hope it helps our garden grow since I'll want to be in a/c as much as possible.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ugh - I meant love YOUR pictures LOL

      Delete
    2. LOL! It's okay, Carmen - I love OUR pictures too! :)

      Delete
  4. Lovely turtle picture. I'm sure with the rain, the woods are every changing. I miss my walk. Just way too hot here now. Even a stroll in the evening leaves me sweating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your temps make me feel dizzy!
      I am so grateful for the rare days when the humidity is fairly low. No matter what the temperature, when the humidity rises, I start sweating before I even make it to the barn in the morning - by the time I finish feeding and watering, my hair is literally dripping. I admit - without Piper, there are a lot of days I would not go walking just for fun!

      Delete
  5. Wow, I love the turtle photo. What a beautiful animal! I'm glad that you and Piper have been getting out for walks - and your flowers are wonderful! I've never seen a Pitcher Plant before!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, KB - I've been trying to get turtle pictures for a long time, but they are incredibly alert and disappear into the water even when a person is quite distant. They must have a strong sense of personal space ;)

      Delete

Thank you for leaving a comment! I enjoy reading each one, and will usually reply either here or on YOUR blog!

Due to spam, Anonymous comments are blocked. I'm hoping to avoid the annoying Word Verification gizmo! If you find you cannot leave a comment, please email me so we can try to sort it out.