a tangle mess

a gave a two+ hour workshop today down in south central minnesota. it was an hour and half drive each direction in 98 degree heat. the workshop was super fun. the attendees were wonderful–professional photographers all. but right now my brain feels like this photo–a tangled mess. i will write more tomorrow about my experience. in the mean time, drink lots of water. it’s hot out there.

wild cucumber vine tendrils (Echinocystis)

spectacular speckles

so many firsts this summer! my first foxglove for STILL. how fantastic are those leopard-spotted interiors? i am mesmerized. besotted. where have you been hiding lovely foxglove? are you having a comeback? a moment? you were a regular sight of my childhood, but it’s been decades since i have seen you around. did you fall out of favor because people worried about your toxicity? or was it your biennial blooming? did we become too impatient to wait every-other year for your striking flowers?  in any case, it’s so nice to have you back. i look forward to seeing you around once in a while.

foxglove (Digitalis)

hiding in plain sight

i have nothing interesting to say about bristly sedge except that it is somewhat odd looking, an i have no idea why i have never noticed it before now. wetlands have lots of plants with long narrow leaves like this, so that would be easy to overlook, but none of them have visible fists of fat, bristly fingers like this. STILL learning in year ten, with no end in sight.

bristly sedge (Carex comosa)

oh, so you’re nigella?

as you know, i am bonkers about seedpods. so it comes as no surprise that love-in-a-mist, is one of my favorite plants. but for all this time, i have known and loved it only for its autumn seedpods.* today, I got to meet my first love-in-a-mist blooms at the fabulous local, sustainable, and chemical-free twin cities flower exchange. it’s like finding out your best friend of the last ten years is secretly a NYTimes best selling author, who writes under the pseudonym nigella. 

*the “seedpod” is actually a capsule of five fused seedpods

love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena)

i love you in floriography

my husband just walked by my desk, peaked at my screen, and announced “they look like pelicans.” i suppose they do.

have i mentioned floriography—the language of flowers?  floriography soared in victorian england and in the united states during the 1800s. gifts of blooms, plants, and specific floral arrangements were used to send a coded message to the recipient, allowing the sender to express feelings which could not be spoken aloud in victorian society. brilliant.

in the language of flowers, lilies portray love, ardor, and affection for your loved ones.

lily buds (Lilium)