All I got

Very long, very hot day at an art fair today. This is how I felt. This is all I got.

Queen Anne’s lace Daucus carota)

an escaping scape

As I was photographing this specimen (the last one in the garden because all of our garlic has been harvested), I was asking myself “did I just pick the very least picturesque moment to photograph a garlic scape?”  So I googled garlic scapes. Turns out, I was close to the least attractive moment, but it can at times get even more alien than this. In three days this may have been an attractive pink globe-flower, three days ago it was probably a beautifully sheathed Byzantium onion dome. Today, it is an awkward teenager with very unfortunate systemic acne and rosacea.  If you recall, the two criteria to qualify for being a STILL subject are: interesting or beautiful. Interesting it is.

garlic scape (Allium sativum)

finding in your mate

My deck is littered with maple samaras right now. But finding these mates took some time. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the treasure hunt of STILL?  It’s a happy place for me–single minded, lost in a task that is simple and yet rewarding. I can sift beach sand for hours looking for sea glass, or lie on my belly in Joshua Tree scouring for cactus spines. A momentary pause in the day where I can simply be. STILL has given me so many gifts, more than I could have ever imagined. Being outside of myself for 10 minutes a day–outside my body, outside my head–is one of those.

maple samaras in late July

Goldenrod in July

This goldenrod is blooming one month earlier than it typically does. Here in the north, goldenrod is ubiquitous and abundant. I associate it with autumn, when it paints our roadsides golden for most of the month of September (which means it starts blooming right at the end of August). For me, it has always been one of the early signs (along with sumac leaves) of our starting to tip towards fall. So…goldenrod in July.what does it even mean? Is autumn right around the corner? Will it still be blooming in September and October? If not, what will our bees then use to fill out their winter reserves?  My head is spinning with questions.

goldenrod (Solidago)

it really does hold water

the wraparound leaf of the cup plant looks like a little bird bath, and in fact, it acts as one. birds and bees both use the plant as a reservoir to drink from, and the the cup can hold water for days after it has rained–as i found out when i cut this eight foot specimen down and promptly received a complimentary and mildly refreshing summer shower.

cup plant in bloom (Silphium perfoliatum)