Musings

Relief

Asiatic dayflower

I usually think of this dayflower as having three blue petals, then have to remind myself that truly it only has two. Still: great color.

Tagetes marigold

The pointy leaved marigolds, like this, are Tagetes species, and more common here in the former colony; in the European world, I believe Calendula types are more common.

If you aren’t a plant person, my apologies; I’m avoiding current events in general, and other unpleasant news.

Unplugged (aka mystery title)

Okra ABG

Okra grows like a hot, hot pepper—it points up!

Our yard’s too shady for full-sun veggies. Darn. So no okra. HowEVER, that means AC/electricity costs are lower.

Creative plants

Up view ABG

Yesterday I marveled at these air roots (the skinny verticals, not the spikey foliage). “Air roots” seems like a contradictory phrase; instead, their functionality illustrates the creative evolutionary solutions that plants can develop.

Puppets and plants

Shadow puppets

Sometimes, when you have out-of-town visitors, you do things in your hometown that you should do, and haven’t. Center for Puppetry Arts.

ABG Earth Goddess

At the Atlanta Botanical Garden, however, we’re members.

ABG Datura

And this is a Datura spp. seedpod, your plant photo for today. I have clear images of the flowers in my mind’s eye, but never retained a sense of the distinctive seedpods.

Azalea time (again)

Fifth wind azaleas

The ceiling fans are muted, and the dark stays well into the summer-time coffee hour. The seasons turn.

Signs

Noparking

Softening the blow?

Azalea ant

Post-Michael we’re in a cool spell—truly cool, overnights in the low 50s. All of a sudden, the season-change is revealed. Yet, I see the azalea out front is giving the spring cycle one more belated go.

True misc

Horsetails

When I was a kid and first encountered the term “horsefeathers” in a book, I could not fathom what they might be, since I knew what horses looked like. For unknown reasons, I next thought of horsetails. Horsetails did not help. Our Universal Friend Goooooo likens horsefeathers to hen’s teeth, but of course OUFG was nonexistent when I was a tad.

Small glass tiles

Keeping with the repeating visuals theme: institutional small glass tiles. Pretty pretty.

Kneecap of birch

Doesn’t this old branch scar look like a strange wrinkly kneecap? A white birch kneecap. Next to the steps down to the beach.

Deer dance prints

I saw evidence of a deer-dance in the footprints in the sand. Those long drag marks ended in deer prints. I’m unsure of the moves that produced them.

Beach bloom

I’ve noticed this plant on the beach my whole life and don’t know even a common name for it. Just got out the wildflower ID book—it’s a Polygonium spp., most commonly called some kind of smartweed or knotweed. So there.

P.S. It’s October!

Two excursions

Wood nessie UP

Was it an excursion to check on our beach’s wooden Nessie? Soaking in the sand today….

Woods color

Just after lunch we left the property to check on the leaf color and get out of the house.

Eagles nest

Just as we got to Eagles Nest, the sun came out for the first time! Yay! Gamed the sunshine! It didn’t linger.

We drove on past the Big Fill (didn’t stop) and Lavender Corners (only stopped at the stop sign; it’s a ghost town now).

Fox at Seney

At Seney we made a detour up to the campground to check on the Fox River. I looked for a sign saying Ernest Hemingway fished here. None. I would also have been happy with an Ernest Hemingway fished here sign. Nada.

Needed the wood stove today, but right at the moment we have windows open for a few minutes because it’s kicking out way too much heat. Not enough; too much. The dance of life?

Watching the timeline

Puffball natively

I remember (have I already remembered this on these pages???) my dad slicing thick slabs of ready-to-saute puffball steaks. The puffballs were at about this stage.

I looked. I thought about the culinary challenge.

I punted.

We had leftovers, and the puffball stayed in the wild.

Tomorrow? 😀 😍 😩 🤩 😜 🤭