Where are the Butterflies

I highly recommend adding some of this bronze fennel to your landscape if you are looking for a variety of texture and color to add to a bed. Be sure you put it behind things that might be shorter as this one can get....well let's just say down south, I've seen it 5 feet tall. A couple in herb bed are 2 feet tall right now and the weather is just now warming up. This one gets a bit more shade and hasn't grown quite as much.

My main purpose for planting it though has been to try to entice in the butterflies that I so miss from down south. This plant is known to be one they will lay eggs on and their larvae will enjoy dining on it.

The 'Ugly Duckling'

It pops its head up amidst the beauty of the other wildflowers....insisting on being part of the ooo's and aahh's....shedding its seedlings....insisting on thriving for continued generations.

Dreams, Faith, Wonder of....What Next

A hope, a dream....to be an artist.

With a painter's pallete at her side, surrounded by a wonderful MidWestern public botanical garden filled with wonderful late spring/early summer blossoms of every size, shape, color and fragrance, her canvas reflects the first 'growth of her artistic garden'.

She wonders....which flower to add next, what next color, what next stroke....

What wonderful surroundings to inspire that artistic creative spirit in all of us.

Not What it Seems.....

It really isn't what it seems.....a tulip with fernlike foliage.

I visited with my mom a bit today and was excited to see that the bulbs I planted for her in the fall were coming up in places that we didn't think they were going to come up. They were just a bit slow due to a location with a little less sun to warm them up and urge them out of the ground.

This one looked so happy and comfy...in the midst of the soft fern bed...peaking its sunshiny face out...singing it's "Warmth is finally here" song to all.

Field Trip

I took a photography class at a camera shop on Macro photography and it included a field trip to this awesome public garden in town. I had not been to it before and can guarantee I will be a frequent visitor there now as their gardens change continuously with the seasons.

During that field trip, a lense supplier allowed us to 'try out' some of their lenses...of course...in hopes of 'pulling in suckers' like me to purchase one. (Yes.....which I did.) To my defense....I do a lot of hiking and photo taking when I am on the trails and it is burdensome to try to manage my Lexi as well as 2 or 3 different lenses to try to get just the right shot. To my defense...I didn't buy one that was strictly macro....I bought one that would get me a happy median between wide angle, macro and zoom. (Someday...when I win the lottery...I'll purchase that strictly macro or that telephoto lens that I really need for more of the close up or far away wildlife pics. Until then, I have lots to learn.)

I got a lot of neat pics this day of close up shots....but in trying to insure that it met some of my zoom needs also....I took a couple pics of this fountain (all the while fighting the windy day) and have to admit...I was a bit pleased with myself.

Neighborly Gifts

I really do have some awesome neighbors at my current residence. They provide me with alot of wonderful things....

Some one to chat with

Friendly relaxing evenings

Girls night out

Friends for my Lexi

Sharing of plants, remedies, food, books....just life in general

Between myself and my neighbor on this side of the street is an 'abandoned house' that on most days....can be a real eyesore and concern. My back yard is an 'L' shape and runs behind this home and that of my neighbors on the other side. At the end of this 'L' shape is my rasberry patch and many days I wander down to check it out. And on any particular day....I am greeted through my neighbors by fence by their sweet dogs....3 of them with such different personalities....and then some really awesome 'garden friends' that distract me greatly from my initial intention of walking to the rasberry patch.

Let's Try this Again - Project 365

I am very new to the 'seriousness' of my photography. I bought my first DSLR last fall...with the help of my awesome daughter and I LOVE IT. I absolutely love it.


I've been taking an online photography class....short, sweet, to the point and it has helped but I always feel better if I have some hands on so I find a local camera shop that gives classes and attended my first at the end of May. It included a field trip to Boerner Botanical Gardens which I truly enjoyed. How could a photographer not.

At the same time, I was introduced to these wonderful ladies.


Which brought me to this. Which I tried to start earlier this year....and exited at the end of April. But only because I didn't feel as if I was posting on a daily basis as I thought I should be. And then.....I was enlightened by this.

I've gone back and reviewed photos I have taken this year...and there really are so few days that I've not taken some picture or another. And when I take them, I try very much to get just the right SOOC shot. I have purchased Photoshop Elements and just haven't had time to figure it out....which is fine. I use it for organization and want to use it when I get....a little bit better at the composition of my photos to possibly be able to do some neater things with my photos....creating books, etc etc.

So...since that first class, I probably have missed less than a week of days getting a shot...and have decided I will begin this Project again from the end of May and will post them to my FLickr account (see my side bar). In addition, to try to give me ideas and incentives, I am finding a lot of 'photo challenge' type sites to give me a bit of a daily challenge so you don't get tired of seeing my BFF or the same flower over and over again from my backyard!!!! hehehehehe.

Although one of my biggest problems on some days is trying to decide just which pic to post in this blog...I will post the 365 to my Flickr account for viewing there and continue to post some other pics here. (It really is just a result of my being a pack rat...and an undecisive one at that.)